Category: Child Abuse

Emotional Child Abuse And Criminal Behaviour

Introduction

Emotional child abuse has been extensively documented to have diverse negative impacts on a child’s neurological, social, and emotional behavior development (Slep, Heyman, & Snarr, 2011, p. 783-784). The primary focus of this literature review will be to both illustrate and highlight the diverse effects that emotional child abuse has had on Sam and its connection with his delinquent behavior. First of all, emotional child abuse is typically noted via verbal or symbolic parental or caregivers’ inappropriate acts, such as yelling or cursing at a child (Slep et al., 2011, p. 785). Alternatively, failure by either a parent or caregiver to provide a child with adequate emotional nurturing is also detrimental to a child’s self-worth and social development (Broadley, Goldsworthy, Price-Robertson, Bromfield, & Richardson, 2018, 2. Emotional Abuse, para. 1; Slep et al, 2011, p. 785). Children who experience this unique form of psychological abuse, in which the weapons are invisible, are at a heightened risk of developing depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, obesity, substance abuse, anti-social behavior, and criminal behavior (Shin, Cook, Morris, McDougble, & Groves, 2016, p. 210; Hornor, 2012, p. 438). Furthermore, a correlation has also been found between the development of antisocial behavior during adolescence and the frequency of police contact and arrests for serious crimes and activities (Jung, Herrenkohl, Lee, Klika, & Skinner, 2015, p. 1005). This connection illustrates the negative impacts that arise from individuals who suffer childhood emotional abuse and their participation in illegal behavior in later life (Shin et al., 2016, p. 211).

Emotional Child Abuse

Emotional child abuse consists of either, or both, commission, such as verbal abuse, or omission, not granting a child affection or attention, into emotionally maltreating a child (Rosier, Scott, Price-Robertson, Bromfield, & Vassallo, 2017, How many Australian children are emotionally maltreated? para. 1). The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Child Protection Australia 2015-16 Report illustrated the increased acts of emotional abuse towards Australian children. This report found that nationally, emotional abuse was the most common primary form of abuse or neglect inflicted on children, with 45% of Australian children being subject to emotional abuse (Rosier et al., 2017, p.22). The report also highlighted the co-occurrence of emotional abuse with other forms of abuse, such as physical abuse, with an average co-existence of 33%.

Emotional maltreatment is challenging to assess in comparison with other forms of child abuse, as well as having more detrimental and lifelong effects as opposed to other categories of abuse (Juntunen, 2013, p. 210; de la Vega, 2011). Consequently, emotional abuse is commonly identified with other forms of neglect or abuse, including inadequate nurturing or emotional support, exposure to chronic or extreme domestic violence, encouragement of drug or alcohol abuse, acceptable maladaptive behavior, and isolation from peers within and outside of the home (Juntunen, 2013, p. 210). Sam, who has been subject to continual emotional abuse by his father, has been both a witness to and participant in domestic violence events. Sam and his brother continually witnessed the abuse that their mother suffered from their father until their mother left the family household. Sam was severely injured by his father during an aggressive physical dispute between his parents, which would have had damaging consequences on his psychological development. Such events within Sam’s childhood and adolescent period would have likely increased Sam’s chances of developing poor behavioral outcomes, impacting both his present and future choices and actions (Yoo, & Huang, 2012, p.2465).

Furnell (as cited in Doyle & Timms, 2014, p. 17) converses how emotionally abusive behavior is acts that belittle, terrorize, or demean a child, instantaneously affecting their comfort, dignity, and their development. Child emotional abuse behaviors include acts in which a child is subject to threatening, discriminating against, ridiculing, rejecting, isolating, terrorizing, corrupting, rejecting, and verbal abuse by either their parent or caregiver (Rosier et al., 2017, How many Australian children are emotionally maltreated, para. 1; de la Vega, de la Osa, Ezpeleta, Granero, & Doménech, 2011). In Sam’s circumstance, his father continually rejected and ignored Sam with both his interactions and place within the family home, in which he was ultimately recoiled due to his deviant behavior. Sam’s father continually belittled Sam by referring to him as a failure to the family as a result of his criminal record. Furthermore, Sam’s father has refused to make contact with Sam, rejecting him completely from his life. The emotional abuse acts committed by Sam’s father would have greatly affected Sam’s self-worth and needs; eventually leading to a negative, long-term effect on both Sam’s emotional growth and psychological development (Broadley et al., 2018, 2. Emotional abuse).

Development of Substance Abuse

Research conducted into emotional child abuse and its prevailing consequential negative actions following such manipulation has linked the development of substance abuse problems amongst youth who have been victims of psychological maltreatment (Rosenkranz, Henderson, Muller, & Goodman, 2012, p. 171). Victims of emotional child abuse are at an increased risk of developing an earlier age of onset alcohol use, further developing into a dependency for substances in later life (Schwandt, Heilig, Hommer, George, & Ramchandani, 2013, p. 984). Schwandt et al. (2013, p. 988), found a direct correlation between the severity of childhood emotional abuse and emotional child abuse victim’s dependency on alcohol. Schwandt et al. (2013, p. 988) also exposed that any form and severity of emotional child abuse dramatically increased an individual’s likelihood of developing substance abuse, primarily alcohol dependency. Sam has been engaging in alcohol consumption with his friends since age 15, with his friends who are legally able to purchase alcohol supplying it to the younger individuals. Sam’s engagement in consumption and dependency on alcohol is most likely occurring as a form of self-medication to reduce the mental anguish from his emotional child abuse (Treatment, 2012, The scary effects of trauma, para. 2). Sam may also be consuming large quantities of alcohol to suppress or control another aspect within his life, such as anxiety, anger, and guilt, which are likely to have also stemmed from being a victim of emotional abuse (Treatment, 2012, The scary effects of trauma, para. 2).

Royse (2015, p.67) uncovered that whilst some victims of emotional child abuse may slowly reintegrate back into society, a large majority of victims were most likely to develop long-lasting consequences and dependency’s on illicit substances. In a South Africa study of 2,700 men and women between 16 and 26 years old, it was revealed that men who reported being often subject to emotional abuse were 3.4 times more likely to suffer from depression, in addition to being near “two times more likely to be abusing drugs” (Royse, 2015, p. 72). This corroborates both Schwandt et al. (2013) and Royse’s (2015) writings and reinforces the problematic issues that arise from emotional child abuse and its connection with problematic substance abuse. Furthermore, Dube, Felitti, Dong, Chapman, Giles, and Anda (as cited in Royse, 2015), investigated adults’ responses to a standardized health assessment survey which included 10 inquisitive questions regarding their upbringing and home environment. Dube et al. (as cited in Royse, 2015) discovered that children who had parents who used illicit substances and who were victims of emotional abuse were more likely to engage in illicit drug use during their early adolescents. Since Sam’s exposure to emotional abuse and his involvement in a physical domestic violence incident, Sam’s consumption of both marijuana and alcohol has increased. Sam engages in phases where he will smoke up to 25 cones per day for a week, in which he does not attend his apprenticeship and instead hangs with his friends. Both of Sam’s parents have also been involved in growing, selling, and consuming marijuana, with Sam being fully aware of his father’s use and distribution of marijuana. Sam has disclosed that marijuana makes him feel relaxed and that he does not plan on not consuming it. Sam’s use of marijuana, similar to his use of alcohol, would most predominately be a form of self-medicating and a coping mechanism to alleviate both his violent trauma and emotional child abuse (Treatment, The scary effects of trauma; Cheng & Lo, 2010, p. 1735).

There is an extensive amount of evidence that illustrates a clear association between childhood emotional abuse and criminal behavior (Jung et al., 2015, p. 1004). Emotional child abuse is linked with the development of later antisocial behavior amongst children, teenagers, and young adults (Jung et al., 2015, p. 1004). Research conducted by Smith and Thornberry (as cited in Jung et al., 2015, p. 1005) found a correlation between the frequency of maltreatment and anti-social behavior in youths. Smith and Thornberry (as cited in Jung et al., 2015, p. 1005) discovered that the development of anti-social behavior and the frequency of emotional child abuse also lead to an increased chance of participation in serious and criminal activities from ages 13 through to 17. Smith and Thornberry’s (as cited in Jung et al., 2015, p. 1005). Research also indicated an increase in the rate of police contact and arrests for children who had developed anti-social and criminal behavior from emotional child abuse. Furthermore, Widom and Maxfield (as cited in Jung, Herrenkohl, Kilka, Lee, & Brown, 2015, p. 2239) discovered similar findings to Smith and Thornberry (as cited in Jung et al., 2015, p. 1005). Widom and Maxfield (as cited in Jung et al., 2015, p. 2239) found that individuals who had been subject to emotional child abuse were at an increased risk for perpetrating violent crimes as both juveniles and adults, in addition to the likelihood of being arrested by police at least once before reaching adulthood. Sam has had continuous contact with police since his increase in both consumption of alcohol and marijuana, as well as following his arrest. Sam was arrested by local police after consuming a large quantity of alcohol and marijuana in which he then violently assaulted a patron at the local bar. Sam’s engagement in increasingly violent, criminal acts has only begun since the frequency of emotional child abuse by his father has amplified. This behavior, reinforced by the finds of Smith and Thornberry (as cited in Jung et al., 2015, p. 1004), illustrates a clear correlation between the severity and occurrence of emotional child abuse and the development of anti-social and criminal behavior.

Furthermore, research conducted by Shin et al. (2016, p. 214) found a correlation between property crime and emotional abuse victims. Shin et al.’s (2016, p.214) findings highlighted individuals who had experienced emotional child abuse had an urgency when conducting any crime, with the primary crime being conducted by emotional child abuse victims being property and fraud. Sam has actively voiced his participation in criminal activities with his friends within his community. Sam has engaged in both graffitiing council bridges, as well as breaking into local neighborhood homes, and stealing electrical goods. The electrical goods stolen by Sam and his friends from local properties are then taken to a nearby town, in which they are sold for cash. Sam’s engagement in property crime is likely to directly originate from his emotional abuse; with an urgency been conducted by Sam to sell the stolen goods to receive an income to support himself and his lifestyle (Shin et al., 2016).

Recommendations

In order to address Sam’s criminal activity, substance abuse, and negative consequences from being subject to continually emotional child abuse, Sam and his family should engage in a family support program. The organization ‘Act for kids’ offers an intensive family support program for families who are at risk of entering the child protection system (Act for kids, n.d., para. 1). Act for kids seeks to address issues such as substance abuse, domestic violence, and mental health services whilst also providing support and resources for child health and wellbeing (Act for kids, n.d.). The participation of Sam, and his family, within this program would enable the family to build positive relationships, whilst enabling Sam to seek help for his substance abuse while developing strong life skills (Act for kids, n.d.). Participation in this program would also enable Sam to connect with other services and networks within his community, allowing him to participate in programs that will aid in alleviating his primary issues (Act for kids, n.d.). Sam and his family would need to attend Roma, approximately three hours by bus from Sam’s hometown of Augathella, to partake in this program. However, this is an improved situation for gaining support than his current method, which includes an eight-hour bus trip to attend meetings. While participating in this program, Sam should continue to maintain contact with a youth justice worker via telephone to ensure that the program is addressing all of his issues and needs, as well as to guarantee that Sam is making progress within his life. By participating in Act for kids’ intensive family support program, in addition to maintaining contact with a youth justice worker, Sam can address his emotional child abuse, substance abuse, and other difficulties, enabling him to better his life chances.

Conclusion

Emotional child abuse will remain to be at the forefront of child abuse cases throughout Australia (Rosier et al., 2017). The repeated patterning of parents making their children feel damaged, unloved, endangered, worthless, and unwanted, will continue to damage their children’s interactions and behavioral development (Hornor, 2012, p. 436). The negative consequences of emotional abuse will persist to be prevalent, with victims of child emotional abuse highly likely to develop antisocial behavior and engage in delinquent activities (Jung et al., 2015). Victims of emotional child abuse are also at an increased rate of developing substance abuse for both alcohol and illicit drugs (Schwandt, 2013, p. 985; Rosenkranz, 2012; Royse, 2015, p. 67). A clear relationship has been established between emotional child abuse and property-related offenses, with urgency being involved in criminal activities carried out by victims of emotional maltreatment (Shin et al., 2016, p. 214). In order to prevent the development of negative consequences arising from individuals who have been victims of emotional child abuse, direct action needs to be taken to both alleviate and address victims’ continuing difficulties. In the case of Sam, who was repeatedly emotionally abused within his family home, the participation in a program to address both his and his family’s issues would provide tremendous support. By participating in an intensive family support program offered by Acts for kids (n.d), Sam would be able to both address his issues stemming from emotional child abuse, his continual abuse of substances and eliminate a proportion of the conflict within his immediate family. Emotional child abuse will continually be involved in issues regarding domestic violence and child health and welfare; however, the effective use of intensive family support programs can aid in reducing and eliminating the amount of abuse within a household, helping to generate a safer environment for children to develop and grow.

From Abused Child To Serial Killer

Serial killers are well known for how crazy their killings are. Most of them have had a traumatic childhood event that led them to psychological breaks. The most common type of serial killing is brought from sexual intent, usually from men. Roughly one in every five to six serial killers are female. Research on female serial killers is difficult because there are fewer and harder to capture. They date back to the 15th century where a French baron was killed for killing 100 children. They have been portrayed in countless movies, video games, and even plays. They can be determined by many things such as their behavior, psychological state, and their patterns in their killings. Macbeth shows how serial killers, like himself, are psychotic and how bad their conditions can become.

Criminal profilers closely inspect the suspect’s psychological factors such as antisocial personality, behavioral patterns, and demographic variables. Scott Bonn is a criminology professor, news commentator, and author. He earned his degree in criminology from the University of Miami, FL. Dr. Adam Lynes is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Birmingham City University, where he has taught since 2012, covering topics such as criminological theory, homicide, and transnational organized and corporate crime. Kevin D. Haggerty is a Killam Research Laureate and editor of the Canadian Journal of Sociology. He is also a Professor of sociology and criminology at the University of Alberta.

Scott Bonn says he determines if a person is a serial killer or not by looking if; they killed at least three people, the murders take place in separate events at different times, and the killer experiences an emotional cooling-off period between murders. ‘A serial killer with regards to the UK definition is an individual who kills three or more people in a period greater than thirty days,” Dr. Lynes said. ‘Males tend to target strangers, often women, and are sexually motivated,’ he continued. ‘ Kevin Haggerty says there’s minimal evidence that psychological approaches have made more than a small difference in our understanding of this phenomenon,’ he told Discovery News. ‘Almost every psychological approach applied to serial murder has been ruled out as a uniform claim to understanding this behavior.’

In 1897 Bram Stoker created the well-known character in many films and stories Dracula. He based the character on Vlad Dracula, better known as Vlad the Impaler. He was born in 1431 in Transylvania where his father was the ruler. He and his brother were captured by the Ottomans; they weren’t free for many years until their family died. When he became free, he led an army in Wallachia to defend against the ottomans. This is where he started using his signature killing method of impaling. Impaling is where a person inserts a wood or metal pole into a person horizontally or vertically. Sometimes they would use a blunt end and purposely hit no internal organs so it would prolong their suffering. His army’s kill count is estimated to have been around 80,000 people.

Jack the Ripper was the nickname for the unidentified killer, who committed 5 or more murders. This nickname came from the way that he killed his victims. He targeted mainly female prostitutes. His infamous way of killing was by slitting their throats in alleyways as they were walking by. Adding to the mystery of this is the fact that several letters were sent by the killer to the London Metropolitan Police Service, also known as the Scotland Yard, taunting officers about his gruesome activities. Many different people were suspected of being the killer though nobody has ever found him. Throughout the years’ many people have tried to figure out who the culprit was but to no avail. Being that he was unidentified, there is no background on one of the most well-known killers, Jack the ripper.

Like most serial killers Charles Manson had a rough childhood. At the age of 12, he committed his first known crime of stealing money from a store. After getting out of prison he basically formed a cult. Everyone in it followed him religiously. During this time, he tried time and time again to follow a music career. But every time he was shut down because of his diagnosed schizophrenia. Manson’s obsession with music and lack of success from it threw him over the edge so he and his followers killed celebrities who stole the spotlight from him. On January 25, 1971, Manson was convicted of first-degree murder for directing the deaths of the Tate-Labianca victims. He was sentenced to death, but this was automatically commuted to life in prison after California’s Supreme Court invalidated all death sentences prior to 1972. He was sentenced to life in prison and spent the next four decades behind bars. He later died in prison on November 19, 2017.

Mikhail Popkov was a Russian serial killer and a rapist. He sexually assaulted over 77 women that were between 16 and 40 years old, he did all this within only 18 years. His job was as a security guard which helped him cover his tracks There was a nickname given to him which was werewolf because of his brutal way of killing. Popkov was one of Russia’s most prolific killers in the 1900’s and 2000’s. He was finally arrested in 2012 after police suspected the murderer might be one of their own. Authorities took 3,500 DNA samples from current and former officers and matched them with DNA they’d found on many of the victims. “I was born in another century,” Popkov said in a jailhouse interview. “Now there are such modern technologies, methods, but not earlier. If we have not got to that level of genetic examination, then I wouldn’t be sitting in front of you.” In 2012 he was apprehended and was sentenced to life in prison.

Why is Macbeth a Serial Killer? Macbeth is a serial killer because of his psychological state. He shows, throughout the play, how warped his mind becomes and how different he sees situations from the beginning. The whole play, tells how he is struggling to not accept the prophecy the witches told him and try to escape his fate. This obsession led him to create a list of people he either ordered to be killed or killed himself. He killed the previous king to make sure the prophecy came true. He killed his friend because he knew of the prophecy and didn’t want him getting suspicious and many others if he thought they were suspicious of him. He also had visions of Banquo’s ghost which is a sign of him going crazy. All these decisions ended up with him making the prophecy true by dying by a man not born of a woman.

For these reasons stated, Macbeth is a serial killer. Throughout the play, he showed signs of losing common sense and going crazy. This is common in most other serial killers’ psychological states. He was so crazy that he killed many of his friends and colleagues. He thought that killing all these people would benefit him by making him king, but it ended in his downfall.

Online Child Sexual Abuse: Current Risk Assessments and Treatments for Online Offenders

Internet sex offenders are described as those who commit sexual offences online. Child sex abuse is a growing concern. Two main forms of cyber-enabled sexual abuse against a child are grooming and proliferation of indecent images of children (IIOC). Online grooming is the use of digital technologies to facilitate either online or offline sexual contact with minors. IIOC Incorporates the use of digital technologies to produce, distribute or possess offensive or indecent images of children. However research suggests that a challenge arisen from this is the definition of indecent. Indecent Images of Children (IIOC) are those including still and moving images and pseudo-photographs which depict children being sexually abused or exploited. The COPINE scale was created in 2008 in order to help define the severity of images or videos recovered from internet sex offenders. This helped to determine levels of indecent images and attempts to rank the severity of indecent images of children using a ten-point rating system. The COPINE scale has helped to shape the five-point scale used by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. Online activity enables sexual exploitation new opportunities for abuse to occur. The internet is unregulated and gives easy access to collect and distribute IIOC and gives sex offenders a new window to lure in potential victims. Online offenders have been categorised in to many different typologies, these vary from accessing IIOC out of possible curiosity or impulse, those who access images or other illicit content in order to satisfy sexual interest or urges however do not have physical contact with a child, offenders who use IIOC for financial gains by distributing images and finally, those who use the internet to groom children which then leads to contact sexual offenses. Due to these many categories, it would be suggested that online offenders, or subgroups of online offenders, are an individual type of sex offender and treatment and management methods used for contact offenders may not necessarily be efficient in preventing recidivism.

Cognitive distortions are a widely researched area of sex offending literature, particularly sexual offences against child victims. Cognitive distortions can be defined as deviations from, or distortions of, normal thinking. A common theme between offenders of this nature is they tend to try and minimise or neutralise their offences. Minimisations can sometimes consist of offenders assuming they are showing the child love they have never had or that they may enjoy what is happening because of how the body responds. Another common misconception is when the offender believes they have not committed any crimes or created a victim as they themselves have not come into contact with a child physically.

A theory surrounding why online offenders do not act on their sexually deviant interests is emotional avoidance. Individuals may differ in the closeness or contact they desire in sexual relationships (Quayle, Vaughan, & Taylor, 2006). This research could shed light on why some offenders do not continue onto contact offences. Taking this into consideration, research suggests that online-only offenders would be less likely to be in a romantic relationship than offline offenders. Briggs et al. (2011) suggested that an avoidance of emotional closeness in sexual relationships is potentially responsible for the low rates of contact sexual offending by online offenders despite their high levels of sexual deviancy. Evidence suggests that some people use the Internet to deal with negative emotions such as boredom, anxiety, and depression (Quayle et al., 2006) as a way to socialise when their real-world socialization is dysfunctional. Aligned to these observations, it has been suggested that people who present with problematic Internet use have difficulties in the areas of anxiety, depression, and social isolation, as well as loneliness and intimacy deficits.

Self-distancing is defined as when an offender distances themselves from the offences because they didn’t physically have contact with a child and didn’t create the images, therefore they believe they have not actually caused any harm to the child and no offense has been committed. Offenders may also reject the suggestion that they have a sexual interest in children, offenders completely reject the view that they were creating child victims, actively disidentified from the sex offender label and generally downplayed their accountability relating to their offending activities. Problems met when trying to treat an offender that self-distances is that they refuse to see themselves as a sex offender (Winder & Gough, 2010). Research looks at individual cognitive distortions with a focus on self-distancing by interviewing offenders and reviewing their responses before and after treatment. Common themes expressed by the offenders was that of self-distancing, offenders used terms such as “ah but I didn’t touch anybody, that’s my defence”. Offenders typically tried to downplay their role as a sex offender by pointing out the severity of the images were low and that they had no psychical contact with the children themselves, therefore no one would know, and no one would be victimised. The study focused on how participants distanced themselves specifically from the charge of creating child victims, rejected the offender label for themselves and presented their activities as relatively inoffensive when compared to other, mainly contact crimes (Winder & Gough, 2010). The findings suggest that offenders varied in ways they tried to rationalise and minimise the offence, a common theme used by offenders was the insinuation that children online are unaffected by their pictures being taken. Offenders regularly rejected the label sex offender, by assuming a non-contact position and claiming it is not like contact offenders or those who flash their victims. Further excuses were used to rationalise offences such as own experiences of child abuse and urges (impulsivity)(Winder & Gough, 2010). There is an overlap in views and cognitive distortions between offender groups, therefore some treatments may be applicable to more than one offender type. For example, emotional avoidance and self-distancing are quite similar in the views the offender has about their offences and the victims involved. Therefore, treatment method such as victim empathy and narrative transformation could be implemented to help treat offenders with emotional avoidance or self-distancing cognitive distortions (Quayle et al., 2006; Winder & Gough, 2010).

Treatment and management of offenders may overlap due to cognitive distortions that are evident across offender groups. Research suggest that reduced rates of recidivism are most impacted by cognitive behavioural methods. This type of treatment aims to deal with characteristics such as victim empathy, deviant sexual arousal, intimacy deficits and risk self-management, that are found to support sexual offending. Emotional avoidance and self-distancing in offenders can be difficult to treat and manage as It can be challenging to redirect an offender if their only emotional release or sexual gratification comes from IIOC. This is due to the fact that you cannot substitute these urges or desires for any other form or sexual gratification. Due to the overlap in self-distancing and emotional avoidance, similar treatment and management methods may be effective for both groups. Attending to risk, need, and responsivity factors are a part of the cognitive method of treatment, which indicates that interventions are appropriate to each offenders, offering different treatment programmes that are matched to the risk and needs of individual sex offenders. In order to increase the rate of engagement a range of styles in relation to responsivity needs to be continually monitored and different methods of application applied. Assessment of static and dynamic risks to determine risk of recidivism which can help determine the level of intervention that may be the most effective. Treatment targets are then established which then leads on to responsivity issues needing to be addressed and evaluated during treatment and are dealt with accordingly. Cognitive-behavioural interventions, therefore, aim to replace maladaptive or deviant responses with adaptive, prosocial beliefs and behaviour by targeting specific areas in which offenders are deficient. Cognitive-behavioural interventions also involve skills acquisition and rehearsal, reducing cognitive distortions, developing effective problem-solving strategies, improving social and victim perspective-taking, improving sexual and social relationships, managing affective states, reducing deviant sexual arousal, and developing adaptive thinking processes, affect, and behaviour.

One of the methods of treatment under the cognitive behavioural method is that of victim empathy. Empathy is suggested to be a function that helps to regulate behaviour by suppressing aggressive behaviours due to its connections to prosocial behvaiours. In terms of sexual offenders research suggests that a lack of empathy may create a pathway to sexual offending, by a creating cognitive distortions that allow the offender to ‘ignore’; or with regard to sexual offending behaviour, it is hypothesized that a lack of empathy facilitates sexual offending by permitting cognitive distortions that allow sexual offending to occur despite clear indications of distress on the part of the victim, thus, lack of empathy, at least indirectly, may be associated with sexual offending. Empathy may be defined as the cognitive ability to understand and identify with another’s perspective and the emotional capacity to experience the same feelings as another. Empathy has been found to be influenced by such as cognitive distortions, negative emotions, deviant sexual arousal, and other factors known to be associated with sexual offending. Thus, empathy may be an appropriate target of treatment for sexual offenders. It has also been suggested that targeting victim-specific empathy, rather than general empathy, may be more relevant to sexual offenders (Babchishin et al., 2011). Research has found that child molesters appear to demonstrate significantly greater empathy deficits toward victims of their own sexual offenses, as compared to levels of empathy toward the victims of others’ sexual offenses or empathy in a non-sexual context.

Self-distancing is a growing challenge in treating offenders who have committed online offences. A possible method of treating this would be narrative identity transformation, this is when an offender is helped to create a new identity that does not carry with it the offence their old self used to commit. A part of this treatment is that once the offender has created their new pro-social identity, they need to admit and recognise their old self as one that was an abuser. These kinds of cognitive distortions can sometimes be found in person to person groups. This is where a small number of offenders who trust each other share images between themselves, it is found that images tend to be higher in severity within these kinds of groups. Offenders within P2P groups tend to have the view that because they are only sharing between themselves therefore no one knows including the child and this means no victims were made by them directly. Often offenders who self-distance will reject the label sex offender and may not see themselves as such as they have not had psychical contact with the child. Offenders argue that they were only viewing pictures that have been created by others and then distributed. Online offenders who also have previous contact sexual offenses may be able to be managed with current risk assessment and treatments.

It is, however, unknown as to how these practices can be applied to online-only offenders, therefore, more in depth research and findings of the psychological similarities and dissimilarities between online and offline offenders can aid the understanding of how current risk assessments and treatment may also be applicable to online offenders. If research provides evidence that online offenders are similar to offline offenders in terms of risk factors, characteristics and possible cognitive distortions, then current risk assessment procedures and treatments could be applied.

Child Sexual Abuse: Caused by Nature or Nurture

The purpose of this literature review is to identify relevant findings for sex offenders and whether it is nature or nurture that causes them to molest children, from any published literature I find and also relevant websites. Searches were carried out on numerous books such as ‘theories of sexual offending’, ‘child molestation’ and ‘sex as a crime?’. As well as using books for research, searches were carried out on the internet on websites such as The Conversation and The Royal society. This literature review will discuss and review whether sexual offences such as child molestation is cause by nature or nurture and use theories to back them up.

Marshall and Barbaree’s Integrated Theory

The Marshall and Barbaree’s theory in the Theories of sexual offending book suggests that, Ward, et al (2006) “early developmental experiences are especially significant in the formation of psychological predisposition to behave in sexual deviant ways”. This indicates that if a child is abused then it is likely that they won’t develop trust in others and they will feel unworthy of love and respect. Marshall and Barbaree also argue that the child will endure problems with Ward, et al (2006) “emotional regulation, low self-esteem, impaired problem solving, poor judgement, impulsivity and low self-efficiency”. As a consequence of the child feeling that they are not able to trust others and they haven’t learnt how to control their emotions, Marshall and Barbaree believe that the child will turn to Ward, et al (2006) “less adaptive forms of mood management, for example, masturbation”.

A further complication to this theory is that because the child is more than likely to be rejected socially because of their lack of knowledge on trust and control over their emotions, they might also find it difficult to distinguish between sexual and aggressive impulses and indications.

Marshall and Brabaree propose that individuals that lack interpersonal skills will more than likely be more confused by hormones and the biological challenges that are puberty. There is also a greater chance that they will meet their sexual needs in a socially unacceptable manner.

Ward and Siegert’s Pathways Model

Ward, et al (2006) “Sexual offenders lack of empathy for their victims is subsumed under the cognitive distortions and emotional dysregulation categories”. The Ward and Siegert’s pathways model is very similar to Marshall and Barbaree’s theory in the way that both theories discuss the possibility that a sex offenders childhood has a massive impact on their behaviour and knowledge towards sex and their sexual impulses. Ward and Siegert recognise that not all sexual offenders are the same, some individuals may struggle to Ward, et al (2006) “establish and maintain close personal relationships whilst others report no problems in this aspect of their lives and instead experience difficulties monitoring their emotion states”.

Ward and Siegert believe that the clinical phenomena evident among child molesters are generated by four mechanisms: Ward, et al (2006) “emotional dysregulation, intimacy and social deficits, cognitive distortions, and distorted sexual scripts”. Emotional dysregulation means that they are less able than others to read one’s emotional state, to be able to identify other’s emotions, they aren’t as empathetic, and they aren’t able to adjust their emotional presentation to fit the circumstances. Intimacy and social skill deficits all comes’ down to not being able to trust people in relationships because they have been let down before, or people are emotionally unavailable when they need them. Sexual scripts mean’s that the they aren’t able to understand other people’s sexual behaviours or their own behaviour during sexual encounters. The four mechanisms all stem from the offender being vulnerable and not developing properly due to being mistreat as a child.

Nature or Nurture

Many studies have been carried out on sexual offenders and their DNA to see if committing a sex offence is written in our genes. One study analysed DNA from (The Conversation, 2015) “21,566 men convicted of sex offences in Sweden found that sons and brothers of convicted sex offenders were four to five more time likely to be convicted of sex crimes than men in the general population”. The study also found that only (The Conversation, 2015) “2% of cases could this familial connection be explained by shared environmental factors”. On the other hand, their shared genetics were a factor in (The Conversation, 2015) “40% of cases, with the remaining 58% of cases stemming from environmental factors not shared between family members”.

In this case the research shows that the sex offence genes were inherited however they were developed by environmental factors. In this study they believe that sex offenders could potentially be biologically different however that isn’t going to prevent them from molesting children. They also believe that sex offenders will use research like this to get a lesser sentence as it was ‘in their genes’.

Some research shows that anywhere between The Conversation, 2016 “33% and 75% of child sex offenders report being sexually abused as children”, however there are other sex offenders that report that they have not been abused as children but still find children sexually attractive. The Royal Society, 2014 looked into human face processing to try and understand why some people are sexually attracted to children. Human faces can motivate nurturing or sexual behaviour when adults see a child’s or an adult’s face. They found that face processing is tuned to notice age cues of sexual maturity to encourage the appropriate reproductive behaviour: either caretaking or mating. They state that the The Royal Society, 2014 “brain networks that normally are tuned to mature face of the preferred gender show an abnormal tuning to sexual immature faces in paedophilia”. This theory shows that the brain of a sex offender reacts differently to pictures of an adult and a child to that of a normal brain.

Delusions and Psychological Difficulties

A lot of abusive people find it easier to act on their desires if they convince themselves that what they are doing or about to do is okay and that the child wants it. They think of themselves as superior to children and that the abuse isn’t harmful. As most of the theories discussed in this literature review have stated that sexual offenders have emotional dysregulation from being abused as a child meaning they lack empathy and understanding of emotions. This could possibly make it easier for them to convince themselves that what they are doing isn’t wrong, and that the child has consented. If a sex offender grew up around someone very controlling and undermining, they might also think it is acceptable to not treat people with respect and not care about their feelings.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the theories that have been focused on the most; Marshall and Barbaree and Ward and Siegert both concentrate on nurture and the effects child abuse has on them and their need to sexual abuse children. They both emphasise on the fact that most child molesters lack empathy and trust. They also mention that because of their lack of social understanding they are rejected socially.

There isn’t just one reason for why someone would molest a child, it stems from different things in different individuals. For example, if someone was abused as a child, it doesn’t mean they are automatically going to molest a child, there could be other factors in their lives that trigger them to sexually offend. Research also shows that gene development is affected by the environment, so someone could be born with sex offender genes but the environment they are brought into could determine whether they become a sex offender or not.

Child Abuse Argumentative Essay

In January 2018, a 911 call was placed by a seventeen-year-old girl who had just escaped from being shackled to a bed in her Los Angeles home where she and her twelve other siblings had been kept prisoners. Recently in April of 2019, David and Louise Turpin were sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison for child abuse, torture, abuse of dependent adults, false imprisonment, and sexual abuse. Their children ranged from ages two to twenty-nine and almost all were emaciated and developed cognitive deficiencies from having suffered abuse for so long. Although these thirteen had been severely neglected all of their lives, three children testified that they still loved their parents. Some even believed that their abuse and neglect were God’s will. These children suffered years of abuse from their parents, some of them were not even children any more. Both children and even the parents were seemingly brainwashed by the whole situation, the Washington Post even reports: “Authorities said that David and Louise Turpin were “unable to immediately provide a logical reason” why the children were shackled and chained and that Louise Turpin seemed “perplexed” by the investigators’ questions” (Eltagouri).

The general public and media alike constantly look for reasons to explain this sort of deviance to themselves. The positivist theory of differential association can be used to describe the behavior of Louise Turpin. The theory of differential association states that criminal behavior, or any form of deviance, is learned. Specifically stated by Goode, “…Criminal behavior, and, again, by extension, deviance as well, must be learned through face-to-face interaction between people who are close or intimate with one another” (43). Louise Turpin herself was once sexually assaulted by her grandfather, reflecting the “abused becomes the abuser” stereotype. She married David as soon as she turned sixteen to escape the abuse from her grandfather that her mother knew about and even condoned. The theory of differential association helps to explain why Louise Turpin began to abuse as well because she internalized her sexual abuse as a child to take it out on her children. Goode also states that priority and intensity serve to further the process as it matters how early one is exposed to these attitudes that inspire criminality, and with whom the information is shared (44). Since her grandfather, someone very intimate and close in her life began to sexually abuse her as a child, she began to learn this behavior to go on to use it in her own adult life.

The Belsky method is an ecological model that states: “A child’s development is more affected by proximate than by distal social systems,” meaning that parents are the most important social system influencing the child as they are the closest to the child (Mulder et al.). According to Mulder et al., “[In the Belsky theoretical model] risk factors can be present at four different levels: (1) the ontogenetic development of parents, which refers to the phenomena that negative parental experiences from the past are brought into their parenting behavior; (2) characteristics of the child and the family (i.e., the microsystem); (3) characteristics of the living environment (i.e., the exosystem); and (4) the attitude of society on children and child maltreatment (i.e., the macro system)”(199). This model can further explain the deviance committed by the parents, alongside the theory of differential association. We live in a society that very critically condemns child abuse publicly. The media paints a picture of child abusers as the most deviant of them all. Although this model is more concerned with the psychological side of child abuse rather than sociological, both sides closely relate as they are used to explain this sort of deviance.

Child abuse, neglect specifically, is organized according to three developmental periods: infancy, school-aged and younger adolescents, old adolescents, and adults. There are also three specific major developmental processes: cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioral (Hildyard and Wolfe). In general, “child neglect is a heterogeneous construct covering rather dissimilar negative child experiences, such as poor quality of supervision, inadequate or insufficient availability of food, lack of school attendance, and lack of required medical attention” (Mulder et al., 199). The Turpin children’s neglect was so severe that it stunted the growth of some, took away the reproductive abilities of others, and left most severely underweight. According to “Child Abuse and Neglect in the Brain—A Review”, “The findings from neurobiological studies of brain development dealing with experience-expectant periods lead to an assumption of a deficit model, in which the lack of input to the developing child at certain critical stages of development will result in delay or absence of development of certain skills (Glaser, 110). The cycle of child abuse is seen to be vicious and never-ending. If we take the theory of differential association and further apply it to the Turpin children as well as the parents, the risk of reoffending is rather large.

Child abuse is a relatively recent discovery, as it was only outlawed in all fifty states in 1962. Abusing children has been around since the times of the Romans as it was believed to discipline and educate (Pfohl, 310). Even before child abuse was criminalized, preventative penology, concerning oneself with the childhood of those abused to prevent them from further offending as adults, came to be during the House of Refuge Movement (a series of court decisions culminating with the idea that the State has a responsibility to protect those, children, who cannot defend themselves)(311-312). This movement, although working towards finding child abuse as bad, did not elicit any real reaction against child abuse as a whole. With the discovery of “battered child syndrome” because of pediatric radiologists, child abuse was then labeled as criminal and deviant (315). Social welfare agencies then began to investigate these specific incidents, even further giving weight to the seriousness of abuse. However, child abusers were seen in a different light depending on the law. Extramedical interests pursued the idea that the abusers were “sick.” Whereas the people of law enforcement saw it as inherently and objectively deviant, absolutely needing prosecution and imprisonment (319-320). In the hands of the media, child abuse quickly began to be seen and labeled as strictly deviant. With the addition of the label of child abuse as a “sickness” or “illness” in the sixties, the prosecution rate of those who did the abuse went down significantly and it was seen to “exclusively channel reporting towards helping services”(Pfohl, 321).“The League of Women Voters, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Daughters of the American Republic, the District Attorneys Association… etc.” all stood forward to publicly condemn child abuse and aided in the movement against it (Pfohl, 320). This record of child abuse, however, was written in 1977, so the fact that many laws have passed and changed against abuse against a child needs to be taken into account when discussing these facts. But we can look upon this account of “The “Discovery” of Child Abuse” as a historical account of how child abuse used to be seen and the origin of it (Pfohl).

Cases of child abuse are seen by lawyers, prosecutors, social workers, and judges alike every day. However, the Turpin case was so severe and long-term that it shocked the public because child abuse on that scale is not a normal thing to be heard of. With the theory of differential association, one can seek to “explain” this deviance because the mother, Louise Turpin, had also been abused herself. This means that since she had endured the abuse at such a young age by someone who was in her immediate family, she learned the same behavior and went on to even abuse her children. Although there is no excuse or reason to explain this level of severity in neglecting and abusing one’s children, the public, the media, and even professionals look towards sociological and psychological theories to help somehow explain this deviance to themselves and even their children growing up in this world where deviance is everywhere. 

The Impact of Child Abuse on Criminal Behavior: Understanding the Cycle

Introduction

The Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Later Criminal Consequences articles were informational and interesting to read. Although I read the outcome of the statics that researchers received, I also had the same prediction of the outcome they came up with during their research. Kids who are sexually abused as a child have a higher risk of being active in criminal behavior, which is not shocking evidence.

The Cycle of Violence Hypothesis

Throughout the research, researchers took a lot into consideration of the age, social income, and the age of the selected children, their ethnic background, and gender. The research selected sexually abused children from official courtroom cases, so the evidence was factual. The researcher also chose children of the same background as the child who was abused and compared them to the children who were abused. In this particular research study, the kids who were abused are the independent study, and the child who did not get abused in childhood are the dependent study. Crime is a cycle that is never-ending, especially when it comes to sexual abuse.

“The cycle of violence hypothesis is also supported in the criminological literature by research Which shows there is substantial empirical overlap between criminal offenders and crime victims” (DeLisi, 2014). The threats in this research are individuals who are sexually abused As a child are more likely to commit criminal offenses in the future, which is a devastating factor.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the victims of the tragic incident that they encountered need to seek Treatment immediately. With that being said, an article from 1998 stated, “Training specific to counseling sexual abuse survivors is important; as is the awareness of counselor reactions to working with this population” (Jones, 1998) is still true to this day. Victims of sexual assault need to have a strong support group to be able to heal effectively. If the victims learn how to cope with the tragic incident, they are less likely to be criminal offenders.

References

1. DeLisi, M., Caudill, J. W., & Trulson, C. R. (2014). Does childhood sexual abuse victimization translate into juvenile sexual offending? New evidence. Violence and Victims, 29(4), 620-35 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-13-00003
2. Jones, K. D., Robinson, E. H., Minatrea, N., & Burnice, L. H. (1998). Coping with reactions to clients traumatized by child sexual abuse. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 20(4), 332–343.

The Relationship Between Child Abuse and Parent Education: A Path to Prevention

Introduction

In 2017 there were 238,600 intakes requesting an investigation by Child Protective Services. Of those intakes, 807 of them were fatalities (DFPS, 2017). Though these numbers seem large, abuse is underreported. Data from DFPS and the US Census Bureau should be used to strengthen the significance of the study.

Body

Universal violence and child maltreatment prevention programs for parents: A systematic review

“Violence against children is a substantial problem in both developing countries that have low-to-middle income economies, according to the classification for the World Bank” (Pisani, 2016). This study emphasizes the negative effects of abuse on children in later life as well as the likelihood of abuse occurring at the hands of a parent. This confirms the validity of the purpose as well as the significance of the study because of the role parents play in abuse.

Prevention of Child Maltreatment: Evaluation of a parent education program for teen mothers

This is a study of the aftermaths of parent education on teenage mothers. The results of the study show that three to five years after the program, these mothers were less likely than the control group to have been reported for maltreatment. The participating mothers were also more likely to have completed high school, went to college, and prevented other pregnancies until after the age of 21 (Britner &Reppucci, 1997).

Preventing Child Abuse and neglect with parent training; Evidence and Opportunities

This study examines issues related to child abuse and maltreatment. The author also stresses the importance of either mandatory parent education or consciously involving parents in order for them to make the decision to change. Finally, the author praises the program Triple P Positive Parenting Program, an evidence-based parenting program believed to combat all co-occurring family issues related to child maltreatment (Barth, 2009).

Parent education interventions: results from a national study in Portugal

The results of this study suggest participating in parenting classes is associated with positive change. Overall, parents in the program achieved a lower stress level and higher levels of support and made positive adjustments in their parenting practices (Almeida, 2012).

Parent education: A cornerstone of child abuse prevention

This essay highlights the book “Valuing Parent Education: A Cornerstone of Child Abuse Prevention,” its review of parent education and what it looks like, as well as the different methods and their effectiveness. It concludes that parent education programs grant parents the information and resources needed to meet acceptable parenting practices (Parent Education, 1998).

The author of this article briefly discusses the ineffectiveness of parent education as an intervention method. They express concern that parents will not choose to implement what they learn in the program if they have other issues at home. The author suggests a more all-inclusive method (Rodrigo et al., 2012).

Clinical Considerations Related to the Behavioral Manifestations of Child Maltreatment

This article focuses on the psychological repercussions associated with childhood maltreatment and the importance of speaking to a doctor in order for new caregivers to become informed on positive parenting practices for victims. Again, this article emphasizes the importance of the study (Sege, Amaya-Jackson, 2017).

Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect Factsheet

This resource provides information on different child abuse prevention methods and strategies. It provides ways that communities can get involved in prevention programs and lists a number of resources on the topic (Child et al., 2013).

Conclusion

This article lists important characteristics of parent education programs as well as evidence-based curricula. It reveals helpful teaching strategies and questions to ask when starting a new program (Child et al., 2013).

References

1. DFPS. (2017). Child population and reports of child abuse and neglect. Retrieved from https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Prevention_and_Early_Intervention/Office_of_Child_Safety
2. Pisani Altafim, E. R., & Martins Linhares, M. B. (2016). Universal violence and child Maltreatment prevention programs for parents: A systematic review. Psychosocial Intervention/Intervencion Psicosocial, 25(1), 27-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psi.2015.10.003
3. Britner, P. A., & Reppucci, N. D. (1997). Prevention of child maltreatment: Evaluation of a Parent education program for teen mothers. Journal of child & family studies, 6(2), 165 175. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.amberton.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN= 708131637&site=ehost-live
4. Barth, R. P. (2009). Preventing child abuse and neglect with parent training: Evidence and opportunities. Future of children, 19(2), 95–118. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.amberton.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN= 4320724&site=ehost-live
5. Almeida, A., Abreu-Lima, I., Cruz, O., Gaspar, M. F., Brandai, T., Alarcao, M., … Machado, J. C. (2012). Parent education interventions: Results from a national study in Portugal. European journal of developmental psychology, 9(1), 135-149. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2011.647885
6. Rodrigo, M. J., Almeida, A., Spiel, C., & Koops, W. (2012). Introduction: Evidence-based parent Education programs to promote positive parenting. European journal of developmental psychology, 9(1), 2-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2011.631282
7. Sege, R. D., Amaya-Jackson, L. (2017). Clinical considerations related to the behavioral Manifestations of child maltreatment. Pediatrics, 139(4), el-e13. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-0100
8. Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Preventing child abuse and neglect. Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/preventingcan.pdf
9. Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Parent education to strengthen families and reduce the risk of maltreatment. Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPdFs/parented.pdf

The Lasting Impact of Child Abuse on Individuals and Society

Introduction

Without parental interaction and support, these children suffer academically as they score lower on tests and have issues developing language outside of traditional school settings. Other effects of this type of abuse are the higher probability of the child dropping out of school, becoming delinquent, early teen pregnancy, and becoming involved in criminal activity, which leads to an arrest. Children who experience this type of abuse can also be aggressive as they have no outlet or guidance to deal with their emotions positively.

Emotional Development and Relationships

Inadequate parenting skills are another cause of child abuse. When finding out they will be bringing another life into the world, a lot of parents get excited and begin to research and participate in classes to help them become better parents. However, some parents have no desire to be parents but do not take the precautionary measures to prevent pregnancies and often do not believe in abortions or cannot get one because of financial reasons. Some parents even have children to gain government benefits that wouldn’t be available to them otherwise.

Some parents cannot manage their physical and emotional needs to care for their children. When parents are stressed, they often take their frustrations out on their children physically and verbally. Relationship issues and financial obligations are the main stressors that many parents face. Some parents do not have the basic knowledge of the development of a child and may have unrealistic expectations of their role as a parent or the child’s capabilities.

The effects of these abused children prevent them from forming positive attachments. Being able to attach to the parent or caregiver is essential as it is a guideline for relationships in the future. The primary extension is the person who cares for a child, whether a parent, friend, relative, or foster/adoptive parent. This person is to protect, comfort, and guide the child in their life. Without this attachment being positive, the child finds it hard to trust and can often be distressed when asked to trust someone. It is tough to rely upon people when they are supposed to trust first was never a positive model in their lives. Later in life, as adults, these children are more likely not to form and maintain strong relationships and have very unhealthy relationships with people.

Conclusion

As you can see, child abuse is very damaging to children no matter when they are abused in their life. Children who experience these life-scarring events can prevail and make a better life for themselves. However, not all children have the capacity or help to overcome the trauma. These scars may not be seen physically forever, but mental scars will always be there. The ultimate effect of abuse is death which occurs more today than one would admit. Children that are abused are more than likely to grow up and repeat the same pattern of abuse if there is no intervention.

References

1. “Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard” by Liz Murray
2. “Ghost Girl: The True Story of a Child in Peril and the Teacher Who Saved Her” by Torey L. Hayden

NAEYC’s Stand Against Child Abuse and Its Impact on Early Childhood Education

Introduction

The fact that the NAEYC specifically uses the word “deplore” in their position statement about their take on child abuse unmistakably indicates where they stand. The National Association for the Education of Young Children is an organization whose goal is to provide information and research on practice and policy in an effort to promote quality learning experiences and environments for our youngest. The organization consists of early childhood professionals as well as others whose purpose is to safeguard the well-being of all children.

The NAEYC’s Stance on Child Abuse

Upon reading this position statement, I will say that I truly gained respect for the NAEYC. Before, I had only thought of the NAEYC as a place you could go to get some of the latest professional development training offered and all the other “big news” in education. I am grateful to have been assigned the task of reading this mission statement because I now see they are, in fact, much more than that. But how do they help? The NAEYC provides lots of information about the statistics of maltreatment, such as the fact that in 2007, there were nearly 800,000 cases reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control. They also so give suggestions on how to help ensure that childhood programs, as well as professionals dealing with children in any capacity, can help keep our children safe. They even provide information on the far-reaching and long-lasting effects of abuse.

The NAEYC suggests 6 steps that childcare programs can do that will help create a climate of safety for children. The first step is to build close relationships with the families. I agree with the importance of this. If families feel comfortable and have open lines of communication with those providing care for their children, they will be more apt to communicate frustrations and needs and seek help. The second suggestion really emphasizes quality programs. They even go as far as to say that programs should seek outside evaluations to ensure this standard is met. The third suggested step is to provide support services for families. This ties into the first step. It is crucial for childcare programs to know the resources available to families. Step four is to advocate.

It is important that childhood educators work together and advocate for policies that protect children. Step five is to collaborate with other agencies and professionals within the community that work with children and deal with their welfare to build connections that further aid in helping all understand the development of children, the resources available resources for family support, as well as the power of advocacy.

The sixth step is probably the most important, in my opinion. This step refers to the mandatory reporter position. They suggest that childcare programs adequately train and inform professionals of their legal obligation to report any suspected child abuse or neglect. Often times people are too afraid of being wrong about noticing signs of abuse that they decide not to report. Understanding the legal aspect of this will help make sure that abuse does not slip through the cracks.

Conclusion

The NAEYC has a clear mission statement in regard to child abuse. With such a preventable crisis and with educators being in a critical position to help prevent abuse, if all programs and professionals that work with children practiced these steps, the number of abuse cases should decline. If we make it our goal to reach not only the child but reach the family as well and offer support and sometimes just a listening ear, families can be more empowered and be connected with more resources which, hopefully, in return, will reduce the stress that can lead to a child being abused.

References

1. “The Strongest Link: Forging a Profitable and Enduring Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative” by Kenneth Wollack
2. “Child Protection: An Introduction” by Chris Beckett and Nigel Parton
3. “The Art of Awareness: How Observation Can Transform Your Teaching” by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter