What can you do about child abuse?

First, you must recognize the signs of child abuse.  They are listed below.  The sooner the abuse is discovered, the more likely the child can recover from it.

Warning signs of emotional abuse in children

• Excessively withdrawn, fearful, or anxious about doing something wrong.
• Shows extremes in behavior (extremely compliant or extremely demanding; extremely passive or extremely aggressive).
• Doesn’t seem to be attached to the parent or caregiver.
• Acts either inappropriately adult (taking care of other children) or inappropriately infantile (rocking, thumb-sucking, tantruming).

Warning signs of physical abuse in children

• Frequent injuries or unexplained bruises, welts, or cuts.
• Is always watchful and “on alert,” as if waiting for something bad to happen.
• Injuries appear to have a pattern such as marks from a hand or belt.
• Shies away from touch, flinches at sudden movements, or seems afraid to go home.
• Wears inappropriate clothing to cover up injuries, such as long-sleeved shirts on hot days.

Warning signs of neglect in children

• Clothes are ill-fitting, filthy, or inappropriate for the weather.
• Hygiene is consistently bad (unbathed, matted and unwashed hair, noticeable body odor).
• Untreated illnesses and physical injuries.
• Is frequently unsupervised or left alone or allowed to play in unsafe situations and environments.
• Is frequently late or missing from school.

Warning signs of sexual abuse in children

• Trouble walking or sitting.
• Displays knowledge or interest in sexual acts inappropriate to his or her age, or even seductive behavior.
• Makes strong efforts to avoid a specific person, without an obvious reason.
• Doesn’t want to change clothes in front of others or participate in physical activities.
• An STD or pregnancy, especially under the age of 14.
• Runs away from home.

After child abuse is suspected, talk to the child about abuse and ask him or her if he or she has ever been abused, but do so with caution.

• Avoid denial and remain calm. A common reaction to news as unpleasant and shocking as child abuse is denial. However, if you display denial to a child, or show shock or disgust at what they are saying, the child may be afraid to continue and will shut down. As hard as it may be, remain as calm and reassuring as you can.
• Don’t interrogate. Let the child explain to you in his or her own words what happened, but don’t interrogate the child or ask leading questions. This may confuse and fluster the child and make it harder for them to continue their story.
• Reassure the child that they did nothing wrong. It takes a lot for a child to come forward about abuse. Reassure him or her that you take what is said seriously, and that it is not the child’s fault.
• Safety comes first. If you feel that your safety or the safety of the child would be threatened if you try to intervene, leave it to the professionals. You may be able to provide more support later after the initial professional intervention.

Once your suspicions have been confirmed or if you still have concerns for the child, contact the authorities no matter what.  It is everyone’s duty to protect all children.  That means it is your job to report abuse!

• I don’t want to interfere in someone else’s family. The effects of child abuse are lifelong, affecting future relationships, self-esteem, and sadly putting even more children at risk of abuse as the cycle continues. Help break the cycle of child abuse.
• What if I break up someone’s home? The priority in child protective services is keeping children in the home. A child abuse report does not mean a child is automatically removed from the home – unless the child is clearly in danger. Support such as parenting classes, anger management or other resources may be offered first to parents if safe for the child.
• They will know it was me who called. Reporting is anonymous. In most states, you do not have to give your name when you report child abuse. The child abuser cannot find out who made the report of child abuse.
• It won’t make a difference what I have to say. If you have a gut feeling that something is wrong, it is better to be safe than sorry. Even if you don’t see the whole picture, others may have noticed as well, and a pattern can help identify child abuse that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

Why do parents abuse?

Sometimes parents that abuse were victims of abuse as children.  This is not always so.  There are many other reasons that child abuse occurs in families.  Alcohol and drug abuse for one.  Many times when drugs or alcohol are present, the parent is so drunk or high that they physically are unable to provide the basic needs of their children.  This leads to neglect of the child.  Drug and alcohol abuse also lead to other types of abuse.  The parent’s mind is often so altered by the substance that he or she does things that are normally not in their character.  They are still responsible for their actions.  Another reason child abuse occurs is lack of parenting skills.  This is especially true in teen parents.  These teens often have unrealistic expectation of caring for a child, resulting in neglect.  These cases can often be remedied with counseling and parenting classes.  Mental illness can also be a factor in child abuse.  Parents suffering from untreated mental illness often cannot take care of themselves, much less a child who is dependent on them for their basic needs.  Also, these parents often display erratic behavior and have uncontrolled fits of rage that can be aimed at the child resulting in physical abuse.  Read more about the causes of child abuse here. Whatever the cause, if parents recognize these behaviors in themselves, it is their job to get help and protect their children at all costs.

What happens to children of abuse?

Many times the parents were abused as children and repeat the cycle as adults.  This is not always so.  Sometimes the exact opposite happens and the parent is determined to protect their child from what they experienced as children.  I can think of a personal example of this.  My father grew up in severe poverty.  He was the child of very young teen parents.  His mother had him when she was just 14 years old and four siblings followed close behind.  His father either could not or did not provide for his family properly and there was domestic violence between his parents in the home.  His parents also brought other sexual partners into the home, one of which sexually abused my uncle.  His mother neglected her children.  His father was physically abusive, beating his children and thinking up ways to torture them like forcing them to kneel on rocks and pebbles for hours at a time.  He eventually left my father’s mother with the three smallest children.  When my father was 14, his mother left one day and told him and his brother that she would be back soon.  A few weeks later, a couple showed up at the trailer that he and his brother were living in and told them that their mother had sold it to them and that they must leave.  They lived for a week under a small patio that the trailer had been parked against until they stayed with a friend, my father got a job and rented a shabby apartment for them.  My father supported his brother and had to quit school.  He later joined the Army and learned how to weld, which provided good money.  He got married, had a family, furthered his education and became involved in local politics.  I can’t remember one instance when my father raised his hand to me.  He never forgave his mother.  My uncle, on the other hand, was abusive to his family and probably still is.  He hits his wife and his children.  I can remember many instances when I was young that my cousin came to stay with us because bruises and welts were discovered on him at school.  How did these two men who shared the same childhood, come away from it so differently?  What is the psychology of abuse?

How did child abuse change after CAPTA?

After child abuse was publicized in 1974 and CAPTA was passed, a picture has been painted of child abuse as being a “poor problem.”  Read more here. When the government cracked down on these offenses, people with money to protect themselves from the law by hiring lawyers escaped consequences and the children remained in the homes in which they were abused and still do.  What emerged was an unprecedented number of low-income children being removed from the homes of their accused abusers.  The poorer parents could and cannot afford proper legal aid.  Many times, further abuse occurs in the foster home.  The average stay of children in foster care is 27 months.  While foster care initially removes the child from an abusive environment, it is not a permanent solution and may end up harming the child further.  First the child is removed from the only parent it knows and is placed with a person who either is emotionally distant from the child and only provides the basic needs, loves the child in a way that the child has never experienced and eventually that child is removed from that positive attachment or abuses the child further.  We have all heard the horror stories about foster care.  Read more about the negative effects of foster care here. We need to find a better way to improve the lives of these children.

Who is doing something about child abuse?

In 1974, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was passed.  This was the first time that child abuse was nationally recognized as a problem.  In 1982, June 6-12 was declared National Child Abuse Prevention Week.  The following year, April was proclaimed National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Who knew, right?  Since CAPTA was passed, there have been many programs and procedures implemented to combat child abuse.  There are early childhood programs, home visits, family resource centers, parent education groups and numerous support groups.  The main goal of the government is not to find other homes for these children, but to educate and support the families in a way that fosters a happy home environment. In addition to the government, many private organizations help to prevent child abuse.  These organization also provide education, family support and counseling.  Many times, the child abuser was abused as a child and therefore is repeating the cycle.  It is these organizations job to break that cycle and give the next generation a chance for a better life.

How prevalent is child abuse in the U.S.?

In the United States, over three million reports of child abuse are made every year.  Almost 5 children die everyday from some form of child abuse and it is believed that 5 is a conservative number.  It is thought that as many as much 85 percent of these fatalities go undocumented on death certificates.  Read more here. Child abuse has no face.  It occurs at all socioeconomic levels and throughout every race, education level and religious group.  Children suffer from multiple types of abuse, with neglect being the most prevalent.  Research has concluded that children three and under are the most risk, representing nearly 75 percent of child abuse related fatalities.  Who is abusing and killing these children?  The parents account for 76 percent of the fatalities, 15 percent are non-caretakers the child knows and nine percent are unknown persons.  Who is doing something about it?

A Boy’s Life

A Boy’s Life is a HBO documentary by Rory Kennedy about a boy who is by outside appearances a disturbed child.  When you get to know the boy and follow him to school, you find that once away from his grandmother, he is a normal child who is polite and well-behaved.  A picture a Munchausen syndrome by proxy starts to emerge as the film progresses and it becomes evident that the child needs to be removed from the care of his grandmother immediately.  It is a documentary that should be viewed by everyone who has children in their lives.

Child Abuse in the U.S.

The theme for my blog from now until the end of the semester will be child abuse in the U.S. and specifically Texas.  I will answer the following questions.

1.What is the history of child abuse?

2.What is he definition of child abuse?

3.How prevalent is child abuse?

4.How did change in society affect child abuse?

5. What is the psychology of child abuse?

6.How does child abuse shape a child’s life?

What is the definition of child abuse?

Depending on who is asked, the definition of child abuse varies.  There are four categories of child abuse; physical, emotional, sexual and neglect.  The United States’ Federal website for child welfare states that child abuse is defined as at minimum any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation of a child or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.  In Texas abuse means the act or omission by a person of physical injury that results in substantial harm to the child or the genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the child, including an injury that is at variance with the history or explanation given and excluding an accident or reasonable discipline by a parent, guardian, or conservator that does not expose the child to a substantial risk of harm, the failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent an action by another person that results in physical injury or substantial harm to the child, the current use by a person of a controlled substance in a manner or to the extent that the use results in physical, mental, or emotional injury to a child, or causing, expressly permitting, or encouraging a child to use a controlled substance.

A History of Child Abuse

Child abuse has occurred since ancient times, when children were considered property and were forced into hard labor.  During the industrial revolution, children were placed into apprenticeships, factories, mills, and farms to work long hours, receive little pay and be denied an education.  Read more here. Children have been subject to physical, sexual and emotional abuse since the beginning of humanity. Not so long ago, only about 40-45 years, child abuse was considered a family matter.  Although there are agencies and laws in place now, child abuse continues to be a significant social problem.  As recently as the 1950s and 1960s, if child abuse was suspected, outsiders looked the other way.  The abuse was considered a family matter.  In 1960, physician C. Henry Kempe began to notice an unusual number of unexplained broken bones and fractures in his pediatric service.   Kempe and some of his colleagues researched the issue and in 1962 they published “The Battered Child Syndrome” in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The paper was considered to be important in creating awareness about child abuse.  A copy if the paper can be found here. Radiology uncovered physical abuse in children, but sexual abuse wouldn’t be recognized until the 1970s and emotional abuse wouldn’t be acknowledged until the 1980s and 1990s.  In 1974, the first federal child welfare law, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, was passed.  There have been numerous amendments to the law over the years.  While we have made great strides in fighting child abuse, we have not succeeded in eliminating it.