Issue Research: Violence Against Children
1. What is the history of violence against children and how has it changed?
Until the 1870s child abuse had been seen as a small issue. Before that time the wife and children of a man were considered his property. “...an 8 year old orphan named Mary Ellen Wilson was suffering daily beatings and whippings at her foster home. With no organization in existence to protect abused children, the orphan’s plight fell to attorneys for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) These attorneys argued that laws protecting animals from abuse should not be greater than laws protecting children.” (FindLaw, para. 4) Child abuse as then seen again in 1962, “...in the Journal of the American Medical Association described symptoms of child abuse to be medically diagnosable.Within ten years every state had statues known as “mandatory reporting” laws. Mandatory reporting laws require certain professionals, such as doctors and teachers, to report suspected child abuse to the state child protective services agency or other proper authorites.” (FindLaw, para 5)
2. Where is the line between corporal punishment and abuse?
“Corporal punishment by definition is “an act carried out with the intention of causing a child to experience physical pain, but not injury, for the purposes of correction or control of behavior” (Straus, 1979). According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, physical abuse is defined as, “any non-accidental physical injury to the child and can include striking, kicking, burning, or biting the child, or any action that results in a physical impairment of the child” (p. 2).” (Wallat, 2017) It can also be defined as, “According to the Canadian Department of Justice, “child physical abuse involves deliberate use of force against a child, such that it causes injury or puts the child at risk for injury. These types of forces include beating, hitting, shaking, pushing, choking, biting, burning, kicking, or assaulting a child with a weapon,” (Straus & Donnelly, 1994, p. 137)”. (Wallat, 2017)
3. How have people taken action to make people more aware or decrease the amount of which children are being abused?
To give a little more about how child abuse protection has been evolving, to start with the history, “...in 1874, citizens formed the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.” (FindLaw, para.4) And even 100 years later, “A 1974 federal law, The Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA), further bolseted efforts to eliminate child abuse by funding programs to help indiviuals indetify and report child abuse and to proveide shelter and other protective services to victims.” (FindLaw, para 5) As of now, “Target 16.2 on ending violence against children Each letter of the word INSPIRE stands for one of the strategies, and most have been shown to have preventive effects across several different types of violence, as well as benefits in areas such as mental health, education, and crime reduction.” (World Health Organization, 2019, para. 18)
4. How does abuse affect children?
“Each day 4 or 5 children are killed by abuse or neglect. Children whose parents abuse alcohol and drugs are 3 times more likely to be abused and 4 times more likely to be neglected than other children.” (FindLaw para. 6) Some of these effects can lead to death, serious injury, and brain damage, “Exposure to violence at any early age can impair brain development and damage other parts of the nervous system, as well as the endocrine, circulatory, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, and immune systems, with lifelong consequences.” (World Health Organization, 2019 para. 11) Children who are abused are also at risk for unhealthy coping mechanisms, “Children exposed to violence and other adversities are substantially more likely to smoke, misuse alcohol and drugs, and engage in high risk sexual behavior. They also have higher rates of anxiety and depression, other mental health problems and suicide.” (World Health Organization, 2019, para. 12) Sexual abuse can also lead to unplanned pregnancies as well as sexually transmitted diseases. Abuse can also affect the child’s future in severe ways, “...more likely to drop out of school, have difficulty finding and keeping a job…” (World Health Organization, 2019, para. 15)
Until the 1870s child abuse had been seen as a small issue. Before that time the wife and children of a man were considered his property. “...an 8 year old orphan named Mary Ellen Wilson was suffering daily beatings and whippings at her foster home. With no organization in existence to protect abused children, the orphan’s plight fell to attorneys for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) These attorneys argued that laws protecting animals from abuse should not be greater than laws protecting children.” (FindLaw, para. 4) Child abuse as then seen again in 1962, “...in the Journal of the American Medical Association described symptoms of child abuse to be medically diagnosable.Within ten years every state had statues known as “mandatory reporting” laws. Mandatory reporting laws require certain professionals, such as doctors and teachers, to report suspected child abuse to the state child protective services agency or other proper authorites.” (FindLaw, para 5)
2. Where is the line between corporal punishment and abuse?
“Corporal punishment by definition is “an act carried out with the intention of causing a child to experience physical pain, but not injury, for the purposes of correction or control of behavior” (Straus, 1979). According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, physical abuse is defined as, “any non-accidental physical injury to the child and can include striking, kicking, burning, or biting the child, or any action that results in a physical impairment of the child” (p. 2).” (Wallat, 2017) It can also be defined as, “According to the Canadian Department of Justice, “child physical abuse involves deliberate use of force against a child, such that it causes injury or puts the child at risk for injury. These types of forces include beating, hitting, shaking, pushing, choking, biting, burning, kicking, or assaulting a child with a weapon,” (Straus & Donnelly, 1994, p. 137)”. (Wallat, 2017)
3. How have people taken action to make people more aware or decrease the amount of which children are being abused?
To give a little more about how child abuse protection has been evolving, to start with the history, “...in 1874, citizens formed the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.” (FindLaw, para.4) And even 100 years later, “A 1974 federal law, The Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA), further bolseted efforts to eliminate child abuse by funding programs to help indiviuals indetify and report child abuse and to proveide shelter and other protective services to victims.” (FindLaw, para 5) As of now, “Target 16.2 on ending violence against children Each letter of the word INSPIRE stands for one of the strategies, and most have been shown to have preventive effects across several different types of violence, as well as benefits in areas such as mental health, education, and crime reduction.” (World Health Organization, 2019, para. 18)
4. How does abuse affect children?
“Each day 4 or 5 children are killed by abuse or neglect. Children whose parents abuse alcohol and drugs are 3 times more likely to be abused and 4 times more likely to be neglected than other children.” (FindLaw para. 6) Some of these effects can lead to death, serious injury, and brain damage, “Exposure to violence at any early age can impair brain development and damage other parts of the nervous system, as well as the endocrine, circulatory, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, and immune systems, with lifelong consequences.” (World Health Organization, 2019 para. 11) Children who are abused are also at risk for unhealthy coping mechanisms, “Children exposed to violence and other adversities are substantially more likely to smoke, misuse alcohol and drugs, and engage in high risk sexual behavior. They also have higher rates of anxiety and depression, other mental health problems and suicide.” (World Health Organization, 2019, para. 12) Sexual abuse can also lead to unplanned pregnancies as well as sexually transmitted diseases. Abuse can also affect the child’s future in severe ways, “...more likely to drop out of school, have difficulty finding and keeping a job…” (World Health Organization, 2019, para. 15)
Part 2 Philosophy Cover Letter
Part 3 Approach
Context:
Looking at prevention research for children who are abused, I found a lot of resources for parents and resources for children who abused and how to tell if someone is being physically abused or how to prevent further long term effects with children. I think looking at symptoms of abuse is also important and informing or educating parents or teachers about them should be very important.
The Strengths:
I really like how they are going to teach adults to be parents, I think that it is super important that you plan on how you parent than wait and could potentially harm the child. I also like the multiple resources that they give in order to help the parents and the child, with therapy or other resources that will make the abuse less effective or long lasting in the future. The number of resources that they have to make sure the child is safe and the parents will be doing okay even when they are stressed is really important.
The Limitations:
Some limitations that I see in this are that they don’t really deal with ways to deal with substance abuse and alcohol abuse which I think are really important in homes with abuse. Maybe incorporate some resources to help the parent.
How I might apply this to my proposal:
How I might apply this to my approach or solution would be to be more specific on what resources we could give children especially when it comes to de-stressing. Also maybe tackling the issue of substance and drug abuse and how that affects children with physical abuse. I also think that the education of parents and even teachers about symptoms and signs of physical abuse or really any type of abuse so that they can be aware and accurate would be very important.
Sites for approach
https://preventchildabuse.org/resource/an-approach-to-prevent-child-abuse/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/child-abuse/symptoms-causes/syc-20370864
http://childabuse.stanford.edu/screening/signs.html
Part 4 Proposal
Proposal:
My proposal is that in order to prevent violence towards children we should educate and give new parents some resources like helping with alcohol abuse. We should also be able to educate teachers and fellow the symptoms of child abuse so that they may be aware, but also accurate when suspecting of abuse. We should try to give abused children stress relievers like emotional support animals. I am trying to impact new or experienced parents and teachers in order to help the future generation of children.
Why my proposal should be accepted is because it gives more resources to children and adults in order to work together to help stressful home environments become normalized. It should also help the future generation and protect them from harmful home situations, it will also move the movement to end child abuse in 2030 faster, and get a headstart on moving towards that effort. This could lessen the amount of children removed from their homes.
What I am Proposing:
I propose that in teaching new parents teach how to parent their children in a loving and caregiving household. Social workers or therapists or teachers of the class should teach healthy stress coping strategies as raising a child can be difficult, but If the parents struggles with drugs or alcohol abuse and depending on how severe the problem, set up therapy if drinking could become an issue for and be a part of a harmful environment towards the child.
I also propose that we educate teachers in recognizing symptoms and signs of child abuse so they may be accurate in their assumptions. I believe that educating high physical abuse neighborhoods and educating them will help people identify signs as well.
In order to relieve stress from unhealthy home environments children should have people they should go to, like neighbors or have after school programs that help with homework or even have activities that the community can put on to have a place where children can come when their home environment is stressful.
My proposal is that in order to prevent violence towards children we should educate and give new parents some resources like helping with alcohol abuse. We should also be able to educate teachers and fellow the symptoms of child abuse so that they may be aware, but also accurate when suspecting of abuse. We should try to give abused children stress relievers like emotional support animals. I am trying to impact new or experienced parents and teachers in order to help the future generation of children.
Why my proposal should be accepted is because it gives more resources to children and adults in order to work together to help stressful home environments become normalized. It should also help the future generation and protect them from harmful home situations, it will also move the movement to end child abuse in 2030 faster, and get a headstart on moving towards that effort. This could lessen the amount of children removed from their homes.
What I am Proposing:
I propose that in teaching new parents teach how to parent their children in a loving and caregiving household. Social workers or therapists or teachers of the class should teach healthy stress coping strategies as raising a child can be difficult, but If the parents struggles with drugs or alcohol abuse and depending on how severe the problem, set up therapy if drinking could become an issue for and be a part of a harmful environment towards the child.
I also propose that we educate teachers in recognizing symptoms and signs of child abuse so they may be accurate in their assumptions. I believe that educating high physical abuse neighborhoods and educating them will help people identify signs as well.
In order to relieve stress from unhealthy home environments children should have people they should go to, like neighbors or have after school programs that help with homework or even have activities that the community can put on to have a place where children can come when their home environment is stressful.
Part 5 Reflection
Reflection:
- I believe that I chose an issue that I am very passionate about, to me this has always been an issue that I feel people don’t talk about often, and have been very passionate about for a while now. Child abuse is something that I feel no one should go through, as parents we are responsible to care and love children, to abuse them is against the purpose of parenting. I have been passionate about this for a while and just believe that this is something that shouldn’t have to happen and that people should become more aware of.
- Honestly how my proposal reflects my passion for this issue is not as good as I wish it could be. I have a lot of ideas about how to make people aware of child abuse and to help children, so to look at an organization who is trying to think the same way, I want to help abuse against children. I have a lot of ideas on how to help victims of abuse or how to get people more aware, and just being able to focus on one aspect of that wasn’t very helpful to me, so I feel like I didn’t reflect my passion on my proposal as well as I thought I should.
- What I learned from this project that will help me with my senior project would be being able to focus on one aspect of an issue and being able to research deeply about this issue. Also just being able to find organizations that are working in the issue that I am doing for Senior project. I am hoping that the proposal part of this project can help me generate ideas for an action project as a part of my senior project. I believe that if I can reach out to certain people I may be able to put myself out there, and make an impact on the community in a way that I think might be helpful. I think that this project is helping me plan for future ideas for my senior project in being able to make an impact on the community.
- I think that this most valuable part of this assignment for me was just being able to research my issue and finding out so many statistics and facts that I didn’t know about. I believe that it is very important to learn about this subject, so just finding all those facts and learning how the World Health Organization is going to help end child abuse in 2030 gives me hope that we are trying to make a change in this issue.
- One thing that I could refine in this project was being more passionate with the proposal and being able to propose ideas that are a part of one aspect of this issue. I feel I wasn’t as passionate in sharing all of my ideas in preventing child abuse, so I mostly put some of a little bit of both, some ideas for prevention, and some ideas to help children while they may be abused. I feel like I was mostly bland with my proposal and should have put more ideas into how to end the issue and just focus on one aspect of the problem.