Hello,
Child Abuse: A Guide for Teachers and Professionals (REVISED)
by Rebecca Harrison and Jean Edwards.
Since the enactment in 1974 of federal laws covering child abuse, the reported increase in the number of child abuse cases has led many to speak of child abuse as an epidemic in America.
Over one in seven children is reported to be the victim of child abuse. Who are the child abusers? What do I do as a professional when I suspect child abuse?
This book is both a personal story of a young woman who was the victim of child abuse and a source book for teachers and professionals who deal daily with the problem. This book contains reporting resources, curriculum ideas for teachers, and public awareness.
Five thousand children are killed by their parents each year; that is over thirteen children each day! One out of every four girls, and one in every ten boys, is sexually molested before they reach the age of eighteen. Emotional abuse is not against the law. Overall, one in every five children is neglected, physically or emotionally abused, or sexually molested by their parents. Why are the increases of child abuse so overwhelming?
· 90% of child abusers were abused themselves as children
· Child abuse can be hidden in middle and upper class families
· Child abuse protection laws are vague
· The nature of our society is to isolate parents
· Children are exposed to violence in their homes, schools, and in the media.
(They are taught that violence is acceptable for the “Good Guy” to use.)
· Lack of support agencies for battering families
· Poor parenting skills
· The cries of the battered child go unheard
There is hope for these families. Children do survive. I survived. I was one of these statistics. This book originated out of my own experience as a battered child.
I, like may others who were beaten, passed into adulthood confused, alone, and asking, “Why me?” “Why did I survive?” I kept wondering when the nightmares and the terror of my childhood were ever going to end. I took many psychology courses, researched, and read materials on domestic violence and battered children. I found several statistics and professional abstracts on what child abuse was. I saw many upsetting pictures of injured babies.
In those pictures, I saw the same horror that I had experienced. I looked into their eyes and wondered if anyone had asked them how it felt to be struck for no apparent reason, or because, “Mommy has a headache!” or because “Daddy’s tired.” Had anyone held them close so they could have felt safe for one moment in their shattered lives?
Little is known about the lives of abused children. Few people want to talk about it, and many try never to remember. Most victims never ask why they were battered, but accept it, as if they were to blame. I don’t. I talk about it, I remember, and I ask a lot of questions.
There are no studies to show how or why I function the way I do. How I cope and live a life based on leftover childhood fears. I know that if I look into research projects, I will find that I have a greater chance of abusing my own children, and that I run a much higher risk of suicide than most people. This is not much to live by. What I have searched for are other victims’ feelings. What was it like for them? How did they survive? What did it FEEL like?
I also wanted information on those victims who were abusing their own children. Why are so many repeating this cycle of violence? Why are there no substantial programs to aid these parents? Why are there so few shelters for battered children? Why do so many victims of abuse find themselves lonely, frustrated, and afraid?
When I moved away from home, I thought that I would be elated to be on my own. Instead, I was depressed, suicidal, and much harder on myself than my mother had ever been. I could not understand why. Fortunately, I had encountered others who had been abused. I discovered that while none of us had any answers, we were all asking the same question, “Why me?”
I am concerned about victims of abuse, abusers, and providing accurate information to community workers. I want to co-write a book that will help doctors, nurses, educators, social workers, and non-professionals who work with children. All of these people see battered children frequently but may never realize it, or they are unsure of the needs of these children.
I want to fill this necessity with an account of many personal interviews with adults who were abused by their parents. I also wrote a section on my own life. I want to share how I felt growing up as one of five battered children, how I accepted the abuse, and how I am working to justify my past today. I am writing my account in an open, honest fashion. I am not writing this as a statement against my parents, but rather, to point out that all who are involved in abusing a person are victims of that violence. I want people who have an interest in this area to be able to understand through these experiences, how abused children live, cope, and learn to love themselves.
I also hope that this book will be a useful tool in recognizing the signs of parental violence, its causes, and reasons for its increase that is plaguing our country. It is my intention that this book will not only clarify what child abuse is, but emphasizes the problem our society must confront. We must educate both the violent parents who need to learn other methods of venting their anger and their pain, as well as comfort the child, siblings, and the family community. It is imperative that we all know how to identify the signs of violence in the family. Children must also be taught the conditions under which abuse occurs.
Child abuse cannot be allowed to continue. We must put an end to this pestilence. All of us must educate the public; there is a cure for abuse! It takes education, action, and prevention. These children are counting on us- let’s not let them down!
- Rebecca Harrison