Child abuse and neglect: history, causes, and protective responses

¶ … child abuse from all angles to try to understand what we as a society may be doing wrong, and also what we may be doing right to help the young victims of child abuse. What part does the Child Protection Agencies play in protecting our children? Are the States laws helping or hindering the process? I will present research data, which will show the increase of child abuse from year to year. Additionally, the discussion will review the history of child abuse, tracing the changes in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and discusses the challenges that are faced today by the child protection system.

Child abuse and neglect has been a topic of discussion for many years. In recent years it seems that the abuses against children have skyrocketed into a national and international epidemic. In many cases the abuse of children comes at the hands of parents or guardians who are supposed to protect the children and their interests. There are many reasons why child abuse exists including familial, economical and social issues that are systemic and difficult to combat. The purpose of this discussion is to examine child abuse and neglect as it relates to the role that society plays in allowing such things to occur. The research will also focus on what society is doing to combat the problem and keep children safe. Let us begin our discussion by providing definitions for the terms child abuse and neglect.

What is Child Abuse and Neglect?

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Child Abuse is defined as "doing something or failing to do something that results in harm to a child or puts a child at risk of harm. Child abuse can be physical, sexual or emotional." The NIH also explains that neglect is a type of abuse in which children are not provided with what is needed to sustain life (i.e. food and water).

The following graph shown the increase in child deaths per day as a result of child abuse from 1995 until 2003

Both child abuse and neglect are punishable by law and children can be removed from their homes if alegations of abuse or neglect are proven. In either case the general public and people who are expected to protect the interests of children such as teachers or doctors can report suspected cases of child abuse to child protective services. The role of Child protective services will be discussed in greater detail in a later section of this report. For now let us discuss the history of child abuse.

Types of Abuse

Child abuse in general is very detrimental regardless of the form. Children who are abused in any way can develop serious emotional and psychological scars that can last a lifetime. This section of the discussion will explain the various types of abuse and the impact of such abuse on children.

Physical Abuse

The physical abuse of children is quite common and is often dismissed by perpetrators as discipline. Physical abuse can be inclusive of hitting, beating, kicking and anything else that causes physical harm. In some cases children may be physically abused for many years, in other cases the abuse may come suddenly. Also within families siblings may receive different treatment and one child may experience worse physical abuse than the other siblings in the family. In either case physical abuse can have serious effects on the psyche of a child well into adulthood.

Mental/emotional abuse

Mental or emotional abuse most often occurs through manipulation, mid control and brain washing. The victim is often put into situations where they are physically deprived of the things they need to make appropriate decisions. For instance they may be deprived of sleep or food so that they can be more easily manipulated. Mental abuse may also involve teasing or name calling. In many cases the perpetrator is very aware of the victim's weaknesses and uses them to humiliate or subjugate the victim.

Sexual Abuse

The sexual abuse of children is increasing throughout the world and has increased drastically in recent years. Sexual abuse can include the molestation and/or rape of a child. In many cases children are sexually abused by someone that they know, rather it be a neighbor, a parent or an acquaintance. Sexual abuse can also have lasting effects on the psyche of an individual. Studies have found that children who experience sexual abuse are more likely to become promiscuous as teenagers and young adults. In addition a significant percentage of teenage mothers were sexually abused as young children. Several studies have also confirmed that as much as 80% of the female prison population in America has been sexually abused, usually at the hands of family members.

What factors contribute to Child Abuse?

As was previously mentioned in this discussion religious beliefs often play a monumental role in the abuse of children. A very recent case in which more than 400 children were removed from a Polygamists Ranch in Texas is a prime example of this. This particular ranch is part of the Mormon sect is known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This sect has long been under scrutiny for sexual abuse against young girls. Members of the sect that were able to escape have explained their difficult childhoods and being forced into marriage at very young ages. The Associated Press reports that Investigators determined that there is a widespread pattern and practice of the (Yearn for Zion) Ranch in which young, minor female residents are conditioned to expect and accept sexual activity with adult men at the ranch upon being spiritually married to them,"...McFadden said the girls were spiritually married to the men as soon as they reached puberty and were required to produce children."

In this case it is becoming more and more evident that children were/are being abused in the name of religion. In addition to the sexual abuse, children and adults at the ranch have reportedly been subjected to mental and physical abuse.

In addition to religious beliefs, child abuse is often a cycle that occurs when children who are abused become parents. In many cases people never seek the help that they need in dealing with the wounds caused by abuse. As a result they repeat many of the same mistakes with their own children and it becomes a cyclical pattern.

In addition research has suggested that poverty plays a substantial role in child abuse and neglect cases. In fact an article published in Journal of Studies on Alcohol, explains that Neighborhood studies on child abuse have concluded that neighborhood factors are differentially associated with child physical abuse and child neglect., in fact Drake and Pandey (1996) discovered that the percentage of poverty was positively correlated. In addition there was a negative correlation between two parent families and physical abuse and neglect.

The study also found that parent who dropped out of high school was more likely to neglect their children.

In addition to the aforementioned causes of child abuse and neglect, we also live in a society that glorifies violence. In some ways it is evident that our society has become desensitized to any type of violence even if it is against children. In addition sex and sexuality are no longer held as sacred, instead everything is on display.

This often leads to perversion, which can lead to the sexual abuse of children.

As you can see, there are several factors that contribute to the prevalence of child abuse and neglect throughout the country. These factors include religious beliefs, cycles of abuse, poverty and education levels. If we as a society were willing to face these factors and work to eradicate them, child abuse could decrease substantially.

Understanding the Impact of Historic policies on Child Maltreatment

Some of the first laws concerning the maltreatment of children involved labor laws. There was a time in this country when very young children worked under dangerous conditions in factories and other dangerous environment. As was mentioned previously in the discussion amendments to the Social Security Act and changes in the manner in which society views children has contributed greatly to the protections that children now have under the law.

Child Abuse and Neglect Laws and State Statutes

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, the terms Child abuse and neglect are defined by Federal and State statutes.

The department explains that "The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (42 U.S.C.A. 5106g), as amended by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, provides the foundation on which State definitions are based. CAPTA established a minimum set of standards that define child maltreatment. Each State is then responsible for its own definitions of child abuse and neglect that meets these standards within its civil and criminal codes."

This means that the states are responsible for formulating laws that are in compliance with CAPTA. In addition, states are responsible for maintaining a government agency that enforces the laws of the state as it relates to child abuse. Individual states are also expected to create the criminal penalties that people face if they are convicted of child abuse or neglect. Although laws concerning child abuse and neglect differ from state to state, the United States has made a concerted effort to tackle the issue of child abuse. Some sates are more aggressive and better organized in their efforts to protect children than others.

The Role of Child Protective Services

Child Protective Services or CPS is the name used by most states as it pertains to the state agency that handles cases of abuse and neglect within the state. Although the federal government has certain statutes in place to protect children, it is the actual states that are responsible for creating more specific laws and enforcing these statutes and laws. Child protective services receives complaints about abused and neglected children and the state is responsible for ensuring that each complaint is checked out, this is usually done through a home visit or a series of home visits. If the CPS worker finds that the child is indeed neglected or abused, the child is removed from the home and placed into the states care, some children are placed in foster homes while others may be placed in group homes.

The exact policies vary somewhat from state to state, but in most states parents are given the opportunity to regain custody of their children after completing the programs and training ordered by the court. Once these things are completed and CPS believes that the children are no longer in danger they can be returned to their parents. However in other cases parents don't meet the standards established by the court and the child remains in foster care or may be put up for adoption.

Throughout the country Child protective services works hard to try and ensure the safety of children. However, it is no secret that this particular agency is often overwhelmed in many states as a result of a lack of funding and understaffing. In addition, in many states there is a lack of foster care parents to take in children who have been placed in the system. As a result of all of these factors there have been many cases in which children have been left in the care of parents who were abusive or neglectful. In some instances children have been killed or seriously hurt as a result.

The consequences of Child Abuse

The consequences of child abuse are devastating and far reaching. The sbuse not only affect that child but also the society as a whole. For the children the siffer abuse problem such as juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, depression/mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse often arise. In addition, many people who are abused become abuser, which creates another cycle of abuse.

The society as a whole suffers from the effects of Child Abuse because of the resources that are often required to assist children who have been abused. For instance, the CPS worker receives pay, the foster parents must be paid a certain amount each month and the child may have to undergo psychological or medical treatment as a result of the abuse or neglect. In addition a large percentage of the people who commit crimes in our country were victims of childhood abuse. When people are robbed, or raped or murdered tohe sense of safety for the entire community is greatly decreased.

11. Prevention

One of the ways to reduce child abuse is to prevent from ever occurring in the first place. In many case child abuse occurs in cycles and people who were abused as children are very likely to become abusers as adults. There are three levels of prevention that will be discussion in this section of the investigation.

Primary prevention

The primary prevention method involves teaching people how to properly parent. Many cases of abuse occur because parents or guardians are overwhelmed and simply do not know how to discipline their children. To control behavior parents or guardians will hit children in anger as opposed to attempting other modes of discipline. Parents must be taught to understand how to parent their children at different ages; for instance a 2-year-old cannot understand the same things a10-year-old can understand and must be parented accordingly.

In addition to providing parents with guidance, caretakers such as teachers, babysitters, nannies or daycare providers should also be forced to undergo background checks and meet very strict criteria before being allowed to care for children. Too often in the United States children have been hurt or killed at the hands of childcare providers simply because their was no background check conducted.

In addition teachers and other school professionals should be given the type of support that they need as it relates to addressing issues of child maltreatment. According to an article entitled "Supporting School Professionals through the Establishment of a School District Policy on Child Maltreatment" explains the need for district policies. The author explains that teachers are usually in the best position to identify students who are abused or neglected because they are interacting with the children on a daily basis for long periods of time.

Because parents and childcare providers are often the people that children spend the most time with it is important that the initial prevention measures are inclusive of these individuals. Teaching people how to properly parent is helpful because it assist people in not becoming overwhelmed and taking their frustrations out on their children. In addition those individuals that are around children as teachers or caretakers should not have criminal records and background checks should be conducted to assist in assuring the safety of the children in their care.

b. Secondary prevention second layer of prevention has to do with making the public more aware as it relates to the signs of child abuse or neglect. People such as teachers and pediatricians are already aware of such signs; however a neighbor may not know what signs to look for in a child. The entire community and society must understand that they have a voice and that there are organizations that can ensure that children are safe when abuse is suspected.

c. Tertiary prevention

School-based prevention programs are also useful, particularly as it relates to sexual abuse. These types of prevention programs apparently began sometime in the 1970's to assist children in understanding the nature of sexual abuse so that they could prevent it from occurring or report it when it does occur. An article found in the journal Social Work explains that Today prevention programs are available, for some age level, in almost all school districts. These programs have three objectives: (1) to teach children the concept of sexual abuse, often described as "bad touching" in private places; (2) to teach children that they can refuse such overtures and to get away from the person; and (3) to encourage children to tell an adult about overtures that occur. The central goal of these techniques is to prevent abuse by relatives, known others, and strangers by reducing the "vulnerability of children to abuse and exploitation." Child abuse prevention programs are, for the most part, successful at teaching children concepts about sexual abuse and skills in self-protection. Numerous evaluations of prevention programs also note an increase in the number of disclosures of abuse."

Social Intervention Strategies

As was mentioned previously in the discussion, Child protective services provides several intervention strategies to assist children and families as it pertains to not engaging in abuse and neglect. The interventions are designed to keep families together when possible.

Helping the family

The first intervention strategy involves helping the family. This strategy differs slightly from state to state, but in most cases parents are expected to go to parenting classes and/or anger management classes. These classes are designed to assist parents in properly parenting their children while control their anger. The purpose of these intervention strategies is to hold the parent accountable for their actions and assist them in becoming fit parents.

If the child has been placed in protective custody, the parents may be given some visitation with the child depending on the severity of the situation. Sometimes the visits are supervised and other times the parents are allowed to take the child unsupervised for weekend visits. In either case the goal is to reunite the family if at all possible.

The Delivery of Services

In most instances parents or guardians are responsible for showing up at the appointed time as it pertains to parenting or anger management classes. The courts are responsible for assigning such classes and making certain that parents are aware of what they must do to regain custody of their children. There are also services that are available to children who have been abused. These services include counseling and medical attention. The case worker and/or the foster parent is responsible for ensuring the child receives the attention needed in the aforementioned respects.

Conclusion

The purpose of this discussion was to examine child abuse and neglect as it relates to the role that society plays in allowing such things to occur. The research indicates that child abuse and neglect are wide ranging and increasing in severity through the United States. For the most part society has enacted laws and appointed organizations to ensure these laws are enforced. The research indicates that the society as a whole has glorified violence and sexuality is consistently on display. Both of these factors along with issues such as religious beliefs, poverty and education levels contribute greatly to the prevalence of child abuse and neglect. The research also focused on what society is doing to combat the problem and keep children safe. The research found that both the government and the various communities throughout the country are attempting to combat child abuse and neglect through greater awareness and letting people in the community such as teachers and neighbors know that they should always be cognizant of the signs of child abuse or neglect and report these issues to child protective services. Overall it seems that state government through the use of Child protective services are doing the best they can with the funding that they possess. There seems to be no easy solution to this growing and substantial problem.

Recommendations for policy changes

The primary recommendations for policy changes involve the expanding of the number of case workers in each state. One of the primary problems with CPS and the entire organized effort to prevent and stop child abuse is the lack of employees to carry out the tasks that are needed. In most cases CPS workers are overworked and underpaid which means that their judgment may not always be at its best. In addition, because these agencies are commonly understaffed they cannot always investigate every complaint in a manner that is timely and thorough which can be extremely dangerous for children who are living in abusive or neglectful environments. Although this solution seems practical, it will require a great deal of funding to hire new people and to train these individuals.