Video:
Victim Care: Issues for Clergy and Faith-Based Counselors
Special Issues of Crime – Lesson Eight, Video Clips #1, 6 & 7.
Access via http://grants.denverda.org/FCPEI/index.htm or
Contact Steve Siegel – 720/913-9022

Discussion:
Invite a social worker from your local Child Protective Services office to speak at a gathering of your faith community to explain the nature of their services.

Lecture:
Historically, children in America were considered the property of their fathers. Thus, child abuse and neglect were overlooked. The Society to Prevent Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1865, but it was nine years before those attending to animal cruelty began to recognize that children were being abused and neglected in many of the same families where animals were being abused. Thus, in 1874, the Society to Prevent Cruelty to Children was founded.ⁱ It wasn’t until 1930, however, that federal legislators amended the Social Security Act to pay for protective services for abused and neglected children.ⁱⁱ Even with this attention, popular attitude remained that harsh discipline and corporal punishment were parental rights to be addressed within the home.ⁱⁱⁱ

In 1962, Dr. C. Henry Kempe in Denver coined the phrase “Battered Child Syndrome” and called for it to be considered an independent diagnosis among physicians. This attention led to the passage of mandatory reporting laws of child abuse in all fifty states by 1967.^iv

How many times have we heard the phrase “Spare the rod and spoil the child” quoted to justify cruel treatment of children? In Biblical times, the rod and staff were used by the shepherd to guide and protect his or her sheep. The rod was not used to hit the sheep, but it was held out horizontally along the cliff to prevent the sheep from falling over the cliff. If ever used corporally, it was to fight off wolves or other animals that were attacking the sheep. The staff was used to gently pull any sheep to safety that had, in fact, fallen by the wayside. A parent, who considers a child’s misbehavior as an act of Satan, and therefore a sin, may think that beating the sin out of a child is righteous. Read again the oft-quoted Proverbs 23:13, 14 in light of understanding the rod as a means of guidance and prevention from danger rather than as a tool for hitting.

In a society that disregarded children, Jesus went far beyond the norms of the day by honoring children and listening to them. In fact, He said that children were like the Kingdom of God.

At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; but whoever causes one of the little ones who believe in me to sin (some interpretations use “stumble”), it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin. For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes. If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. Heaven their angels always behold the face of my father who is in Heaven. (Matthew 18:1-11)

Definitions

Child victimization statutes vary by state, but most are similar in intent and content. The following categories of child victimization are excerpted from For Kids’ Sake: A Child Abuse Prevention and Reporting Kit, published by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Office of Child Abuse Prevention; What Can We Do About Child Abuse?, published by the State of Texas Office of the Attorney General; and the Arapahoe County, Colorado website at: www.co.arapahoe.co.us/Departments/HS/childprotectionlaws.asp

Physical Abuse typically occurs when a frustrated parent or caregiver strikes, burns, scalds, shakes or throws a child as a result of anger. The caregiver willfully injures, causes injury, or allows a child to be injured, tortured or maimed out of cruelty or excessive punishment. This category usually includes allowing the child to be subjected to circumstances that could reasonably pose a serious threat of physical harm or injury.

Emotional Abuse is a chronic pattern of behavior in which a parent or caregiver belittles, denies love of, has unrealistic expectations of, and verbally assaults a child by name-calling, sarcasm, screaming at, threatening, and blaming. The child suffers psychological harm from being rejected, terrorized, ignored, or emotionally isolated.

Child Neglect includes intentional or negligent abandonment, lack of supervision, or failure to provide a child with appropriate food, clothing, medical attention, safety, shelter, protection, attention, and affection. Some states also include educational neglect in this definition when the parent or caretaker fails to provide for the child’s education and/or school attendance.

Child Sexual Abuse is sexual contact harmful to a child’s physical, mental or emotional welfare as well as failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent sexual conduct with a child. It is sexual exploitation of a child or adolescent for the perpetrator’s sexual and control gratification. Child sexual abuse includes sexual intercourse, sodomy, oral copulation, penetration of a genital or anal opening with a foreign object, and touching the genitals, buttocks, or breasts (fondling). Sexual abuse also includes actions and behaviors without physical contact, including but not limited to exhibitionism, sexual exploitation, and pornography. Sexual abuse may consist of a single incident or many acts over a long period of time.

Incest generally refers to child sexual abuse perpetrated by a family member or a surrogate family member such as a step-parent.

Witnessing Violence includes children who are present when a love done is killed, raped, or assaulted, including the chronic witnessing of domestic violence in the home. It is gaining popularity in the states as a legitimate form of child maltreatment. Even when child witnesses do not suffer physical injury, the emotional consequences of viewing or hearing violent acts are severe and long-lasting.

Missing and Exploited Child Victimization includes child abduction by non-custodial parents and by strangers. It includes child pornography, child prostitution and computer solicitation of children.

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Shaken Baby Syndrome results from violently shaking an infant, usually to try to get it to stop crying. Classical medical symptoms include retinal hemorrhage (bleeding in the back of the eyeball) and subdural or subarachnoid hematomas (intracranial bleeding) caused by shearing of blood vessels in the brain.^v

Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy is a psychological disorder in which a parent or caretaker attempts to bring attention of health care providers to themselves by injuring or inducing illnesses in their children. The child only has episodes when the caretaker is present and the alleged problems cannot be medically documented. This syndrome is frequently multigenerational.^vi

Scope

Child Spanking Debate

According to Baumrind et al, “Corporal Punishment” is physical force used with the intention of causing pain but not injury in order to correct a child’s behavior; thus it is distinguished from “physical abuse” which includes actual injury to the child.^xiii Spanking can become abuse if used too often, too hard, for too long, or if the child is too young. In most studies, corporal punishment does have one positive effect: getting the child to immediately comply with a parent’s demand. However, children who are spanked have a less trusting and an affectionate relationship with their parents and feel less internal guilt about misbehavior. Both as children and adults, they become more aggressive, have poorer mental health, have a higher rate of criminal and other antisocial behavior, and are much more likely to abuse their own spouses and children than children who are not spanked.^xiv

Children who are spanked feel emotional pain, anger, and fear that leads them to resent rather than respect their parents. They are much more likely to concentrate on the unfairness of the intensity of the punishment than on the act for which they were punished. They do not develop a sense of inner locus of control, which is required for a healthy and assertive adulthood. They often remain depressed and anxious as adults.^xv

Research on the issue of corporal punishment and when it becomes abusive is difficult to interpret, due to the many variables that are interwoven into each circumstance and culture. However, there is a strong correlation between spanking and physical abuse, especially for boys and older children (ages 10-12). Parents who abuse their children report that more than 2/3 of abuse incidents began with corporal punishment.^xvi Because of these findings and others like it, every industrialized country in the world now prohibits school corporal punishment, except the United States, Canada and one state in Australia.^xvii

The United States has done little to criminally prohibit corporal punishment ascertaining that as long as the blows constitute reasonable force and are administered as a means of discipline not of malice, it is not abusive. Case law however, has tended to hold that excessive punishment proves malice.^xviii Twenty-three states still allow the use of corporal punishment on school children.

Activity: Discuss the role of spanking and how Clergy might intervene in the following story.

Mary J. grew up in a church that believed that “sparing the rod spoiled the child,” and both church leaders and her parents frequently quoted Proverbs 23:13,14: "Do not withhold discipline from a child. If you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.” Mary was never sure whether to consider it abuse or discipline because the spankings from her mother seemed to be coming from a sense of rage over her “bad” behavior, and while the spankings with a wooden spoon were hard and went “on and on,” she never suffered serious injury and doesn’t remember that the skin was ever broken. Yet, she was always confused about why some “small infraction” would warrant such severe beatings. She thinks the beatings stopped when she was ten or eleven. She doesn’t remember if her father participated in the spankings, but she remembers the sexual abuse committed against her by her father. Her mother did not protect her from this abuse.

Mary has attempted suicide, cut herself, and has gone through periods of eating disorders. Although she holds great animosity for churches that promote corporal punishment and is angry that God allowed the Proverbs scriptures to get into the Bible, she is a devout Christian who has studied the Bible in depth and feels a close personal relationship with Christ. Mary has spent years in therapy with pastoral counselors where she has dealt with sadness and depression, but she is only now getting in touch with anger.

Indicators

Indicators of physical abuse include injuries for which the caretaker has no reasonable explanation; unusual injuries for the child’s age; injuries on the back or face; injuries inflicted from several directions; multiple or frequent injuries; bruises that form a pattern such as finger and thumb marks or belt buckle marks; distinctive marks and lacerations such as bite marks or marks circling the wrists; head injury symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, lethargy, and confusion; fear of going home or seeing parents; and frequent absences from school or physical education classes where clothing is changed. Boys are more likely than girls to be physically abused: 21.3% v.13.4%.^xix

Emotional abuse cannot be proven unless the child’s growth, development, or psychological functioning shows observable, substantial impairment. Emotionally-abusive parents often refer to the child as “it” or repeatedly tell the child that he or she is “worthless” or “bad.” The emotional assaults are frequent, excessive, and clearly and substantially damaging to the child. Emotionally abused children are often withdrawn, depressed and apathetic. These children frequently either exhibit behavior problems or are overly rigid and conforming to instructions from teachers and other adults. Emotionally abused children are often fearful and clingy with adults with whom they feel safe.

Indicators of child neglect include malnourishment, lack of personal cleanliness, torn and dirty clothing, and need for glasses, dental care, or other medical treatment. A neglected child may seem hungry, tired, and listless. Severely neglected children, on the other hand, have lost their appetite and refuse to eat, failing to thrive. As with emotional abuse, extreme withdrawal and passivity or antisocial and delinquent acting out are common.

Indicators of child sexual abuse, including incest, include difficulty sitting or walking, pain when urinating or defecating, stomach ache, itching in the genital area, and discharge. Psychological indicators include withdrawal, depression, sleeping and eating disorders, self-mutilation, phobias, frequent school absence, and a sudden drop in grades. The child may exhibit either poor hygiene or excessive bathing. Older children may abuse alcohol or other drugs, run away, and attempt suicide. Girls are more likely than boys to report being sexually abused: 13% v. 3.4%, but according to Kilpatrick and Saunders, boys may feel more ashamed to report.^xx Sexual abuses may be forced on a child, or the child may be coaxed, seduced, or persuaded to cooperate. Disclosure of sexual abuse tends to be a process rather than an event because of the child’s shame to report. Disclosure may start with “I have a friend who….” or “What if…..”

Indicators of children who have witnessed violence include feelings of terror, isolation, guilt, helplessness, and grief. These children may live with a free-floating sense of anxiety, maintaining intensive hyper-vigilance as they scan the environment for impending threats of danger. Panic attacks may be occasional or frequent. They may be restless with an exaggerated startle response, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties and dizziness or headaches. They may be irritable and fatigued because of frequent nightmares and flashbacks. Young children may reenact the trauma they have witnessed in play.^xxi

Shaken Baby Syndrome indicators include breathing difficulties, seizures, dilated pupils, lethargy, and unconsciousness. These symptoms may be present in the absence of other external signs of abuse. Shaken baby syndrome occurs primarily in children 18 months of age or younger.

Mandatory Reporting

Suspicion of any form of child abuse must be reported to Child Protective Services or to law enforcement, even if limited evidence has been revealed. Full disclosure of what has happened should be sought by a trained professional to best attend to the child’s needs, to avoid tainting the child’s testimony, and to adequately document the disclosure. Remember that it is not a support person’s responsibility to prove or disprove child abuse. They are only required to report what they suspect may be happening.

The Impact of Child Victimization on Adult Functioning

Chronically maltreated children, with a diagnosis of PTSD, manifest alterations of major biological stress systems – including adverse influences on brain development.^xxii Childhood traumatization may impair normal neuron-to-neuron synaptic development in the cerebral cortex of the brain’s frontal lobe, leading to deficits in attention, planning, reasoning, and behavioral control.^xxiii These deficits continue into adulthood. Child abuse increases the odds of future delinquency and adult criminality by 40%. Being abused or neglected as a child increases the likelihood of juvenile arrest by 53%, of adult arrest by 38%, and of committing a violent crime by 38%.^xxiv

Approximately 25% of disabled adults became disabled due to physical and sexual abuse they experienced as children.

How Faith Leaders Can Help

Role of the Faith Community

ⁱ Crosson-Tower, C. Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Allyn and Bacon: Boston, 1999.
ⁱⁱVieth, V.I., “In My Neighbor’s House,” 22 Hamline Law Review 143, 145-146, 1999.
ⁱⁱⁱWolfe, D.A. Child Abuse: Implications for Child Development and Psychopathology (2nd Ed.). Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA, 1999.
^ivWolfe, D.A. Child Abuse: Implications for Child Development and Psychopathology (2nd Ed.). Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA, 1999.
^vOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Battered Child Syndrome: Investigating Physical Abuse and Homicide. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention: Washington, DC, July 1997.
^viChildren’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families. Child Maltreatment 2001. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Washington, D.C., 2003.
^viiDelaronds, S. “Opinions Among Mandated Reporters Toward Child Maltreatment Reporting Policies,” Child Abuse and Neglect (2000),Vol. 24, pp. 901,905.
^viiiDelaronds, S. “Opinions Among Mandated Reporters Toward Child Maltreatment Reporting Policies,” Child Abuse and Neglect (2000),Vol. 24, pp. 901,905.
^ixThe National Runaway Switchboard at www.nrscrisisline.org
^xThe National Runaway Switchboard at www.nrscrisisline.org
^xiNational Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.missingkids.com
^xiiBaumrind, D. et al. “Ordinary Physical Punishments: Is it Harmful? Comment on Gershoff (2002),” Psychological Bulletin (July 2002): Vol. 128, No. 4, pp. 580-589; Holden, G.W. “Perspectives on the Effects of Corporal Punishment: Comment on Gershoff (2002,” Psychological Bulletin (July 2002): Vol. 128, No. 4, pp. 590-95; Gershoff, E.T., “Corporal Punishment by Parents and Associated Child Behaviors and Experiences: A Meta-analytic and Theoretical Review,” Psychological Bulletin (July 2002): Vol. 128, No. 4, pp. 539-79; Gershoff, E.T. “Corporal Punishment, Physical Abuse, and thee Burden of Proof: Reply to Baumrind, Larzelere, and Cowan (2002), Holden (2002), and Parke (2002),” Psychological Bulletin (July 2002): vol. 128, No. 4, pp. 602-11; Parke, R.D. “Punishment Revisited – Science, Values, and the Right Question: Comment on Gershoff (2002),” Psychological Bulletin (July 2002): Vol. 128, No. 4, pp. 596-601.
^xiiiIbid.
^xivIbid.
^xvIbid.
^xviHyman, I.A., “Corporal Punishment, Psychological Maltreatment, Violence, and Punitiveness in America: Research, Advocacy, and Public Policy”, Applied and Preventative Psychology Vol. 4, pp. 113, 119 (1995); http://www.stophitting.com , December 3, 2004.
^xviiVieth, V.I., “Corporal Punishment in the United States: A Call for a New Approach to the Prosecution of Disciplinarians, Journal of Juvenile Law, Vol. 15, No. 22, pp. 36-36 (1994).
^xviiiKilpatrick, D., & Saunders, B. Research in Brief: Prevalence and Consequences of Child Victimization, Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina: Charleston, SC and U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice: Washington, DC, 1997.
^xixMiller, L. “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Child Victims of Crime: Making the Case for Psychological Injury.” Victim Advocate (Summer 1999) Vol.1, No.1, pp. 7-10.
^xxKilpatrick and Saunders, op. cit.
^xxiQuinn, K.M. “Guidelines for the Psychiatric Examination of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Children and Adolescents.” In R. I. Simon (Ed.), Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder in Litigation: Guidelines for Forensic Assessment (1995) American Psychiatric Press: Washington, D.C. Pages 85-98.
^xxiiWidom, C.S. Research in Brief: The Cycle of Violence, (September 1992). U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice: Washington, D.C.
^xxiiiIbid
^xxivWidom, C.S. Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse – Later Criminal Consequences. (1995). U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice: Washington, D.C.