There have been numerous studies that have been conducted that suggest that child maltreatment rates are disproportionately distributed amongst racial and ethnic groups. For instance, the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) reveals that victimization cases were reported at a rate of 21.9% for African Americans, 21.4% for Latinos and 44.8% for Whites (USDHHS, 2011). Explanations for such racial bias in these maltreatment rates have also been found. One explanation is the differences in poverty levels. For example, child maltreatment was found to be stronger in White families than in Black families at the most severe levels of poverty (Hines et al., 2013). Another explanation is the way parent’s behaviors differ across racial
in 2016, by race/ethnicity of the victim, African-American children are the second highest on the list of children to be abused. “The child abuse rate in the United States is highest among African-American victims with a rate of 14.5 cases per 1,000 children. It is most common among children between two to five years of age, with about 167 thousand cases reported in 2016. Child abuse cases are fairly evenly distributed between girls and boys . However, more boys than girls were victims of abuse resulting in death.”
There are certain demographics that are more prone to child abuse. Lower income families and young single mothers are the most likely to have child abuse in the home. This is due to the levels of stress in these types of families. When a person gets too stressed, and is not given the proper tools and resources to let that stress out, naturally it goes to a person that is close to them. Most of the time it is the children, all it takes is for the child to do something small, it can be something natural such as crying for no apparent reason as children often do, to take the abuser from simply over stressed to their breaking point.
Many studies have been conducted to prove that there is a significant difference in child abuse among the multiple social classes. For example, “Lauderdale, Valiunas, and Anderson wrote in 1980 that the annual rates for Texas in 1975-1977 whites, African Americans and Mexicans without social class, African Americans were the highest for all forms of maltreatment, followed Mexicans, and lastly, whites.” Later in 1983, “Spearly and Lauderdale extended the research by
The conceptualisation of the long-term effects of child maltreatment reflects the surrounding circumstances which expose child abuse as a common event. Childhood abuse is a growing epidemic which evokes extreme emotional responses both privately and publicly and is viewed as a risk factor for an extensive variety of consequent problems. 2014 demonstrated that over 137,585 child abuse cases involving 99,210 Australian children were investigated (Australian Institute of Family Studies 2015). Abuse is categorised into neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. Contrary to the implied supposition that emotional abuse is less injurious in comparison to sexual and physical abuse, emotional abuse ranked as the most commonly substantiated harm type in Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australia Capital Territory (AIFS 2015). Childhood abuse occurs throughout a period where complex and ordered changes occur within a child’s physiological, psychological and sociological being. The following report will accentuate how the state of flux instigated by childhood abuse leaves children susceptible harmful consequences that will pervert or prevent a normal developmental procedure. Through psychological and physiological wellbeing, adult delinquency and the effects on different genders readers will be able to identify the harmful consequences childhood abuse places on victims and survivors.
Child maltreatment is a preventable public health problem. Research has demonstrated that neighborhood structural factors (e.g. poverty, crime) can influence the proportion of a neighborhood’s children who are victims of maltreatment. A newer strategy is the identi- fication of potentially modifiable social processes at the neighborhood level that can also influence maltreatment. Toward this end, this study examines neighborhood-level data (maltreatment cases substantiated by Illinois’ child protection agency, 1995–2005, social processes measured by the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, U.S. Census data, proportions of neighborhoods on public assistance, and crime data) that were linked across clusters of contiguous, relatively
Within the United States, child maltreatment is becoming more and more commonly reported as there is over 3 million reports each year. Due to the constant increase of child maltreatment reports, society has become more aware of the issue, which has led to awareness campaigns. (Payne, 87). Even with societies’ knowledge of such abuse there are still serval child maltreatment cases that are not reported. The children that are victims of maltreatment pertains any sort of harm to the child whether it is by injury, neglect, physical, emotional, or even sexual abuse by someone who holds a major role in the child’s life, a parent or guardian figure (“What is Child Abuse”).
Research has shown that the majority of children who come into contact with the Child Welfare System are minorities and from families whose incomes are below the poverty line. Many families are in need of assistance in meeting with basic human needs such as housing, food, and clothing. In some instances, substance abuse, domestic violence, low literacy and limited English proficiency, hinders families from accessing economic assistance and other supports on their own. The higher rate of child maltreatment in minorities in the Child Welfare System is an area that needs to be examined. Particularly focusing on those that identify as African Americans. According to the US census, in 2013 African Americans accounted for only 14 percent of New
She stands, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. She’s drowning so far under, the ocean drips from her eyes. She’s screaming, but staying as silent as the shadows in hopes to avoid brutal words. Analyzing her options, she walks away from the edge: she keeps trying as she whispers to herself: one more day.
Every year, within Australia, the number of children who are removed from the care of their parents and placed into government regulated care continues to grow significantly. For these children, maltreatment (or the risk of maltreatment), in the form of abuse or neglect within the family home result in the need for them to be relocated to alternative care arrangements, more commonly referred to as out-of-home care (OOHC). The research which investigates the effects of maltreatment on children, conclusively shows that experiencing trauma and/or neglect during childhood can result in considerable physiological and psychological effects on development across multiple key domains, such as cognitive, social-emotional, academic, and language
The maltreatment of children within the United States is an unfortunate but evident issue that presents some very detrimental consequences for the victims. Victims of child maltreatment typically suffer from both short-term and long-term consequences, resulting from the negligence of their parents. Across the nation techniques and measures have been taken in order to prevent the advancement of child abuse within high-risk homes, although despite these efforts sometimes it is too late for the child and the damage is too extensive for them to recover completely.
In the US alone nearly “3 million children experience some form of maltreatment” (Spinazzola, Hidgdon, Ford, Briggs, Liang, Layne, Pynoos, Stolbach, Kisiel, 2014 p. S19). The maltreatment of children is an issue that is happening around the world. Most people think about physical abuse being the most common form of maltreatment; however, emotional abuse accounts for “36%” ( Spinazzola et al 2014 p. S19) , and emotional neglect accounts for “52%”(Spinazzola et al 2014 p. S19) of identified child maltreatment cases. Most studies look at how abuse and neglect impacts children in many emotional and behavioral ways; meanwhile, nothing is changing when it comes to their recovery. Most maltreated children will
Sexual intercourse amid adolescents escalates their risk for unpredictable contraception and numerous partners, behaviors that expose them to sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. Commencement of sexual intercourse arises afore the age of 14 years, with lesser chances for white than for black youth. Rates of initiation increase throughout adolescence; by 16 to 17 years, more that half of white and three-quarters of black youth have had intercourse.
Many researchers believe that statistics based on official reports do not accurately reflect the prevalence of child abuse. Definitions of maltreatment vary from state to state and among agencies, making such statistics unreliable. Professionals who interact with children—such as teachers, day-care workers, pediatricians, and police officers—may fail to recognize or report abuse. In addition, acts of abuse usually occur in the privacy of a family’s home and often go unreported. Surveys of families, another way of estimating abuse, indicate that 2.3 percent of children in the United States—or about 1.5 million children—experience abusive violence each
In 1994, 1,036,000 children were substantiated by CPS as victims of child maltreatment. This represents 16 out of every 1,000 U.S. children. According to the 1994 survey, physical abuse represented 21% of confirmed cases, sexual abuse 11%, neglect 49%, emotional maltreatment 3% and other forms of maltreatment 16%. These percentages have remained fairly stable since 1986 when approximately 27% of the children were reported for physical abuse, 16% for
Child abuse is a serious social problem in the world. Child abuse is defined as physical, emotional, and sexual maltreatment by their parents, caregiver, and other people. The goal of this survey is to gather information about how people are aware of the child abuse in their community and society. My survey had five questions that were a mixture of close-ended and open-ended questions. Questionnaires help to get an appropriate response from the participant. The sample of this survey takes from a random population, such as international students and United States citizens.