Running head: COMMUNITY VIOLENCE 1

Community Violence

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
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Community Violence

The community involved in the study is the African-American which comprises the

major minority groups in the United States. Community violence is prevalent in this community

due to economic and racial differences. In the past, the African Americans have faced numerous

challenges raising children in a discriminative society making the kids prone to abuse. Further,

studies show that child abuse is more prevalent in less educated and low-income families where

the African American form a majority. The community must come together to seek a solution for

community violence. In particular, the strategies that could apply in the African American

communities are system advocacy, coalitions, social planning, and policy change (MacQueen et

al., 2001). The intervention plan should involve all members of the community and interested

organizations to enhance effectiveness in curbing community violence.

Child Abuse in African American Community

Child abuse is a common community violence activity that involves physical,

psychological, and sexual torture. Various factors lead to the rise in the child abuse in some

communities such as inadequate legislation and law enforcement. High poverty levels and low

education levels are the primary factors that cause increased child abuse in the society.

According to Drake, Lee, and Jonson-Reid (2009), there is a connection between economic

challenges and child mistreatment reports, and as at 2003, 33.6% of African American children

lived below the poverty level compared to 9.3% whites. Further, the number of cases reported

from the black families are minimal compared to the facts.

Research Levels
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The government has set various organizations to help with child abuse menace. The

Center for Disease Control has multiple prevention strategies that assist in reporting and

intervening child abuse and neglect. First, it strengthens the economic support to families to

ensure financial security. Second, assures quality and affordable education policies that involve

parents' engagement. Third, rallies for increased education on child-care skills through home

visitation. Fourth, it intervenes to reduce harm and risks through improved primary care, training

programs, and treatment to reduce maltreatment ("CDC", n.d.). Further, the CDC provides

adequate reports regarding children violence to ensure the policymakers have sufficient

information when legislating on child abuse.

Additionally, community strategies have been implemented aiming at reduced cases of

child abuse. Child protection involves creating a supportive residential environment through the

community's collective responsibility to enhance children's security (Drake, Lee & Jonson-Reid,

2009). The child protection boards focus on strengthening the community norms and coordinates

individual service development to achieve a community that cooperates with the authority

without confusion on personal and collective responsibility. The risk factors that lead to the rise

in child abuse are parental child abuse, family violence, poverty, and low education level (Daley

et al., 2016). The government agencies work hard to reduce the prevalence of these factors.

Many researchers have conducted studies regarding the child abuse issue. A study

determining if the blacks are overrepresented in race and child abuse reports was conducted, and

it used various approaches to examine the factors contributing to child maltreatment differences

between the whites and blacks. For example, it covered poverty, aggregation bias, visibility

differences, racism, and being out of place (Drake, Lee & Jonson-Reid, 2009). Another survey

was conducted to determine the relationship between child abuse and involvement in the juvenile
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justice system among the African American teenage males (Williams, Dorn, Bright, Johnson-

Reid, & Nebbitt, 2009). The study sample were children from families depending on aid, mainly

African American above 16 years. The data sources for this survey was the juvenile court data,

birth records, and child welfare information. The study found that there was a strong relationship

between child abuse and juvenile system.

Research Findings

Community-based healthcare intervention measures are very successful in solving

problems. The issue of child abuses in African American homes has attracted various researchers

who analyze different factors causing the problems and present the means to address them. The

first finding is that most African American youths facing delinquency were mistreated in their

childhood. In the study by Drake, Lee, and Jonson-Reid (2009), about 20% to 33% youths facing

delinquency had issues of maltreatment in their childhood. The second finding is that low

education levels among the parents, where most did not proceed with education past high school,

result in increased violence (Drake, Lee & Jonson-Reid, 2009). Further, inadequate training is

listed as a risk factor in child maltreatment.

Third, substance abuse among the African American parents also contributes to high

cases of child neglect and abuse. In particular, the caregivers tend to have inadequate time and

knowledge regarding child-care as they focus on drugs. Studies revealed that there was no bias

regarding drug testing among the women during childbirth showing that a high percentage of

them were into substance abuse which resulted in child abuse (Drake, Lee & Jonson-Reid, 2009).

Fourth, the findings reveal that a high percentage of children facing child abuse live below

poverty level in African American homes compared to the whites. The child maltreatment in

low-income neighborhoods is prevalent among the African American households. Fifth,

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domestic violence contributes to psychological torture to the children making them grow with

low self-esteem, and some become violent and defensive. Family violence is the second most

influential risk factor for child abuse with a risk value of 4.15 (Daley et al., 2016). Proper

parenting and family violence policies are essential for reducing child maltreatment.

Research Findings Analysis

The research findings provide with the causes of child abuse, strengths, and weaknesses

of the African American community. The first cause of child abuse is economic challenges

where families living below poverty level engage in violent activities that lead to sexual,

physical, and psychological torture of the children. Secondly, the level of education present in

low-income areas does not support intellectual growth. In particular, the children raised by

economically challenged families face sexual abuse frequently. The African Americans are

concentrated in low-income neighborhoods that have inadequate education facilities and

employment opportunities (Drake, Lee & Jonson-Reid, 2009). Third, substance abuse is high in

the African American community members, and it affects the rational judgment which results in

poor parenting. Domestic violence is a secondary cause since it is instigated by other factors such

low education, economic challenges, and drug abuse.

The African American community has numerous strengths and weaknesses that influence

the child abuse intervention. The first strength is that the members of this community have

shown tremendous commitment towards solving other challenges affecting the community. For

example, a study shows that African American formed an organization that helped immigrants in

the 20th century who were relocating from the South to the urban areas (Daro & Dodge, 2009).

Second, the high records of reported cases from African American community may be biased

due to visibility bias. Third, cooperation with the policymakers is high in this community as they
COMMUNITY VIOLENCE 6

are a minority group that has to be represented during lawmaking. The weaknesses hinder the

implementation and success of intervention measures useful for this group. First, the level of

poverty is still high in the community leading low-quality education. Second, cases of substance

abuse are also high making it difficult to maintain a favorable environment for children. Third,

the community has insufficient training causing intellectual incapability, thus poor parenting.

Action Plan

The plan’s goal is to eliminate child abuse in the African American community. The

community should follow these steps to promote a healthy society. The first step is to identify

the prevention strategies available for implementation. For example, the CDC provides that the

community affected should be strengthened economically, have a quality education, undergo

childcare training, and reduce harm and future risks ("CDC", n.d.). Secondly, the approach to

implement these strategies are chosen. For instance, family-friendly work policies, legislation to

prevent punishment, availability of child raising skills training, and increased primary care

evaluation. Third, provide resources to caregivers where they can learn how to improve

parenting and report cases of neglect and abuse. Fourth, delegate roles regarding the people

responsible for the strategy implementation. Fifth, provide the means to measure the success of

the policies employed. For example, frequent visitation of neighborhoods dominated by the

African American caregivers to evaluate their childrearing skills helps determine if the new

systems are working. Sixth, provide a report concerning the progress and impact utilized

approaches. Finally, offer alternatives in extreme cases where reforms are not available.
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References

Daley, D., Bachmann, M., Bachmann, B., Pedigo, C., Bui, M., & Coffman, J. (2016). Risk

terrain modeling predicts child maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 62, 29-38.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.09.014

Daro, D., & Dodge, K. (2009). Creating community responsibility for child protection:

possibilities and challenges. The Future of Children, 19(2), 67-93.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/foc.0.0030

Drake, B., Lee, S., & Jonson-Reid, M. (2009). Race and child maltreatment reporting: Are blacks

overrepresented?. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(3), 309-316.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.08.004

MacQueen, K., McLellan, E., Metzger, D., Kegeles, S., Strauss, R., & Scotti, R. et al. (2001).

What is community? An evidence-based definition for participatory public health.

American Journal of Public Health, 91(12), 1929-1938.

http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/ajph.91.12.1929

Prevention Strategies/ Child Abuse and Neglect| Violence Prevention| Injury Center| CDC.

Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childmaltreatment/prevention.html

Williams, J., Van Dorn, R., Bright, C., Jonson-Reid, M., & Nebbitt, V. (2009). Child

maltreatment and delinquency onset among African American adolescent males.

Research on Social Work Practice, 20(3), 253-259.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049731509347865