A Child Called It Essay

“Abuse is still seriously under reported. I was told by leading British social worker that when they hold training courses for employees, they find that a third of the females and slightly less of the males come forward to talk about their childhood experiences of being abused. Over ninety percent of parents as some time hit their children – and some people hit them several times a week – so there is a great deal of emotional hurt, fear and physical pain in the world today” (Davis 251). For this reason alone it makes perfect sense why violent crime rates are so frighteningly high.

As a child Dave Pelzer was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother; a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games that left one of her sons nearly dead. She no longer considered him a son, but a slave; no longer a boy, but an 'it'. His bed was an old army cot in the basement, his clothes were torn and smelly, and when he was allowed the luxury of food it was scraps from the dogs' bowl. The outside world knew nothing of the nightmare played out behind closed doors. Dave dreamed of finding a family to love him and call him their son. It took years of struggle, deprivation and despair to find his dreams and make something of himself. A Child Called 'It' covers the early years of

Child abuse in America is an ongoing problem and something needs to be done. There are approximately one million children abused annually in the United States. (Table 339) Cases of child abuse and neglect are reported every ten seconds, and researchers believe that there’s three times that amount that goes unnoticed. (Child Abuse: Know the Signs and Stop the Violence Against Children.) Something needs to be done for these children who are too weak and too powerless to help themselves.

As an undergraduate at SUNY Potsdam, I took various sociology and human services classes. However, I was mostly fascinated by the family violence theme discussing different forms of abuse within the household and how children can become victims of such acts. Eager to expand my horizons, I first decided to become a volunteer in a program called “Adopt-A-Bear Cub, which is an after-school program at Saint-Lawrence Elementary School for children who are at risk. I mentored a second-grade boy from a disadvantaged background and

There are many challenges that are faced daily when becoming or being a mandated reporter.

     The conflict of the story was Dave’s mother. She was cruel and unloving. She would drink and abuse Dave. For some reasons she never beat any of her other kids. Every time he stood up to her she would tell him he was a nobody or an “it”. She did cruel things for no reason. For example one time she tried putting him on the stove to burn him. Other times she would make a gas out of ammonia and Clorox in the bathroom and lock him in there for hours. The climax of the story is when people at school start noticing cuts and bruises on David. When a social worker is sent to his house, his mother starts treating him with love and pretends she’s sorry. Dave believes it and doesn’t say anything when the social worker comes. Dave thinks his dreams have come true and is very happy not knowing when the social

     A Child Called ‘It’ is the story of a young boy who, in order to survive, must triumph over the physical, emotional, and medical abuse created by his mother. The exploitation of alcohol plays an important role in the abuse by the mother and the neglect to see and the courage to intervene the problems by Dave’s father. Dave considered the abuse he endured by his mother, ‘games’. But he always tried to be one small step ahead of her.

Simply turn on the TV, and on any news channel the viewer is sure to hear reports regarding some issue currently present in society. Most common are stories covering crime, violence, and political scandals. What does not receive as much publicity though, is the abuse and neglect inflicted on children across the country. In literature, characters that experience maltreatment as children tend to fit the “underdog” mold, for they are unable to stand against the wrongs dealt unto them until a later time or event when they are better suited to fight back; thereby gaining the reader’s sympathy and vote for eventual victory over their antagonist. In Wuthering Heights and The Poisonwood Bible, the victimized children lacked outside support from other members of their respective communities. The same does not have to be true in the U.S. Americans have the power to make a difference in the prevalence of child maltreatment, and understanding the issue is the first step. Research and awareness of child abuse and neglect has increased in the past few decades; however, children are still suffering in today’s society. The consequences of abuse and neglect affect a wide range of categories from health and physical development; to intellectual and cognitive development; to emotional and psychological development; and social and behavioral development. In many instances, more than one type of abuse or neglect is involved, resulting in

Over the years, as a society we are becoming increasingly aware of child abuse cases nationwide and throughout Arizona. Child abuse is one of the troubling issues amongst families that affect children starting from infancy of the child, in which 80% of children die from child abuse have never reached kindergarten (Kimpel, 2016). About 1 in 8 children in Arizona and 1 in 58 children through the US are currently victims of child abuse and are suffering year after year from the effects of physical, psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of their caretakers (Kawam, 2015). In Comparison to the US, studies found that in 2014 about 46,597 child abuse cases were investigated while 12,162 of those children were removed from their home, which has

The specific type of child maltreatment that David endured was physical abuse. Physical abuse is defined as intentional physical force, such as hitting, kicking, shaking, burning or other show of force against a child (“U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,” n.d.). For instance, Dave depicted in vivid detail how his mother would physically attack his body. He stated, “I closed my eyes as the oncoming blows began to rock me from side to side. I tried to protect my face with my hands, but Mother would only knock them away. Mother smacked, punched and kicked me until I crumpled to the floor. (p. 26). Dave’s mother also burned him, “Gripping my arm, Mother held it in the orange blue flame. My skin seemed to explode from the heat. I could

What did I learn from this book? The only thing that comes to mind when I'm asked that question is pain. I didn't know what real pain was until I tried to understand what this child went through. Everything that meant anything to him, his family, those who should be the closest, was drowned out. He didn't know what to think and so often in the world today, we are naive. We don't have a clue of how life could be, and of how lucky we truly are to have the kinds of backgrounds that we were blessed with.

That is why it is imperative for cps, educators, and activist to express how crucial it is to be a voice to those who are being battered. Individuals have to be enlightened on the programs and opportunities that are presented in the field of child protection as well as in the community. Ray Colling “11TH Commandment “ video should be used as a training video for police and recreation centers and any other agency that has close interaction with children, so they too can be aware of the signs that are often overlooked such as a child being withdrawn from others, it may be more than he/she is shy. CPS have multi cases that they encounter throughout the day, it is reassuring to know that they have individuals in their corner fighting hard just as them to save a child from being another victim or

In that investigation, the newspaper also discovered that the state had not released information on 655 abuse-related deaths in which maltreatment was present but that CPS caseworkers had determined was not the direct cause of the fatality. The law does not require the state to do so.” The article also included the statement: “The family-related deaths are a small portion of the fatalities examined by the Statesman — about 11 percent. But the numbers indicate that Child Protective Services has missed red flags signaling that some family members pose threats to children. Family members are “tremendous resources,” said John Specia, commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services. But it is critical to ensure those children are living in a safe environment and being exposed to trustworthy people, he said.” The article concluded by advocating for “kinship care” by stating: “Research shows that placing kids in familiar homes keeps them safer, more emotionally stable and more likely to remain in their neighborhoods. They are also less likely to be placed in

“Local departments of social services are responsible for receiving reports of abuse and neglect; conducting investigations to determine the validity of the CPS reports; and providing services that enhance child safety and prevent further abuse and neglect to families and children” (“Child Protective Services.” N.D.). As a result of the laws and services that are in every state, child abuse has decreased through the years. Even with them, child abuse still goes around the world, and children are still suffering from this social illness.

Violence breeds violence. The number of reported child abuse cases in the United States hit its peak in 2003 and has since gone down. The numbers are getting lower and the policies set in place to shelter kids have gotten better. However, prior to the past two decades there have been only vague policies to protect children in the United States. Since 1990 much has been done to reform policies to safeguard kids. In this paper I will discuss the history of child abuse policies, the progress that has been made to child abuse policies, and how the policies meet the criteria of the family impact checklist.