Stop The Hate

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Stop The Hate	Why Child Abuse Occurs
Sign the Petition	Amendment VI

Stop The Hate

Report child abuse

Children are abused everyday and most of the time it goes unreported. You don't have to see bruises or broken bones to establish the fact that a child is being abused. Have you ever heard a child scream and assume, "oh, it's nothing"? Have you ever noticed a child that seems unusually quiet? Well, sometimes we need to look a little more closely at these situations. This doesn't necessarily mean that the child is being abused, but if they are, than you need to do the right thing. Report child abuse, or if you even think that a child is being abused, report it. If the child is not being abused than the parents shouldn't have anything to worry about and should be grateful, actually, to know that someone cared enough about their child to take that step. If the child is being abused, then you are taking the first step in perhaps saving that child's life.

DO YOUR PART, GET INVOLVED

REPORT CHILD ABUSE

1-800-4-A-CHILD

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Why Child Abuse Occurs &

the common criminal background of the abuser.

(References at end )

Child abuse encompasses a spectrum of abusive actions, from acts of commission, to lack of action or omission. Abuse can start even before the birth of the child, and can have adverse effects on the child. Such as maternal drug abuse and failure to seek appropriate prenatal health care during pregnancy.

Child abuse has many faces,

a discussion of the four most common follows:.

1. physical abuse

2. sexual abuse

3. neglect

4. emotional abuse

I. Physical abuse

Children who have been physically abused present with a multitude of psychiatric disturbances:

Anxiety

aggressive behavior

paranoid ideation

post traumatic stress disorder

depressive disorders

suicidal risks are increased

poor self esteem

depression

dissociative disorders

substance abuse (alcohol, drugs)

violent behavior/outbursts

High risk parents/parent, care givers:

1. Over 90% of abusive parents do not have a psychotic or criminal personality.

Single parent is the sole responsible care giver of a child. Usually with little or no family or friends to assist them. They are lonely, did not plan their pregnancy, have little or no knowledge of child care and child development, and have unrealistic beliefs of child behavior. Substance abuse is a common finding in families of abused children.

2. Groups living in poverty

a. increased number of crisis in their lives

b. they have limited access to economic or social resources for support during times of stress

c. increased violence in the communities where they live

d. association with poverty and teenage mothers, substance abuse

3. Other high risk parents are those where spousal abuse occurs in the home.

Parent with limited education, or mentally handicapped parents who perceive what is normal child behavior as misbehaving and punish the child harshly.

4. High risk children

a. Mentally retarded children

b. premature infants

c. infants with chronic medical problems

d. colicky babies

e. children with behavioral problems

5. 10-40% of abusive parents have experienced physical abuse as children.

This is only a statistic not an excuse for abuse.

III. Neglect

Neglect accounts for more deaths than physical abuse, such as medical needs neglect which occurs when the parents belief system runs against the medical needs of the child. Neglect to provide adequate nutrition, clothing, heat, basic shelter, and protection from environmental hazards are other forms of neglect leading to failure to thrive or the direct cause of injury to a child.

IV. Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse includes intentional verbal or behavioral acts that result in adverse emotional consequences, emotional neglect occurs when a caretaker intentionally does not provide nurturing verbal and behavioral action that are needed for healthy development.

Emotional abuse can include:

a. rejection

b. scapegoat assignment

c. isolation

d. criticism

e. terrorizing of a child

5. Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse is defined as involving any minor child (age dependent upon state/country) that is intended for the sexual gratification of an adult.

Sexual abuse includes oral-genital, genital-genital, genital-rectal, hand-genital, hand-rectal or hand-breast contact; and showing pornography to a child or using a child in the production of pornography. Sexual intercourse includes vaginal, oral, or rectal penetration. Penetration is entry into an orifice with or without tissue injury.

In studies of juvenile offenders, younger perpetrators tend to have younger victims, but are more likely to have intercourse with older victims. Sex acts by young children, between young children is a learned behavior and are associated with sexual abuse or exposure to adult sex or pornography.

Sexual abuse most commonly occurs by an individual known by the victim, parent or other family member (interfamilial). Rarely is the abuser a stranger. Interfamilial and incest sexual abuse is difficult to document and manage because the child just be protected from additional abuse and coercion to not reveal or deny the abuse, while attempts are made to preserve the family unit. Children themselves may also decide to recant their recent accusations of abuse due to fear of retaliation by the perpetrator or other family members. They may also recant out of fear of loosing contact with the perpetrator who is commonly a family member or close friend tied to t he family by various social means.

Violence is not common in sexual abuse, however, its incidence increases with the age and size of the victim and specific traits in the perpetrator. Violence is more likely to occur in association with a single incident by a stranger. In cases of violent incest, the father has been described as sociopathic, with a sexual abuse extending outside the family circle.

Clinical manifestations of sexual abuse

1. Vaginal, penile, or rectal pain, redness of area, or a discharge with or without bleeding.

2. Chronic painful urination, constipation

3. Premature puberty in a female (nonspecific to abuse)

Behaviors associated with sexual abuse

1. sexualized activity with peers, animals, or objects

2. seductive behavior

3. age-inappropriate sexual knowledge and curiosity Statistics

Nonspecific behaviors to sexual abuse

These behaviors are nonspecific to abuse but are in need of investigation for needs of the child:

1. suicide gesture

2. fear of an individual or place

3. nightmares

4. sleep disorders

5. regression

6. aggression

7. withdrawn behavior

8. post traumatic stress disorder

9. poor self-esteem

10. Depression

11. Poor school performance (especially when previously good)

12. Running away

13. Self-mutilation

14. Anxiety

15. Fire setting

16. Multiple personalities

17. somatization

18. Phobias

19. Prostitution

20. Drug abuse

21. Eating disorders

Statistics

Most of the increased numbers of child abuse is in the increase in the reporting of sexual abuse and the publicity surrounding sexual abuse.

Rate increase between 1976 to 1984 rose from 1.4/10,000 to 17/10,000 children.

In 1991:

838,232 cases of child abuse reported to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, 15% was sexual abuse.

Female abuse

1. 12-38% were sexually abused by age 18.

2. 8% incidence of extra familial sexual abuse is actually reported.

3. 2% incidence of interfamilial sexual abuse is actually reported.

Male abuse

1. 3-9% of males in the population were sexually abused by age 18.

2. males constitute 20% of the reports.

3. Pedophiles show a predilection for boys, theory suggests that the number of males who are

sexually abused is higher.

4. boys may refrain from reporting the incident due to homophobic social stigma. Also, males are "expected" to be able to protect themselves from assault, boys may feel guilty if they are victimized.

Age ranges in sexual abuse

15 million women in the US have been involved in an incestuous relationship.

1. 33% of victims are under age 6

2. 33% are 6-12 years old

3. 33% are 12-18 years old.

Sex, age of offenders, and who they are

1. 97% are male who are on the average 10 years older than their victims.

2. Females are more often perpetrators in child-care settings, including baby sitting.

3. Abuse by females may be higher than reported due to younger children confusing sexual abuse with normal hygiene care and adolescent males may not be trained to recognize sexual activity with an older female as a form of abuse.

4. sexual abuse by stepfathers is 5 times higher than among natural fathers, the most common age for onset of abuse is age 10

5. abuse of daughters by fathers and stepfathers is the most common form of reported incest. Commonly the mother is unavailable to the father and is usually chronically ill or depressed. The mother is commonly the victim of child abuse when young.

6. brother-sister incest is the most common form of incest (but not the most commonly reported).

Incestuous fathers, a profile

1. Rigid

2. patriarchal

3. emotionally immature

4. alcoholic or drug abuse common

5. usually do not engage in extramarital affairs

Mothers in the home where father-daughter or son incest

1. chronically depressed

2. chronically ill

3. work takes them away on business trips overnight

4. show little or no interest in their husbands sexually

Pedophiles, a profile

Pedophiles become sexually attracted to children begins in their adolescence. Pedophiles seek opportunities that place them in and around children.

The common victim profile of a Pedophiles is:

a. mental and physical handicaps

b. unloved, unwanted children

c. previously abused children

d. children of single parent families

e. children of drug abusing parents

f. children with low self esteem

g. children who are poor achievers

References:

1. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics Behram, Kliegman, Arvin. 15th Ed. Saunders 1997

2. Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry Behavioral Sciences in Clinical psychiatry, 7th Ed. Arnold Kaplan, MD Benjamin Sadock, MD Jack Grebb, MD Williams&Wilkins 1996

3.Emergency Medicine 4th Ed. Tintinalli, MD Ruiz, MD McGraw Hill 1996

4. Primary Care Geriatrics 3rd Ed. Ham, MD Sloane, MD Mosby 1996

Child Help USA Services can be reached at

1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

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Amendment VI

Petition for Ratification of Amendment VI of The Constitution of the United States Of America

In this world of equal opportunity and equal rights, it seems there are those of us left on the wayside. We are a majority amongst you, and yet our needs are quietly hushed and swept under the rug. We are not a single race or religious preference, nor are we confined to the limitations of just one sex or social stature. Our stories are told openly, more today than ever before. For some the scars are deeper than others, but our pain and suffering is a part of our daily lives that we cannot escape. We are most commonly treated as a burden on the very society that has promised over and over again to protect and shelter us from harm.

We are your abused children.

We appeal to you now with this petition to bring forth the ratification of Amendment VI of The Constitution of the United States of America, which reads as follows:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. *

We do not argue this amendment, although we are joining together today to express our desire to extend this amendment to include the victims of crime. This in no way is a suggestion to allow cases which stem from civil matters to be included, as crimes are defined as a serious violation of the law; while civil cases are defined as relating to or being a lawsuit. **

The victims of crime deserve the right to have adequate counsel and representation also appointed when they have reasonable documentation or other information regarding the said crime, regardless of their income or social stature. In guaranteeing the criminals rights, while not the victims, we have created a judicial system that leaves the victims behind in their defense. Equal rights should include the right to due process especially for the victims of crime.

* Data obtained from The Bill of Rights.

** Definitions obtained from Webster's Dictionary

Anyone interested in signing or helping to pass around this petition should send all correspondence to:

Cynthia M. (Yarde) Kiernan

E-mail : Cynthia Kiernan

If you would like your name added to the petition, it is essential to include your full name and address, as well as any personal accounts you may feel are pertinent and relevant to the ratification of this amendment.

Breakdown by type of abuse

To provide appropriate prevention and treatment services, it is necessary to determine the prevalence of different types of maltreatment as well as other characteristics of the CPS caseload. Each state liaison was asked to provide a breakdown of all reported and substantiated cases by type of maltreatment for 1996 and 1997. Five categories were provided: Physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional maltreatment and other. Twenty-one states provided reporting data for both years while 30 states gave a breakdown for substantiated cases for both years. Although most of the states were able to provide data using the above-mentioned categories, a few states did not distinguish emotional maltreatment from neglect while three states included sexual abuse in the category of physical abuse.

Neglect represents the most common type of reported and substantiated form of maltreatment. In 1997, 22 states provided the following breakdown for reported cases: 52% involved neglect, 26% physical abuse, 7% sexual abuse, 4% emotional maltreatment and 11% other. For substantiated cases, 31 states gave the following breakdowns: 54% neglect, 22% physical abuse, 8% sexual abuse, 4% emotional maltreatment and 12% other. Compared to the reported cases, the substantiated cases contain a slightly higher percentage of neglect and a slightly lower percentage of physical abuse cases. Similar to the pattern observed in the past three years, these two distributions are almost identical. However, it is noted that "other" has become a bigger category in 1997 for both reported and substantiated cases than in previous years. This reflects that states are using more detailed systems in classifying types of child maltreatment. For example, behaviors included under the "other" category are abandonment, multiple types of maltreatment, imminent risk, medical and educational neglect, substance and alcohol abuse, dependency, threat of harm, and lack of supervision or bizarre discipline.

In the 1980's and early 1990's, the greatest difference between the reported and substantiated distributions involved sexual abuse and neglect cases. Overall, substantiated cases tended to include a larger percentage of sexual abuse and a lower percentage of child neglect than was observed in the larger pool of all reports. The similarity in the distribution of reported and substantiated cases in terms of primary type of abuse suggest that type of abuse, alone, may not be as critical a factor as in the past in determining whether a case will be substantiated. Neglect cases are now as likely to be substantiated as cases involving other forms of maltreatment.

The types of cases most frequently reported to child protective services have undergone some shift in the past eleven years, potentially reflecting a change in the type of cases professionals and the public are willing to report to CPS and the classification systems used by child welfare systems in describing the reports they do receive. One of the most interesting shifts suggested by these patterns is the decline in the proportion of reported cases involving child sexual abuse. While such cases represented 16% of all reports in 1986, this percentage has gradually declined over the years. In the most recent survey, sexual abuse cases were only 7% of all reports. To a certain extent, the rapid increase in the number of reported cases of child sexual abuse observed in the mid to late 1980's reflected the increased awareness and attention to a form of maltreatment which had been virtually ignored prior to this time. Child welfare agencies across the country were inundated with cases, many of which had involved several years of ongoing abuse. After over ten years of attention to this problem, it is possible that the reservoir of cases involving years of abuse have been so reduced such that child welfare is less burdened with such cases. Further, improvements in professional practice and the rapid expansion of child assault prevention services have produced an environment in which cases are identified closer to the onset of the abuse.

Whatever the reason, the decline in the percentage of reported cases involving child sexual abuse coupled with the changes in the pattern of substantiated cases noted above has resulted in a continued downward trend in the number of sexual abuse cases currently on CPS caseloads. Looking at the absolute number of child sexual abuse cases substantiated by the 30 states which are able to provide us this information for both reporting periods, the number of such cases dropped 3% between 1996 and 1997. Nationwide, we estimate that approximately 84,320 new cases of child sexual abuse were accepted for service last year. While significantly lower than the absolute number of cases accepted in the first part of this decade, this number is far higher than the 10,000 to 20,000 cases of child sexual abuse cases served in the 1970's and early 1980's. It underscores the substantial threat to child well being represented by this form of maltreatment.

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