Dave Pelzer And Child Abuse

DoSomething.org, wrote an article where they state that about five children die every day due to some type of maltreatment. They also talk about how children are exposed to different types of abuse by their family during their early years of their life such as physical, emotional,

Child abuse is epidemic in many countries as well as the United States. It is estimated that every thirteen seconds a child is abused in some manner: physically, sexually, emotionally or by neglect (Friedman). Each year, there are over 3 million reports of child abuse in the United States involving more than 6 million children. Child abuse can be reduced with proper education of the parents and with greater public awareness.

Possibly worst of all for Pelzer was the fact that the abuse and neglect he experienced also included psychological maltreatment. Psychological maltreatment is also known as emotional or mental abuse. It refers to “a repeated pattern of caregiver behavior or extreme incident(s) that conveys to the child that they are worthless, flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or only of value in meeting another’s needs” (Burgess et al., 2013 p. 202). Pelzer’s mother did exactly that and utilized various forms of psychological maltreatment. She singled him out from the rest of the family, terrorized him, played mind games, had unreasonable expectations, ridiculed, belittled, and rejected him. She began by telling him he was a bad boy and eventually stopped calling him by his name and called him “the boy” and “it” (Pelzer, 1995). She isolated him physically and emotionally from the rest of the family and would not let the other children acknowledge his presence.

In 1995, David Pelzer wrote a book describing his childhood, a book that is highly recommend as a must read. The book starts off with a happy home and quickly turns into his very own nightmare. Pelzer is a survivor of child abuse. This story is so nauseating that while reading it you find found yourself praying that his parents would rot in hell for all eternity.

The first factor that played a role in the continuation of abuse in Pelzer’s life is alcohol. His mother started to increase the intake of alcohol, she drank. Dave’s mother had a drinking problem when she began to associate drinking alcohol with getting rid of her problems as a wife and mother. Pelzer explains that his relationship with his mother drastically change. The mom’s behavior became worse when her husband went to work and she spend her entire time laying on the couch , dressed in her bathrobe and watching television. She only movement was to only use the bathroom, getting more drinks or heating left over foods (Pelzer, pg. 29). Through the progression of Pelzer’s life , his mother drank heavy. Most of the time her day was spend drinking. Pelzer’s father contributed to the increase of abuse that Dave receive. He passive allowed his wife do whatever she wanted with Dave because he was tired of battling with his wife. This became a moment of realization for Dave when he figured out that there was no one to advocate for his rights at the

The statistics of prevalence for child sex abuse varies because of all the unique cases of child sex abuse that is reported. Although, statistic show that one in three girls will be sexually abused at one point in the United States and boys are one in seven to be sexually abused (Anderson, 2014). Children are not susceptible to crime as shown in the statistics because predators like pedophiles have fetishes towards little boy or girls. One study found that 10% of children experienced or came close to experiencing a form of sexual violence which would include rape, sexual assault, or harassment (Anderson, 2014). The numbers shown in the statistics are higher because of the unreported cases. 30% of cases involving child sex abuse are reported to the local authorities and 73% to 87% of female adolescents who are abused sexually are not treated or identified by by the community (Anderson, 2014). Child sex abuse is also costly because it costs the United States an estimated $103 billion for the abuse and negligence (Anderson, 2014). On another note, 80% of children who have been sexually abused have symptoms of PTSD (Anderson, 2014).

In two thousand and fourteen, about one thousand five hundred and eighty children died as a result of abuse and neglect, which is about four to five children a day. Studies have even showed that they may even be undercounting by fifty percent or more. On average, four to seven children die

In 2002, The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) reported that almost 1,400 children died as a result of abuse. This is about 2 children per 100,000 (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2004).

The Child Called “It”, a book by David James Pelzer is a story of Dave's horrible childhood. Born December 29, 1960 in Daly City, California, David's life was wonderful; until, his mother started to drink. David's story is one of mistreatment and perseverance through tough times. Dave is now 56 years old and speaks to troops and other person's as a motivational speaker. It is his life’s goal to help others persevere through tough times.

Dave Pelzer was born in San Francisco, California in 1960. At 18 years old he enlisted in the Air Force, serving during Desert Storm. He is a successful motivational speaker, voted 1990s California Volunteer of the year, top ten young Americans in 1993 and 1994, recognized by three presidents and surprisingly an abuse survivor. Dave’s mother was a struggling alcoholic and forced Dave into eight years of physical, psychological, and emotional abuse. For years both his father and various adults in his life ignored his abuse. Eventually, after a nurse reported a series of odd marks Dave was placed in foster care. In 1995 Dave wrote A Child Called “It” to share his story of abuse, a story that many other children likely share. Dave says he did

According to statistics 12.4 per 1000 children under the age of 17 have been a victim of child abuse. More than 6 million children are reported as abused in the last year. Sadly the fate of many of these children that live in abusive homes is death. 1.84 per 100,000 was reported to be abused in 2012. The number continued to rise to 1.96 in 2014. In the reported cases both or one parent was the cause of the death 79% of the time. In 16% of the cases a non-parent guardian was the cause of death. 5% of the deaths were caused by an unknown person.

children are confirmed each year as victims of child abuse and neglect by state child

According to ChildLife, a child abuse hotline in Pennsylvania, there were more than 400 child deaths due to abuse between 2010 and 2014, and approximately 29,273 cases of abuse in the year in 2014 (Routh).

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 2012, an estimated 1,642 children died due to child abuse and neglect, which is 4.5 children every day (Fromm). Approximately 4 out of every 5 are under 5-years-old and children under 1 account for 2 out of 5 of all fatalities. Children under 5 are more likely to die from child abuse due to lack of ability to cope with abuse. Children’s bodies are more fragile and it is easier for an individual to physically harm a small child rather than older children who can somewhat fight back.