America's Child Death Shame (children, authorities, husband, murder)

[AnnieA]

BBC News - America's child death shame

..snip....Sixty-six children under the age of 15 die from physical abuse or neglect every week in the industrialised world. Twenty-seven of those die in the US - the highest number of any other country.

Even when populations are taken into account, Unicef research from 2001 places the US equal bottom with Mexico on child deaths from maltreatment.

In Texas, one of the states with the worst child abuse records, the Dallas Children's Medical Center is dealing with a rising number of abused children and increasing levels of violence. Meanwhile, the Houston Center is expanding its services to deal with the rising problem of child sex abuse...snip..

[kinkytoes]

I just saw the same article. I think part of it is the economy, and that a lot of people appear to think having children is a right. It is difficult to adopt, I believe (I haven't started the process yet) but anybody no matter how crazy, violent, immature, broke or stupid can have a child. Children are precious. Ugh the article made me feel I should be doing something to help.

BTW one of the things that struck me the most in Mexico City was the way people treated their children! Especially having worked with black American lower income children the summer before I went. Not all, but too many of the parents were what I consider too strict with their kids. Yes, I know they're not my kids. I hope I won't get flamed or "chastised..." because I am black, too and as a result most of my experience of this kind is with blacks.

I remember once walking down the street in Baltimore I saw a man hitting a little girl. She was maybe 3-5 years old and he was hitting her...in the HEAD. Nobody said anything, but being the BIG MOUTH psycho that I am, I confronted the scary guy and told him to STOP hitting the little girl or I would call the police. He started to yell at me and I believe one or two other people came to his defense. Nevertheless, battery is a crime, and IMO there is NEVER an excuse to hit a child IN THE FACE or head...why have children if you plan to treat them like enemies. I felt so bad I couldn't take the girl away with me...but what was I going to do I was a teenager!

When I worked for upward bound, I also had to deal with a counselor who BRAGGED about beating his foster child. I know the Bible says "spare the rod..." but I think some people take it too extremes. Children are smarter than animals, and who would hit a dog or cat to control it? Yet there are people who believe violence is an effective way to control small children. They should be sterilized IMO...but that's got issues of its own...

The people in Mexico City I saw on the buses were from a lower class, but they treated their kids with SO MUCH care and love.

So you can't really say it has anything to do with money. Americans are meaner. LOL Just kidding...maybe. I never saw even ONE parent raise his/her voice at a child or even smack the child. The kids were treated very lovingly by both parents (carried, hugged, petted). Maybe things were different at home, but my second host family also had a young daughter, and she was spoiled and mimada by her parents. They were from the middle-class.

[markg91359]

Originally Posted by AnnieA

BBC News - America's child death shame

It is a shame, but you aren't putting this problem in context.

America also has one of the highest rates of:

1. Children who live in poverty;
2. Children who aren't properly immunized against disease;
3. Infant mortality;
4. Children who fail to graduate from high school;
5. Children who under perform at school and fail standardized tests;

You want to decrease the child death rate? You're going to have change some fundamental things about this country. We give parents an awful lot of power over their kids. We basically don't allow children to be removed from a home by the authorities unless it can be shown they are imminent danger of danger of being seriously injured or killed. In Britain and Canada, there is far more public concern about the welfare of children than there is the USA.

Gone are the days of the 1960's when we had a "war on poverty". One thing many people forget is that the largest group represented among the poor is not adult men or adult women. Its children. The problem is that the public is no mood for any increases in social services funding for government programs that would help children. Virtually everyone these days is mad at "guvamint" and wants to cut budgets.

I agree with you. It is a shame that the death rate for children from both criminal (and non criminal) causes is so high. However, as long as the prevailing culture does nothing more than want to incarcerate people and offers no funding or constructive solutions for these problems, no real change is going to occur.

Food for thought...

[virgode]

We basically don't allow children to be removed from a home by the authorities unless it can be shown they are imminent danger of danger of being seriously injured or killed.

Yes they can, the problem, they don't excercise the authority they have out of fear.

God forbid someones rights be violated.

[virgode]

Social Services Investigations: The Removal of Children From The Home

Parents in the United States are subject to increasing government involvement in their lives as they seek to properly raise their children. Administrative agencies of the government, which are created by statute to carry out broad directives such as maintaining the health and welfare of minor children, are given more and more discretion in performing those duties.

When the state seeks to remove a child from the care of its parents, it is an infringement of this parental liberty which requires that the state provide the parents with due process of law. 68 Due process of law does not, however, require a state to provide parents with a hearing or other procedure before taking a child into custody. 69 Courts have held that the state' s temporary assertion of custodial authority in the face of a reasonably perceived emergency does not violate due process.70 "When a child's safety is threatened, that is justification enough for action first and hearing afterwards." 71 Thus, while the courts have acknowledged that a parent's rights to retain care and custody over their children are fundamental, they have also held that the state has a compelling interest in the health and safety of its children which may justify interference with that care and custody. 72

[AnnieA]

Yeah, we are so careful about parental rights and then they are investigated time and time again and some of the children turn up dead......? I know it is not an easy answer. I also agree that we need to attack the fundimental problems. We give aid and welfare to a lot of people to have more and more children but, if the will to do better is not there, what is the answer for those children ? We are still going to have child abuse in certain segments of the population, alcoholics and drug addicts and the just trashy elements...therefore, we make the punishment very harsh to try and deter that element....sterilization is also a good choice (jk, I know, and not serious)

Also..

..snip..Unicef research from 2001 places the US equal bottom with Mexico on child deaths from maltreatment

in response to post above. Some of the worst states in the SW.

[Cliffie]

The economy has NOTHING to do with it, my friend. Americans choose violence as a solution more often, no matter how fat their wallets are. Now, your behavior is more likely to come to light if you live in a small apartment with thin walls than if you live on five acres surrounded by barbed wire and Dobermans, like rich people do, and send their kids to private schools where the mandated reporting laws are totally ignored. That's why the apparent correlation between poverty and child abuse. Also, if you're smart enough to be an accountant or run a car dealership, you're smart enough to clobber the kid in a way that won't show easily -- bruises will be up under the hair, in the midsection, any place hidden by clothing. Remember Lisa Steinberg before she died, wearing long-sleeved turtlenecks and heavy pants in hot weather so nobody could see how banged up she was? Her assailant was a lawyer.

[kinkytoes]

You are 100% right that poverty doesn't seem to be a the only factor.


Not A lot of Outside Help to Raise Children

For me, if I wanted to have a child, it is really difficult because I would have to WORK. My mom has this saying that a lot of immigrants don't understand how hard Americans work. Life's a lot more "relaxing" in many other countries, and families can live a lot closer together.

So the grandparents etc may be available to help reduce the stress on the new parents. We also have a society w/ little or no shame for people who have kids out of wedlock. I am not a religious zealot but simply as a practical matter, if you have to work outside the home, and there is not a lot of support (aunts, grandmothers etc) to help...then it would at least make sense to have a husband to try to split up the work, because a child is really DEMANDING.

Domestic help is a Necessity but it is Prohibitively Expensive
Another thing women in other countries have is domestic help. The government makes it SO DIFFICULT and expensive for a woman/family to legally get domestic help in the US. You have to “hire” the person and pay minimum wage and social security and Medicare.

There may be people who would work for lower salaries in return for room and board, but that’s tax evasion, and there is NO statute of limitations. I personally would go crazy if I had to do work, school AND take care of a child and clean and maintain the house, hence I am currently childless.

Being a parent without help is stressful, and at a minimum the parents end up w/ too much stress and not a lot of options (unless you’re high-income) for assistance. It takes a village to raise a child…and one or two people is NOT a village.


No Marriage Requirements

In the US we don't have a culture that requires ANYTHING for marriage. In a lot of countries, you need to save a lot of money, pay off debts and get a house or apartment BEFORE getting married and starting a family. It is not a law, but society will not allow you to get married.

That's because having money issues AND kids is really difficult. Granted I believe in FREEDOM, so I'm not advocating changing our society or enacting new laws, nevertheless, I think it is a little too easy to get married and as a result have kids w/o being really prepared.

[jasper12]

I think families are becoming more fragmented. Men seem to think nothing of planting a seed, and walking away. Women have to work, support children, and become overwhelmed.

At the same time, I think our society has become enthralled with self absorbtion, and pacing the wants of the self, over the needs or another. A child interferes with the immediate gratification of the self, wanting to go party, or whatever, thus the only way to give the self the gratification is to eliminate the child. No child, no more interference with serving the selfish wants. This explains also murderers lilke Scott Peterson, Lacey and her pregnancy were a threat to Scott and his desire for the party life--no wife and kid, free to party, same as Casey Anthony, no Caylee, let the party start.

[gobrien]

I think child abuse investigaters are also overwhelmed with false reports of abuse....the kind made to get even with someone they are mad at for some reason. In my opinion, anyone who clearly is making a false report should be heavily fined, if not prosecuted.