Child Abuse - Past and Present
Child Abuse – Past and Present
Donna Hurst
University of the Cumberlands
HSOL 131
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the issue of child abuse. It will trace this social problem from the earliest of times to present day. The paper will also include the scope of abuse to children. Information on how to report suspected child abuse and neglect will be provided. The references in this paper will include online resources, printed articles and information from frontline workers in a local Division of Protection and Permanency office in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Child Abuse is one of the few issues in the world that does not discriminate based on age, gender, race, creed, nationality, or socioeconomic background. It is an issue that affects children worldwide and upwards of one and a half million children in the United States alone each year. However, while the practice of child abuse is mentioned in even the earliest publishings, it is very recent social development. In the ancient world, children were killed at birth if they did not seem fit. Fathers were permitted to kill their newborns in if they deemed the child was abnormal. Any child that showed signs of being physically handicapped was killed by order of the tribal elders by leaving the child out exposed to the elements. Midwives were instructed by physicians to kill children that were unfit. After the child was born, they’d examine the infant and if it wasn’t what they considered “normal,” the child was gotten rid of. The practice of infanticide is not found only in texts. There are paintings dating back to the thirteenth century depicting the practice of infanticide. Emperor Constantine, who was dying of leprosy, was told the way to cure his disease was to bathe in the blood of 3000 infants. From the 14th century, a mosaic depicting mothers dropping their babies into the river. King Herod had ordered all children under the age of two to be put to death. The texts and depictions also indicate that
Donna Hurst
University of the Cumberlands
HSOL 131
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the issue of child abuse. It will trace this social problem from the earliest of times to present day. The paper will also include the scope of abuse to children. Information on how to report suspected child abuse and neglect will be provided. The references in this paper will include online resources, printed articles and information from frontline workers in a local Division of Protection and Permanency office in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Child Abuse is one of the few issues in the world that does not discriminate based on age, gender, race, creed, nationality, or socioeconomic background. It is an issue that affects children worldwide and upwards of one and a half million children in the United States alone each year. However, while the practice of child abuse is mentioned in even the earliest publishings, it is very recent social development. In the ancient world, children were killed at birth if they did not seem fit. Fathers were permitted to kill their newborns in if they deemed the child was abnormal. Any child that showed signs of being physically handicapped was killed by order of the tribal elders by leaving the child out exposed to the elements. Midwives were instructed by physicians to kill children that were unfit. After the child was born, they’d examine the infant and if it wasn’t what they considered “normal,” the child was gotten rid of. The practice of infanticide is not found only in texts. There are paintings dating back to the thirteenth century depicting the practice of infanticide. Emperor Constantine, who was dying of leprosy, was told the way to cure his disease was to bathe in the blood of 3000 infants. From the 14th century, a mosaic depicting mothers dropping their babies into the river. King Herod had ordered all children under the age of two to be put to death. The texts and depictions also indicate that
Bibliography: Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2012, November 28). State Statue Results. Retrieved from Child Welfare Information Gateway: http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/state/index.cfm?event=stateStatutes.processSearch Myers, J. E. (2008). A Short History of Child Protection in America. Family Law Quarterly, 449-463. New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, History, The Catalyst. (2012, November 28). Retrieved from New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children: http://www.nyspcc.org/nyspcc/history/the_catalyst/ Waltz, M. (2012, November 26). BSW. (D. Hurst, Interviewer) -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. http://www.nyspcc.org/nyspcc/history/the_response/ [ 2 ]. http://chfs.ky.gov/dcbs/dpp/childsafety.htm