Child Abuse: Signs and Prevention

Every citizen can play a role in helping to protect the safety and well-being of our children. Child abuse prevention involves education and raising public awareness about ways to prevent serious and often life-threatening child injuries from occurring in the first place. It takes all of us working together to keep every child safe and secure. You may know families that are at risk because of stress or other factors. Child abuse and neglect stymie children’s normal growth and development. Victims of child abuse suffer medical and developmental problems requiring long term health, mental health and special education services. The consequences are wide-ranging and affect us all. Child abuse leads to other problems – long term health and mental health problems, drug addiction, runaways, juvenile violence and adult crime. Most violent prisoners in our jails were abused or neglected as children. Child abuse is costly for society, as well as for its victims. New York State spends more than $2.3 billion a year to deal with the immediate and long-term results of the abuse and neglect of our children.

In 2006, 76,590 New York State children were abused or neglected approximately 16.9 of every 1,000 children in the state. The NYS Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment received 158,855 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect, involving 209,425 children. Upon investigation, 51,449 (32 percent) reports were substantiated as situations of child abuse and/or neglect. There are more victims than reports because more than one child is involved in some cases. Compared to the prior year, the number of reports increased 14 percent, from 139,169; the number of substantiated reports increased 21 percent, from 42,641; and the number of victims increased 19 percent from 64,207.

Nationwide, an estimated 905,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in 2006, a victimization rate of 12.1 for every 1,000 children in the country (a child was counted each time he or she was found to be a victim; the adjusted estimate is 885,245 unique child victims). States investigated or assessed 3,600,000 children because of suspected abuse or neglect, approximately the same number of children investigated in 2005. Compared to 2005, the number of substantiated victims in 2006 increased by .7 percent.


In New York State in 2006, 75 children died as a result of abuse or neglect, a fatality rate of 1.64 per 100,000 children. This is the same number of fatalities as 2005. Nationwide in 2006, an estimated 1,530 children died as a result of abuse or neglect, 2 of every 100,000 children in the population. This is a 4.8 percent increase from the 1,460 fatalities that occurred the previous year. Children younger than 1 year old accounted for 44.2 percent of fatalities, and 78 percent of fatalities were children younger than 4 years old.


Child Abuse

An "abused child" is a child whose parent or other person legally responsible for his/her care inflicts upon the child serious physical injury, creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury, or commits an act of sex abuse against the child. Not only can a person be abusive to a child if they perpetrate any of these actions against a child in their care, they can be guilty of abusing a child if they allow someone else to do these things to that child.
Child Abuse is defined in law at Section 412 of the Social Services Law and at Section 1012 of the Family Court Act.

Child Maltreatment

Maltreatment refers to the quality of care a child is receiving from those responsible for him/her. Maltreatment occurs when a parent or other person legally responsible for the care of a child harms a child, or places a child in imminent danger of harm by failing to exercise the minimum degree of care in providing the child with any of the following: food, clothing, shelter, education or medical care when financially able to do so. Maltreatment can also result from abandonment of a child or from not providing adequate supervision for the child. Further, a child may be maltreated if a parent engages in excessive use of drugs or alcohol such that it interferes with their ability to adequately supervise the child. Maltreatment is defined in law at Section 412 of the Social Services Law.

Signs of Child Abuse or Maltreatment
**Indicators: This list is not all-inclusive, and some abused or maltreated children may not show any of these symptoms.**

Indicators of Physical Abuse:

• Injuries to the eyes or both sides of the head or body **it should be noted that accidental injuries typically only affect one side of the body**
• Frequently appearing injuries such as bruises, cuts and/or burns, especially if the child is unable to provide an adequate explanation of the cause. These may appear in distinctive patterns such as grab marks, human bite marks, cigarette burns or impressions of other instruments
• Destructive, aggressive or disruptive behavior
• Passive, withdrawn or emotionless behavior
• Fear of going home or fear of one or both parents

Indicators of Sexual Abuse:

• Symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases
• Injury to genital area
• Difficulty and/or pain when sitting or walking
• Sexually suggestive, inappropriate or promiscuous behavior or verbalization
• Expressing age-inappropriate knowledge of sexual relations
• Sexual victimization of other children

Indicators of Maltreatment:

Obvious malnourishment, listlessness or fatigue

Stealing or begging for food

Lack of personal care – poor personal hygiene, torn and/or dirty clothes **not to be confused with poverty or inability to purchase new clothing**

Untreated need for glasses, dental care or other medical attention

Frequent absence from or tardiness to school

Child inappropriately left unattended or without supervision

How to Report Suspected Child Abuse/Maltreatment

Reports of suspected child abuse or maltreatment should be made immediately -- at any time of the day and on any day of the week to the Child Abuse Hot line Number: 1-800-342-3720. **If a child is in immediate danger you should dial 911**

What happens after a report is made:

Many people are concerned that their neighbor, friends or relatives will know that they have made a report of suspected child abuse/maltreatment; however in New York State these calls can be anonymous. The only people who can not make anonymous calls are Mandated Reporters: Doctors, Teachers, Social Workers(small example); if they call their information will be recorded and on the report. When you speak to a representative at the Hot line, the Child Protective Specialist who answers your call will ask you for as much information as you can provide about both the suspected abuse or maltreatment and the family about which you are calling. Below are examples of some questions the Child Protective Specialist might ask you when you call. **Even if you have very little information available to you, please call the SCR. The specialists will analyze the information you do have and determine if it is sufficient to register a report.**

1. What is the nature and extent of the child's injuries, or the risk of harm to the child?
2. Have there been any prior suspicious injuries to this child or his/ her siblings?
3. What is the child's name, home address, and age?
4. What is the name and address of the parent or other person legally responsible who caused the injury, or created the risk of harm to the child?
5. What are the names and addresses of the child's siblings and parents if different from the information provided above?
6. Do you have any information regarding treatment of the child, or the child's current whereabouts?

After a call has been made and the Child Protective Specialist has determined that there is sufficient cause to file a report, the Child Protective Service (CPS) unit of the local department of social services is required to begin an investigation of each report within 24 hours. The investigation should include an evaluation of the safety of the child named in the report and any other children in the home, and a determination of the risk to the children if they continue to remain in the home. CPS may take a child into protective custody if it is necessary for the protection from further abuse or maltreatment. Based upon an assessment of the circumstances, CPS may offer the family appropriate services. The CPS caseworker has the obligation and authority to petition the Family Court to mandate services when they are necessary for the care and protection of a child. CPS has 60 days after receiving the report to determine whether the report is "indicated" or "unfounded". The law requires CPS to provide written notice to the parents or other subjects of the report concerning the rights accorded to them by the New York State Social Services Law. The CPS investigator will also inform the SCR of the determination of the investigation.


Child Abuse Prevention

The goal of child abuse prevention is to stop child abuse and neglect from ever happening. The best way to prevent child abuse and neglect is to support families and help parents learn the skills they need to be effective caregivers. Parenting is a learned skill. Child abuse prevention often focuses on helping parents learn how to meet the needs of their children through positive parenting and nonviolent discipline techniques.

Child abuse is an exceptionally complex problem with numerous causes and numerous, wide-ranging consequences that affect each and every one of us. Communities will be most effective in preventing child abuse if they adopt a comprehensive prevention strategy that offers families a variety of programs, targeted to different populations with differing needs.

In order to be effective in preventing child abuse we must seek to strengthen family functioning. Such as education programs for new or expectant parents, community-based family support services, and more visible public and professional awareness campaigns about how child abuse can be prevented. There is no reason why the government and private agencies can not do more public service announcements about Child Abuse Prevention to save the life of a child and to preserve families.

Child Abuse Prevention Month

April was first declared Child Abuse Prevention Month by Presidential proclamation in 1985. Since then, people and organizations who are dedicated to protecting children have used this special time of year to acknowledge the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse in all its forms.

Although April Is Child Abuse Prevention Month we should be working everyday and year round to successfully combat Child Abuse.
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