A Child Called "It"
A Child Called
“It”
Research Paper
Michelle Smythe cgilrichard@yahoo.com Tuesday EDUC 571
S. Rudinsky
10-9-2012
Research Paper 1
Child abuse. The words on its own sound horrific! According to the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) amended by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 (Childhelp.org October 2010), it defines child abuse and neglect as, at the minimum the following: Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; (Childhelp.org 2010) or an act of failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm (Childhelp.org October 2010). Most Federal and State child protection laws primarily refer to cases of harm to a child caused by parents or other caregivers (Childhelp.org 2010). Increasing public awareness of the need to ensure the safety and welfare of children led to the passage of the first Federal child protection legislation, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), in 1974 (Childhelp.org October 2010). Child abuse has had a extensive history. Children unfortunately have been subjects of abuse by their parents, and for many centuries laws failed to protect them. A historical case of child abuse in the 1870’s caught the nation’s attention when a then eight-year old orphan named Mary Ellen Wilson stated she was suffering daily whippings and beatings at her then foster home (Childhelp.org October 2010). There was no organization to protect abused children, so she petitioned the American SPCA – Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (Childhelp.org October 2010). Wilson stated (Childhelp.org October 2010) that “Animals were protected , but children were not, and that children were members of the animal kingdom, and must therefore be protected.” It was because of these statements that the ASPCA
“It”
Research Paper
Michelle Smythe cgilrichard@yahoo.com Tuesday EDUC 571
S. Rudinsky
10-9-2012
Research Paper 1
Child abuse. The words on its own sound horrific! According to the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) amended by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 (Childhelp.org October 2010), it defines child abuse and neglect as, at the minimum the following: Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; (Childhelp.org 2010) or an act of failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm (Childhelp.org October 2010). Most Federal and State child protection laws primarily refer to cases of harm to a child caused by parents or other caregivers (Childhelp.org 2010). Increasing public awareness of the need to ensure the safety and welfare of children led to the passage of the first Federal child protection legislation, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), in 1974 (Childhelp.org October 2010). Child abuse has had a extensive history. Children unfortunately have been subjects of abuse by their parents, and for many centuries laws failed to protect them. A historical case of child abuse in the 1870’s caught the nation’s attention when a then eight-year old orphan named Mary Ellen Wilson stated she was suffering daily whippings and beatings at her then foster home (Childhelp.org October 2010). There was no organization to protect abused children, so she petitioned the American SPCA – Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (Childhelp.org October 2010). Wilson stated (Childhelp.org October 2010) that “Animals were protected , but children were not, and that children were members of the animal kingdom, and must therefore be protected.” It was because of these statements that the ASPCA
References: Lee, V.,& Hoaken, PN.(2007) Childhood Abuse: New Insights into its Association with Posttraumatic Stress, Suicidal Ideation, and Aggression. Child Maltreatment 12 281-98. Child Abuse Statistics October 2010 Retrieved from http://www.childhelp.org/ Teicher, Martin H., Anderson, Carl M., Polcari, Ann. ( 2010) Childhood maltreatment is associated with reduced volume in the hippocampal subfields CA3, dentate gyrus, and subiculum. Harvard Medical School Journal Department of Psychiatry 109 9. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]