RUNNINGHEAD: RESEARCH ARGUMENT

Research Argument
Child Abuse
Kimberly Escobedo
November 26, 2014
Audience: Departments of the care for children and families

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Introduction
Child abuse is more than bruises and broken bones, there is many more type of abuses
that might not show physically but that leave lasting scars. We cannot ignore essential needs of a
child and watch them get put down by making them feel worthless because as humans we need
to have a feeling of belongingness to be able to survive. Many of the times to reach that feeling
that you belong many get into bad situations and run to the bad groups were they think they
belong. For example, they become gang members since they believe their family will show
them love that they werent able to receive somewhere else. Child abuse and neglect affects the
child in many different ways such as trust issues and are not able to develop healthy
relationships. These children that have gone through a hard time in their lives have a difficult
time recovering the feelings that have already been damaged. We will be seeing different types
of child abuse to receive a better understanding in order to put ourselves in their shoes. The
children are the victims to the whole situation and even those adults with authority allow them to
slip through the cracks. Some have no sympathy towards the abuse children and others see it has
a family matter in which they should not stick their nose in other peoples business. But abuse
children can affect someone individually and even an entire community.
Background
Child abuse has different categories within such as physical, emotional, neglect, and
sexual abuse. A robust body of literature demonstrates that exposure to physical, sexual, and
emotional abuse in childhood increases risk for a wide range of mental health problems across
the lifespan (A. Smith, 2014, pg. #1). For instance, we can observe how child abuse triggers a
long chain of problems that a person can carry throughout their adult years. Many of us see it as
unimportant, not caring if a person got abused in their past which can hold the answer to their

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actions in the present and the kind of person they are today. Physical abuse can stand out right
away in a grocery store when a mom starts hitting the child, how many of us will stand up
against the mom and defend the child? Some might even believe that the parent is doing the right
thing because the child should be educated that way in order to learn to act properly in the store.
But we need put an end to abuse and educated ourselves in ways that we can teach our children
disciple without the corporal punishment. Especially, since we know how children are like
sponges they observe everything around them and will follow the same example so why not
show them the right thing order to make a small chance that can make a big difference.
In order to understand child abuse we first need to look at old views towards abuse. For
example, Sticks and stones make brake my bones but words will never hurt me (J. Segal, M.
Smith, 2014). A contrary to this old saying since the words can be as painful as receiving a
punch. Schools are now recognizing bullying as a problem because they are now establishing an
anti-bullying awareness week just like drug free awareness in elementary schools. Some
examples of emotional abuse can be but are not limited to: shaming, humiliating, yelling,
threatening, etc. because all are affect the childs self esteem and self worth.
Main claim
Every year more than three million reports of child abuse are made in the United
States. Three million reports is a high number and we cannot even include those cases that are
never investigated because nobody reports the abuse taking place. Most of the time kids show no
sign of abuse because bruises can be made where they are not seen by others. The victim could
also be getting threats from their abuser to not tell anyone because they will be punished or
nobody will believe them. A law should be made in order to regulate some form of child
inspection in schools and daycares in order to inspect the childrens physical and state of mind.

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Abuse generally happens in the home because it is common for the abuser to be a relative even in
the most happy families there should be signs one should look after in order to be aware of the
abuse. The U.S has not seen child abuse as a big problem, yet those children are growing up with
a different mentality and those children who were abuse are more prone to becoming criminals in
our society. Nowadays, we see in the news so much violence such as school shootings, serial
killers, and even rapist we should be asking ourselves why are the people so prone to violence is
it because as a child they were victims of abuse. The abuse does not have to be physical abuse
but many children grow up with emotional scars that affect them just as much as physical scars.
As humans we see the shooter, serial killer, and rapist as the bad guy but we should study them
to find the reason for their actions and if child abuse was an attributing factor to their adult
criminal decisions. In order to fix the problem we need to address it while they are still children
to prevent future violence because children are our future and we should protect them.
Steps we shall take are to prevent, protect, and intervene to break the silence in child
abuse. We will be addressing one of the most difficult issues one needs to raise in child welfare
policy. How can we protect children when they are being abused? How we can intervene and
protect them. And then, what policies should we put in place to achieve deterrence of this vile
and repugnant act against children (B. Mikulski, 2011, pg.1). We have some precise programs
that have been issued to protect the children of our world but yet again we need to focus on
prevention and protection. Many of the reasons abuse still occurs is due to the fact that we do not
educate our children how to express themselves and we as adults have to listen to them. There
are several things we can do to change the number of child abuse cases and not let the silence
continue but instead allow the chains to break. There is currently a law on the books, passed on
a bipartisan basis, the child abuse prevention treatment act written in 1974. It is to provide funds

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to the states for prevention, and investigation, and prosecution (R. Burr, 2011, pg. 3). Several
states are provided with funds to protect our children and I see many programs taking advantage
of those funds who are failing our children by not providing the right protection to them.
For the fiscal year 2012, there were approximately 686,000 victims of child abuse in the
U.S, a national rate of 9.2 per 1,000 children (A. Ross, C. Juarez, 2014, pg.1). This is a high
number of victims and about 1,750 innocent children die over maltreatment which means they do
not get the appropriate nutrition to stay alive by failing to provide nutrition is a form of neglect
abuse on children. Neglect is the hardest abuse to detect since they may not provide the child
with the adequate resources a child needs to survive since the guardian may be unable to care for
the child. Some reasons that the guardian of the child are unable to care for the child include
financial trouble, health issues, and single mother/father. When a guardian is failing to care for
the child a social worker might need to intervene. A social worker has to do his or her job right
in order to decide what is best for the child to make a difference in their lives.
Opposing view
Driving down the freeway and seeing big signs announcing, Dont leave a child alone in
a car. We recently had a case here in our very own home town where we were able to witness
child abuse take action. The traffic sign is trying to prevent another accident in which a child was
left alone in a car and died from a heat stroke. Leaving the child in the car is an example of
neglect and physical abuse because the parent neglected his or her child which caused the death
of the child. This is just one example of how the state is contributing to help prevent this type of
abuse so it wont happen in the future. How can we forget a child? We can reduce infant car
heatstroke by 100%: tips such as "look before you lock," or put a reminder in the back of your
car such as your cell phone, pocketbook or briefcase -- something you just wouldn't leave your

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car without -- to remind you that you have a child in the back seat, said news reporter Friedman
from CNN. Why do we need to get a reminder to help us remember our child is still in the car?
We are missing the bigger picture because the fact of the matter is we need to start making our
children a priority and not neglect them. Heatstroke was the cause of death because the hot
temperature effected the children which would be considered murder and abuse to the child. We
see child abuse everywhere and it can even be right in front of us.
Now heading to another case that has been hitting the news and all over America. A
famous television show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was cancelled over a child molestation
scandal. Mama June mother of four daughters had been convicted as a child molester since she
was in an intimate relationship with her ex- boyfriend who had sexually abused her daughter
Anna. In this case, we can see that the mother failed to protect her daughters because she allow
this man into her house and around her daughters. Mama June denied the fact that her exboyfriend sexually abused her daughter Anna because love towards a man can blind us woman
sometimes but this where we should draw the line. The government has not yet done anything
about this particular issue except cancelling the show. Can we say that the government is failing
the children by not taking any actions towards getting the daughters help and away from Mama
June? We need to stop using excuses for not doing what we need to do as a community and
society by standing up for the children and give them a voice so they can be heard.
Six kids neglected by Florida foster care, they were taken to a house where they lived in
cruelty with no adult to save them. They got put in a house where the mother had her own
children taken away for allegations of physical and sexual abuse in her home. Talenfeld, a family
attorney says, Officials of Floridas Department of Children and Families simply ignored the
mothers background when placing the children in her care. This is where the problem arises and

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we can see the department is not meeting the level they should be reaching but yet it gets worse.
For almost two years, no state caseworker ever came to inspect the Lynch home, mentions the
family attorney. Caseworkers are paid to examine where these children were placed, it just goes
to show that we cannot place our confidence that every house is the right house for the child.
Caseworkers would report that they were great foster parents who provided a secure and loving
home, when in reality they had never once gone and checked the house. Blindfolded to what they
were causing on the children. Neglected and abused was the treatment they were receiving for
years and not one caseworker would arrive to the doorway for the rescue.
Conclusion
Child abuse is a sad story that nobody wants to hear mostly when there is no action
taking place to help stop the abuse. The authorities are not doing anything to intervene and
provide the necessary protection for our children. We need to campaign and make our
government aware that they are failing the children because foster care is falling apart and our
children are paying for it. Our state representatives stated that we need to break the silence in
child abuse but our words need to turn into action. We need to provide justice for those who
abuse the children even if that means putting their own parents in jail. The focus on improving
our departments and caseworkers that work with the care of children, to have one mind set which
is to rescue the child before its too late. It is not okay to just sit and watch how 1,750 children
die over child abuse especially with the remorse that we could have prevented it if we just did
something to help those innocent children. We should have the courage and commitment to
stopping child abuse by giving some of our own time to the cause. Stand up for those that cant
stand up on their own and are being looked down on. Child abuse isnt something we should be

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proud of instead we should be proud when those 1,750 child turns into 0 thats when our mission
will be accomplish.

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Annotated Bibliography

Childhood maltreatment experiences and child abuse potential

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It gives us examples and childhood crisis that they have gone through and how it was difficult for
them to overcome it and signs that can be shown by the child to look out for potential abuse in the
child. The different stories of adults that have gone through that.

Traumatic reenactments of child sexual abuse

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How sexual abuse is a big deal and how it leaves long lasting scars to the child to the point that they
even get scared with their own husband and having a relationship with that type of manner. How the
action that they went through affects them a tremendous way something they will always be hunted
upon.

A. Smith, D. Cross, J. Winkler, T. Jovanovic, B. Bradley (2014). Emotional dysregulation and

negative affect mediate the relationship. Springer Science and Business Media. New York.
Article.

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This article is about how theres a relationship between the attitude of moms that might have been
abused in their childhood to those who werent abused. How the abused harmed them to the way thy
act as a mother and are rough on their children. How being abuse brings about the way you act and how
it repeats on your children.

Hurtful words damage the brain

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How even emotional abuse can cause as much harm as physical abuse something we need to check
on and it may even cause a long permeation to that abuse since its being sinked in to your brain the
words are harmful and everlasting. The different ways the brain is being hurt by the cruel words that are
being announced directly to the child.

Confronting child abuse

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The ways we can reach the information to let us know if the child was abused. That we can get the
facts from the child itself by asking them to do some serious events for example to draw something that
makes them scared, mad, or cry. Talk to the child about what it means to be abused and how he can
rescue himself from it.

T. Harkin, B. Milkulski (2011). Breaking the silence on child abuse. U.S Government printing
office. Washington, DC. Article.

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http://encore.utep.edu/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2891799__Schild%20abuse__Ff%3Afacetpubdate%3A2
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This article was a hearing with the United States senates over the topic child abuse and came with
some main topic as protection, prevention, intervention, and deterrence. Gave some good examples on
the places they should be focusing where the child gets the appropriate care for example schools, day
care, and foster homes.

A. Ross, C. Juarez (2014). A brief history of fatal child maltreatment and neglect. Springer
Science and Business Media. New York. Article.

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Talks about how there no accidents in child abuse focuses more maltreatment and neglect and
how they do this without the thought of being an accident. You neglect a child do something than you
are in the right state of mind to know what you are declaring the child not to do.