Victims Of Fatal Neglect

People who are most likely to experience poverty, for reasons beyond their own control but not due to chance or laziness, are known as populations at risk. Children comprise the United States’ largest population at risk. The child poverty rate today is higher than it was 40 years ago. Between 2008 and 2010, the poverty rate for children under the age of 18 rose from 19 percent to 22 percent (more than one child in five, over 14 million; US Census Bureau News, 2009; income, poverty and health in the United States: 2009-Highlights; About poverty – Highlights, 2011). While the poverty rate is high among all children, the proportion of poor children who are members of ethnic minorities are higher. Children at risk experience neglect and abuse.
Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). Victims of fatal neglect are more likely to be 7 years of age and younger. The most common reasons of fatal neglect are physical neglect, supervision neglect and medical neglect. Neglect fatalities can be difficult to identify due to lack of definitive evidence, limited investigative and training resources, and differing interpretations of child maltreatment definitions (U.S. Government Accountability Office,
Whenever a child says he or she has been abused, it must be taken seriously and immediately evaluated. Children that have been abused may display; a poor self-image, sexual acting out, inability to trust or love others, aggressive, disruptive, and sometimes illegal behavior anger and rage self-destructive or self- behavior, suicidal thoughts, clingy behavior, fear of entering into new relationships or activities anxiety and fears school problems or failure, flashbacks, drug and alcohol abuse and sleep problems. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) says “the severe emotional damage to abused children does not surface until adolescence or even later, when many abused children become abusing parents. An adult who was abused as a child often has trouble establishing lasting and stable personal relationships. These men and women may have trouble with physical closeness, touching, intimacy, and trust as adults. They are also at higher risk for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, medical illness, and problems at school or