Diversity and or How Child Abuse in Handled in New York Compared to Other Countries

Diversity and Child Abuse Prevention Diversity and How Child Abuse in Handled in New York Compared to Other Countries There is developing debate regarding the suitable combination of programs and polices needed to react to concerns of child abuse and neglect. Child neglect and abuse hold significant effects for prospective health and mental health of a child. As a result, it is imperative to comprehend connections among different forms of maltreatment, family and child factors and connect with the systems for children welfare.

The child abuse prevention programs and polices adopted in the New York State are generic and appears to be meant for the majority in the society. The programs are not cultural specific and hence, cannot benefit the minority group in the society. For instance, the Asian immigrants present an increased rate of child abuse. However, according to the Asian culture, worldviews, values and perspectives, suffering is an inevitable element of life.

In this view, Asian-American cannot therefore, benefit from a universal child abuse protection programs and policies used in the state. The minority and the poor communities in the society disproportionally experience the effects of ineffective child abuse prevention programs. More children get corporeal and poignant injuries leaving more families torn asunder and more children placed in juvenile detention or foster care while more adults face imprisonment for avertable actions.

Although child maltreatment is a grim and pervasive social problem, the prevention of this problem is not feasible given the diverse nature of most countries and the lack of cultural specific "child abuse" prevention programs and policies. Child Abuse Child abuse has been in art, science and literature in various parts of the world. Reports of mutilation, infanticide, abandonment, and other types of violence against children date back to the primordial civilizations.

The historical accounts holds reports of weak, malnourished, unkempt children cast out of their families to fend for themselves. Moreover, the historical accounts hold record of sexually abused children (Normam, 2012). Charitable groups and other people concerned with the well-being of children, and who support the protection of children assist abused children. Professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, authorities and other social workers help the abused children in the society.

Nevertheless, different countries have their own distinct ways of handling child abuse through different systems to protect children from different types of maltreatment, helping families to get accustomed to healthier parenting and punishing those involved in child abuse. Child abuse is a great global problem with staid impacts on a child mental and physical health, well-being and growth through out a child's life (Normam, 2012). Child abuse refers to the emotional and physical mistreatment, neglect, sexual abuse and other exploitative ways for commercial gains.

Children abuse encompasses four distinct type of maltreatment, which includes: Sexual abuse Physical abuse Neglect Emotional abuse Child abuse is an unsympathetic predicament that holds the potential to cause injurious effects on a child (Chan, 2012). In the contemporary world, most children face brutal beatings, sexual cruelty, and abandonment while others get killed by their parents, relations or other citizens taking responsibility of then. All these types of child maltreatment are evidenced through the media, which frequently underscores plentiful stories regarding children facing anguish from their parents, relations and caregivers.

Apparently, there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding estimates of severity and frequency of child abuse in the world. Violence against children remains largely reported and hidden because of stigma, fear as well as societal acceptance of this form of violence. The prevalence of reported child sexual abuse differs by 2% to sixty two percent globally (Higgins, 2004). Child abuse violates the most fundamental rights of children and adolescents enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

All people below eighteen years hold the right to psychological and physical integrity as well as protection from all kinds of violence. Article 19 of the CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child) passed by the UN in 1989 encourages stages to tall all suitable administrative, legislative, educational and social measures to defend children from all sorts of mental and physical violence, abuse or injury, negligent treatment or neglect, exploitation and maltreatment entailing sexual abuse.

The United Nations International Committee on the Rights of the Child stressed the significance of member nations prohibiting all types of physical punishments and degrading children treatment. Nevertheless, it is apparent that children for divergent cultural and social reasons suffer violence, in their homes, at work, schools and in legal child protection systems and in the community (Higgins, 2004). In this regard, children get maltreatment in the places and spaces that should provide them with affection, protection, development motivation, promotion of rights and shelter (Normam, 2012).

One of the key factors that makes children highly vulnerable is lack of sovereignty given their young age and subsequent increased level of economic, social and emotional dependency on institutions or adults (Normam, 2012). These aspects make it difficult for children to stop or prevent abuse, request assistance or report the condition to the authorities.

Violence refers to the intentional utilization of physical power or force through threat or act against oneself, a group of people or another person, which leads or holds substantial likelihood of causing death, injuries, development disruptions, deprivations or psychological harm (Gilbert et al., 2009). Similarly, child abuse refers to the omissions or acts carried out with the main intention of causing immediate harm to the child victim. The abusers perceive the harm inflicted as the final objective of their activities (Chan, 2012).

Neglect, emotional, physical and psychological harm, which are all forms of child abuse, leads to long-term emotional and physical injuries, demise or other grim harm. From this prospect, child abuse is a pubic health and social issue that affects not only a child, but also the parents, professionals such as psychologists, guardians, a community and the society.

The World Health Organization views child abuse as a public health problem that affects the entire society besides the child victim where more girls are more likely to face child abuse than boys do particularly, sexual abuse. Historical Background Records of child abuse date from the ancient times to present (Kieger, 2003). Throughout the history of humankind, people viewed children as their properties. Parents held unlimited powers to do whatever they thought was necessary with their children. Particularly, fathers were responsible for disciplining their children.

Young children especially those with developmental incapacities suffered neglectful and abusive treatment. People subjected such children to cultural practices that in the modern world are inhumane. In Ancient times, fathers held the power to kill, maim, sell or sacrifice their children, and children held no privileges or rights including right to live (Kieger, 2003). Children born with deformities experienced severe child abuse particularly in Rome while roman fathers would declare a child unsuitable to live. Sexual exploitation within the domestic atmosphere existed notwithstanding common taboos (Normam, 2012).

Historical, parents used their children for their own gains where children became slaves. During industrialization, children were put in workhouses, factories, mines farms, orphanages, apprenticeships and placement mills. For instance, in England, children would work for sixteen hours daily in factories. By 1830, there were approximately 56, 000 children aged between 10 and 13 years working in textiles where children comprised of 20% of workforce in textile industries (Myers, 2008). Between 1870 and 1930, approximately eight thousand children from London and Dublin streets went by ship to Canada by ship to work in factories and on farms.

Children also worked in other industrial enterprises particularly, metals, mining, pottery and machinery. Conditions in textile industries and other industries aroused the sentiment of the pubic against child labor (Myers, 2008). According to Krieger (2003), child abuse started in as early as 1800s. During this period, several persons and institutions that included criminal justice systems, social work, public health, philanthropy and medical institutions tried to investigate and increase public awareness regarding issues of family violence (Kieger, 2003).

The scientific and public attention to the issue waned and waxed in concert with the wider societal concerns. In the 17th century, child neglect and infanticide were prevalent in Europe. Children received teaching relating to obedience to their elders, and deviations from the expected conduct in school, at home, at work resulted in severe physical and emotional punishment (Gilbert et al., 2009). Children as young as six years served their families and a good parent was one who was strict in discipline.

In America, until the late 19th Century, people viewed a child as instinctively sinful, but potentially redeemable via determined and constant efforts of his/her parents presumably by discipline that the modern world views it as abusive. This belief was highly resistant to change given its foundation on the traditional right of the family to control its internal affairs (Kieger, 2003). Therefore, other institutions were reluctant to interfere with the activities of a family.

By the last half of the nineteenth century, the only agency that was willing and capable of intervening in apparent cases of child mistreatment was the American for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The discovery of child abuse in the urban industrial world and organized attention to child abuse took place more than a century ago with the foundation of the 1874 New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. This was an organization of its kind and it spread throughout American cities and into Europe.

By 1910 more than 200 such societies existed in the U.S., and by 1921, formal efforts to rescue children from cruelty at the hands of their caretakers and parents lost momentum (Myers, 2008). However, by late 1950s and 1960s, the efforts got revived when child abuse became a grim social problem that instigated a flood of professional and public concern. The term child saving was useful as an umbrella characterization of social reforms for children in the late 19th century.

One of the initial child abuse cases in America that attracted considerable pubic attention encompassed a young girl called Mary Ellen. Neighbors and friends reacted to concerns of frequent beatings the young girl experienced from her adoptive parents. However, by 1874, there were no institutions accountable for handling child abuse and neglect issues. In this regard, the friends and neighbors of the girl contacted the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Myers, 2008).

The friends did so after the recognition that Mary was a human being and a member of the animal kingdom. The adoptive parents were guilty of cruelty to animals and Mary shifted from their dwelling. The incident introduced gradual recognition to the fact that some type of protection and care was required for scores of abandoned and maltreated children in the nation. Despite the fact that child abuse continued to be a key problem in the society, it was not until 1961 that once again the subject got pubic attention.

For a period of numerous years, Dr. Henry Kempe studied different factors of child abuse and concern made to children whose lives were at risk. Kempe established the phrase "Battered Child Syndrome" in 1961 during a national conference organized to tackle issues linked to the cruel treatment of children. This followed by the establishment of (CAPTA) Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act in 1974, January (Myers, 2008). The act signified a turning point in the history of child neglect and abuse.

It drew attention of the public to the concern of child maltreatment and eventually led to the creation of the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, and needed states to introduce a central agency with legal power to investigate and prosecute occurrence of child neglect and abuse. The act also required states to form procedures, definitions, laws, policies that tackled these problems. In 1996, CAPTA got amendments and reauthorized to more defined circumstances linked to the withholding of medical treatment critical situations (Myers, 2008).

Modifications made in 2003 needed states to extend their services to encompass adoption, family violence prevention, abandoned infants and foster care (Stalker, 2012). Even though child neglect and abuse occurred throughout the history, it is only presently that public attention acknowledged the enormity of this problem. Professionals are now recognizing the entire impact and long-term effects of child maltreatment on a child's development.

The history of child abuse shows how ineffective perspectives to child abuse in the ancient times has only contributed to the rise of child abuse cases in the modern society (Fallon et al., 2011). Apparently, in 1800s, there were no agencies for child protection, but interestingly agencies for animal protection existed. The first and the most agonizing case of child abuse reported to New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals considered Mary, the child abuse victim as a species of the animal kingdom (Stalker, 2012).

Perhaps the first recognized child abuse case should have called for immediate formation of child protection agencies. However, after the first reported incident, it took the society several years to establish the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act in 1974 following the 1961 regained attention of child abuse in the society. While Mary's case took place in 1874, the authority established the first child protection Act in 1974 when already child abuse and neglect had become a social and public health issue.

In this regard, in effective approach to child abuse and neglect worsened the condition and impacts of child abuse to a child, family and the entire society. Current Issue in Child Abuse Protections Services The United States particularly, New York State is a multicultural society with a rich diversity of languages, ethnicities, cultures and religions. The governing authority at state level have build up multicultural policy blueprints which intend to handle the requirements of refugees and migrants who settle in the country (Hunt & Walsh, 2011).

Nevertheless, child protection legislation and policy blueprints lack integration of necessary multicultural strategies capable of enhancing the effectiveness of child protection services. The scope for child abuse in the United States is epidemic regardless of ethnicity, gender or social class (Larsen & Nguyen, 2008). The data on occurrence of child abuse and neglect comes from two major sources, which include health and legal sectors. The two sectors however, speak divergent languages when describing the issue of sexual abuse and maltreatment suffered by children.

The main causes of child abuse include histories of psycho-affective deprivation, physical, neglect or sexual abuse as children. Family crisis and isolation of a family from community support systems also triggers child abuse (Chan, 2012). In this view, the most productive policies should aim at improving living conditions, positive child rearing, post-partum visits, educating caregivers and parents, working on peace conflict resolution and early detention of child abuse (Fallon, Trocme & MacLaurin, 2011). Comprehensive culturally and public policies that integrated the functions protection, legal and health sectors are paramount.

Nevertheless, these policies are not apparent in New York child protection policies. Despite being a city with diverse people, cultural competency lacks in handling child abuse and neglect. This sad state of affairs appears even worse when one puts into consideration the communities whose residents find them-selves in the child protection system. This includes the immigrants, the poor and disproportionate numbers of Native American families and African-American.

Regrettably, the advocacy groups for ethnic populations such as NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) do not advocate for ethnic families affected by child abuse as they often steer away from concerns that carry any social stigma with an example of AIDs and child abuse. From this prospect, the upshots of not preventing child abuse are felt disproportionately in ethnic minority and poor communities (Larsen & Nguyen, 2008).

More children get physical and emotional injuries leaving more families torn asunder and more children placed in juvenile detention or foster care while more adults face incarceration for preventable actions (Chan, 2012). There is lack of information regarding how to attain cultural competency in child abuse prevention to deal with the diverse needs of diverse people in the society. This calls for expansion of cultural sensitive programs. The most effective prevention programs should target the special needs of the populations they aim to control (Fallon, Trocme & MacLaurin, 2011).

In New York and most parts of the United States, "child abuse" prevention programs are remarkably generic in the sense that their development favors the majority racial group without concern for cultural differences. Lack of cultural specific programs for diverse population leaving in the United States and other countries blocks the success of prevention efforts (Larsen & Nguyen, 2008). Child abuse prevention requires development of a positive relationship and not simple deliverance of a product (Fallon et al., 2011).

However, the major relationships between prevention professionals and caretakers are achievable when approach to the affected families is appropriate to a specific circumstance and culture (Kung, 2004). In this regard, child abuse and neglect remain to be common in the society because of ineffective means of preventing it. Lack of cultural specific policies and an understanding that the society comprises of people from different backgrounds, languages, religions, ethnicity, gender and age fail the efforts of child abuse preventive measures.

The minority people in the country do not benefit from the established protocols and programs of child abuse prevention (Kung, 2004). Just like in New York states and other states in the United States, the Australian "child abuse" prevention program does not necessarily incorporate multicultural policies.