Blog Post #4 Child Abuse

Child abuse and child maltreatment  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. There are four subtypes relating to child abuse which are physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. This is a serious issue given the fact that it can ruin a child's life .

Article 1. Worries About Abuse Are Changing Camps.

In this article, there are many concerns regarding new counselors at camps with children. There is fear that if one is not careful about how they act with the children of the camp there can be accusations of abuse . A structural perspective given in this article to help with the adult monitoring of kids at a camp was for individuals to be careful not to put kids in laps, tickle them, nor wrestle with them because you may be doing those very innocently  and anything can happen where you are accused of something you did not do. Trying to prevent certain accusations there has been changes in counselor training. Counselors are less warm to children and also less spontaneous with them.

Article 2. Boundary of Abuse Is Difficult To Map

In this article, it talks about what are the boundaries for certain things to be done between an adult and a child. There are certain things that certain cultures do that other cultures would find absurd. It discussed that in Scandinavian countries mixed sex and mixed age groups take saunas together in the nude but if it were to be in America there would be separate rooms for different gender  and different age groups. The article also discussed that touch is something that can accuse you of something you did not do.  The way you choose who your child can get close with in hugs and kisses. Depending on who they come into close contact with you will explain to them whether the person is a close relative or friend. The boundary of abuse varies between family in my opinion depending on who you want your child to get close with. One of the main reason parents worry about the children's interaction is with adults and other children is because of physical abuse. The structural perspective is the parent choosing how close their child should get to a certain individuals.

Article 3. A Model Child Abuse Prevention Program

In this article, the structural perspective is to give children the training to identify molesters and earn phone number off the top of their heads to help prevent the act of abuse. Children in the Tacoma schools  have been getting lessons for younger children to identify the signs of being approached by molesters. It demonstrates the appropriate touching of children's bodies so they know. This issue becomes frustrating  because it can make children afraid of their own parents to touch them and kids should be able to be touched by their parents so they can know and feel what love is. Yes children should be treated for their abuse but the abusers also need to be treated because they themselves were abused as a chlid and probably did not get the treatment that all the kids now are getting.