I. Public Reaction When considering the perspective of one particular ethnicity, it probably be easier to examine the perspective of African Americans. With consideration based upon income, there exist conflicting viewpoints on the topic of child abuse. In the higher income threshold, parents view the institution of corporal or physical punishment as excessive, unnecessary, and heinous. Parents of lower income, more often than not, subject their children to corporal and physical punishment. Media coverage of child abuse is portrayed in a very damning light. For example, the most recent and high profile case of child abuse that comes to mind is the Adrian Peterson child abuse case. Adrian Peterson allegedly severely whipped his 4-year old son with a switch after the son reportedly was antagonizing Peterson’s older children. The abuse allegedly took place during May 2014. The situation came to light after the son returned to Minnesota and the child’s mother sought medical attention for the superficial injuries the child had sustained. Once the media became aware of the alleged abuse Peterson inflicted upon his son, the media portrayed Peterson somewhat as Public Enemy #1. Peterson went on to lose several high profile …show more content…
As I am studying Social Work, I can relate very well to this policy. There has been a need for change in child abuse. We as individuals has to treat our children with dignity and respect as we would do our clients. Children are not ask to be here so we should treat them as such. This is one of the reason that persuade me into becoming a Social Worker. Integrity is very important. Once a child feel that they are safe around their caregiver, they began to gain trust. Not in a sense that they actually knows what trust is, but in their mind they feel safe. That is how they should be treated. Abuse should never take place in any, form or
The original goal of CAPTA was simply to reduce rates of Child Abuse and Neglect and raise awareness to the issue. Over the 40 years that CAPTA has been in place, the act has been amended and updated, each time with more specific goals, to better reach the population it serves. Because the definition of child abuse and neglect has changed over the years and expanded, it is easy to misinterpret the rise in the rate of abuse and neglect over the last ten years. In fact, this rise simply means that there are more children being treated for abuse and neglect, who were previously going under the radar. From 2010 to 2014, the rate of child maltreatment raised one percent, from 698,000 to 702,000. This can be interpreted to mean that one percent more
Adrian Peterson Case SLP: What is child abuse? Child abuse is when a parent or caregiver, whether through action or failing to act, causes injury, death, emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child. It happens every day, when a child is being abused. National Football League runner-back Adrian Peterson has been accused of abusing his 4-year-old son.
The mass media loves a scandal; it focuses on the most outrageous cases in order to make profit and often blows things out of proportion in order to make a better story. The media coverage of Debra Lafave’s case is a perfect example. The mass media not only hindered the court in leading a fair trial, exposing the teenager at the center of the case by publishing his photo and name in European newspapers, it also allowed the offender to receive a lighter sentence. The crime that Debra Lafave committed, having sexual intercourse with a minor, who was also one of her students, is deviant not only criminally but socially in the United States. Yet the media coverage partially helped her receive a lighter sentence because of the focus on her looks,
The media’s influence over the masses of society is great. With every passing generation, the media’s ability to access and relay information to the general public with seemingly the greatest of ease continues to impress. Given the expanse of time that has passed since the 1990s, the media, even more-so to this day, shapes our lives, our perceptions, and influences our opinions greatly. The 1990s served an important decade in our country’s young history. Since the mid-1800s, and even before that time, our country has experienced its share of societal issues, from racism to sexism, to religious bigotry, and police brutality, to name a few. In 1994 a very high-profile case was introduced to the American public, as former NFL star Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson was charged in the double-homicide of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend and alleged lover, Ronald Goldman (Neuendorf, 2000).
Imagine being beaten every time one makes a mistake. Imagine not being beaten and to only later be killed for committing one of these mistakes. Imagine loving this individual. Now imagine being the one to beat this person for their protection. This is the complex situation of many in the African American community. Consisting of using physical discipline as a method of protection and discipline. Many parents with children of color often go through great lengths to make sure that their child is well disciplined. Discipline, is the practice of training one to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience. The method of discipline many in colored societies opt for is physical discipline. However, there are some who
To sell news, the media’s coverage of sexual assaults tends to be slanted with imposed stereotypes upon the victim. An example of media coverage in The Accused occured after the initial appearance before the judge when the offenders are granted bail. The news station only covered the offenders’ angle and stated, “the facts will prove the victim was not really raped.” The defense attorney stated in his interview, “There was no rape. The so-called victim participated enthusiastically…put on a show” (Kaplan, The Accused). One offender is immediately congratulated with applause from fellow college students watching the media coverage. The movie demonstrated journalists’ and media’s power and ability to sway and form public opinion. Society begins to believe only what they are told from these sources. Through biased news coverage of criminal acts, especially sexual assault, the media is already playing judge and jury effecting the outcome of the
When there is dysfunction in a family that increases a child’s chance of being sexually abused by family members and people outside of the family. Being sexually abused leads to long-term distress and complicated relationships. According to Brock, Mintz, and Good (1997) recent studies indicate that between 15% and 45% of women have experienced at least one sexual abuse incident involving contact before age 18 (p.425). In Tupac’s song “Brenda’s Got a Baby” he raps, “ Her boyfriend was her cousin, now let’s watch the joy end.” Later in the song he raps,
Life in the United States has been difficult for many children. Statistically speaking, there are four children who are killed by abuse each day (Allyn & Bacon, 2011). With numbers increasing over the years change is something that is starting to take place. There are many things that will affect the child welfare system in the future, such as the economic policies, political views, and the current policies set in place (child welfare information). The reason for the child welfare system is to help the children who are getting abused. In the past, there was not a policy set in place; however, this is beginning to change. One of the systems that have been set in place is the Children’s Bureau, an organization that does studies on the mental health of abused children (Thomas, 2012). Although this organization has no authority to develop federal regulations, they are one of the largest agency leaders in child welfare (Thomas, 2012). There are many problems with the economy and government that make it hard to maintain the child welfare system.
Child abuse is an issue in every state, every country, worldwide. There is no place that is immune to child abuse. This being stated they need better policies in place regarding the education on child abuse. Many people have many different opinions on how to lessen the amount of child abuse that goes on in this country, however many of them focus on stricter punishment for the abuser’s (Hmurovich, 2009). However, they know that stricter punishment will not lessen the amount of child abuse; it would truly have little to no impact on...
In response to this social issue, the first federal child welfare policy Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was signed into law by President Nixon in 1974. According to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child article 19, “all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measure to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child” (Detrick, 1999). CAPTA governs Child Protective Services programs across the country supporting...
Munro (2003) states child abuse is treating a child in a way that is harmful or morally wrong however, goes on to explain it is hard to find a universal agreement of the definition of child abuse. NSPCC (2010) further explains child abuse as maltreatment of a child. This can be done directly by inflicting harm or indirectly by failing to prevent harm from happening. Abuse can be perpetrated by an adult or another child. Working Together to Safeguard Children (2013) states that it’s the responsibility of everyone who works with children to make sure that a child is safeguarded and their welfare promoted. The Purpose of this essay is firstly to discuss risk factors posed to Simone and Sasha through the scenario provided and highlight ways a professional should assess whether a child is suffering from an abusive or neglectful situation. Secondly the appropriate action that needs to be taken, and the support that needs to be given, and what services will be involved with the family in order to prevent a family brake down while safeguarding and protecting the children’s welfare, will also be discussed. Lastly this essay will draw on current legislation, guidance and procedures that promote multi– agency working in order to effectively safeguard and promote children’s welfare.
During these difficult economic times sensationalism has become more prevalent in the media. Stories involving sex scandals and child murders have taken over our T.V and internet screens as well as the front pages of our newspapers. The media bias of sensationalism has been used as a sort of escapism for readers. Although it may seem that sensationalism has just started making waves, it has been around for decades. Sensationalism has been influencing viewers and contributing to media bias since the days of the penny press. Sensationalisms long history has been turbulent, self-serving, and influential to today’s reporting practices. With the influence over readers’ sensationalism’s media bias have and will continue to affect media reporting for years to come.
Violence within families often reflects behaviours learned by children from their parents. A theory is that violent behaviour is passed down from generation to generation through families (Cole & Flanagin, Pg. 2). The majority of Americans are subjected to corporal punishment at one point or another during their lifetime(Kandel, Pg. 4). Surveys suggested that almost all American parents used physical punishment at one point or another and the punishment was regared as an appropriate child rearing technique. Another survey also suggested that some psychologists belive physical punishment to be an effective and useful socialization tool(Kandel, Pg. 2). Aggression is commonly conceived as existing on a continuum, ranging from very severe parental aggression to much milder and normal parental aggression, such as use of corporal or physical punishment(Kandel, Pg. 1). A common concern is that parental use of physical punishment will lead to aggressive behaviour in children.
...iplining a child are similar among all of the different ethnicities and cultures. It is most likely because of the socially accepted norm of how to discipline a child. Americans socially accept spanking, punishment, or grounding as methods of discipline. So in turn, these are the methods inhabitants of America choose to discipline their child. Disciplining can be considered as child abuse, but only if the discipline involves beating and verbally abusing the child. Although the methods of disciplining the child are similar, the disciplinarian of the household may differ. The parent who takes on the role of the disciplinarian could change the way they discipline their child. The gender of the parent also could affect how the child is disciplined.
A study was done by David G. Gil, author of Violence Against Children: Physical Child Abuse in the United States and Journal of Marriage and Family, conducted a study about the types of child that was abused. His findings indicated that children of all ages are abused. He also found that abused children are more likely to come from single-parent homes or from large families. Income, occupation, and education are all factors that indicate the higher rates of abuse. Most children in his sample were abused by their mothers, and fewer than half the abused children in his sample were living with their bi...