Basic Definition of child abuse and the definitions for each of the four major areas of abuse Abuse by Commission By this definition child abuse to refers to an act that is committed by a parent caregiver or person in a position of trust It is not accidental It harms or threatens to harm a child s physical health mental health or welfare Abuse by Omission Child neglect specifically the failure of a parent caregiver or person of trust to provide for the child s basic needs and proper level of care with respect to food clothing shelter hygiene medical attention or supervision Four main types of abuse Physical abuse emotional or psychological abuse sexual abuse and neglect physical and emotional Child Abuse Incidence More than 3 million reported per year in the United States Six children abused every minute in U S Ratio of 45 of every 1 000 children Approximately 2 000 children die each year in the U S from child abuse and neglect Rate of abuse nearly doubled between 1986 and 1993 a true rise Estimated 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys sexually molested by the time they reach age 18 Underlying reasons for abuse Cultural attitudes and norms History of abuse in the family cycle Family structure Breakdown of the family Presence of other forms of family violence Child rearing practices Alcohol or drug use in the family Socio cultural factors Which socio cultural factors are related to abuse Poverty inequality Characteristics of the abuser Cultural change Children cannot protect themselves or speak for themselves Goodness of fit between child and caregiver PIESS model Infanticide Historically Killing of a newborn with consent of parents family or community Patria Postestas The idea that the father owns the child Reasons o Population control Control individual family size Illegitimacy Maternal health reasons mental illness Greed for money and or power Superstition Ritual sacrifice Modern Reasons for Infanticide o Post partum depression Throw away infants Immature impatient caregivers Drug use Alcoholism Depression or other mental illness Aggressiveness and anger From a historical standpoint How were children viewed Historically children were viewed as property of their fathers Patria Postestas ownership of children Patriarchy Fathers were the boss Until the early 20th century children were viewed and treated as little adults How were parental rights viewed The patria postestas idea is still present in some families and societies That is fathers have all the rights women and children are considered lower class citizens and have few or any privileges What was considered proper discipline Corporal Punishment was a means to mold children into moral God fearing respectful human beings How was sexual exploitation of children viewed Long history for both boys and girls o 16th Century Recognition of sexual exploitation of children o 19th Century Sexual abuse hidden o 20th and 21st Centuries Child pornography flourishes Occurs inside and outside of the home Recognized as abuse and legal action is taken Regarding child labor you should know what indenture is A system in which parents apprenticed their children to masters who taught them a trade but who were free to use them as virtual slaves in exchange for room and board Began at a very young age and continued until 14 16 for boys and 21 for girls What was the Mary Ellen case How did the SPCA get involved in the child abuse issue 1874 a landmark case referred to as the Mary Ellen Case Refers to a young child who was abused and neglected by her adoptive parents and because there were no cause to protect children like Mary Ellen the case was brought to court under the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or the SPCA Act They argued that humans were mammals and belonged to the animal kingdom and therefore we should be protected Following that case then the Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children emerged What is battered child syndrome In 1962 the Battered Child Syndrome was described by Dr Kempe and it typically referred to a child with bruises abrasions burns or fractions on different parts of the body and of different ages and stages of healing and taken together they provided a portrait of a child who had been battered How is the Social Security Act related to child abuse In 1930 the Social Security Act was amended to address the needs of children living in poverty Mandated child welfare services for neglected dependent children and children in danger of becoming delinquent Be familiar with different types of mutilation Which is most common today Mutilation refers to any alteration of the body and it may range from piercing a child s ear to amputating a lim Though certain practices are socially acceptable medically they can still be classified as mutilation Male circumcision is the most common operation performed in United States Early in the 20th century 90 percent of baby boys were circumcised Female Genital Mutilation o Estimated 2 million each year in 1993 WHO called for its elimination o Some immigrants to the U S request a ceremonial version of circumcision for their female infants o Sunna Mildest form Removal of all or part of the clitoris o Excision Removal of clitoris and the labia minora o Infibulation Most severe form Removal of clitoris labia minora and part of labia major Sutured leaving only a tiny opening Foot binding Other forms of binding Plates in earlobes and lips Cranial deformation Vicious mutilation When does the tendency towards abuse begin Abuse affects children at every stage of development however the roots of abuse begin long before the child is ever conceived or born Which group of children are most at risk for abuse Infants are the most vulnerable to abuse Infants are the most at risk especially Pre term infants Ugly infants Wrong sex infants Infants who have health problems Children born with disabilities Infants with colic 1 predictor of homicide What is hypervigilance Young children who are abused become hyper vigilant and watchful of everything in their environment especially the moods and actions of the abuser or the abusers What is a parentified child The parentified child is one who has literally taken on the role of parenting They parent siblings and the caregiver These children are prematurely adult like At ages 8 to 12 role reversal may be especially apparent during this age group of children How do children respond to abuse at different age levels Ages 1 to 4 o Potty training 1 predictor