Legally Kidnapped

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

Abuse and Foster Care

By Peter David Wendt

The need for a legal perspective on this issue

Shockingly it is reported that up to 75% of children in foster care or the care system in general will have experienced some sort of sexual abuse. That is a situation that is just intolerable for the majority of decent citizens. The figures become starker when we see that about one percent of American children are in foster care. These are the children that have experiences of other forms of physical and mental abuse. There is also some issue with the child on child abuse that happens within the system and whether the government is able to control this system. To make matters worse the people that are victims are living with the perpetrators of the crime. The absence of child welfare workers is said to be a significant contributing factor to the level of abuse that the child is likely to experience during their lifetime.

One of the problems that we face is dealing with the difficulties of recognizing the presence of abuse. For instance the victim may be promiscuous in their teenage years when it is really just a sign that they have been abused. There is also a lack of sympathy in some quarters where the teenager is then chastised for dressing provocatively as if she brought the abuse through her conduct. This process of blaming the victim is what has totally skewed the figures for the child abuse rates in the developed world. Some victims are afraid to come out and accuse their guardian or anyone in authority. It is said that if children enter the foster care system when they are older the likelihood of abuse increases significantly.

There are other signs that we have been trained to notice including bed wetting and other incidents which are not within the spectrum of expected behavior at that age. Other children might start to withhold stools. They might also become too vigilant in their safety and might even refuse to go to sleep. You also need to watch out for the reclusive children and the ones that are far too submissive. It is also possible that the victim will display sexual aggression towards younger children or engage in sexual activities with their peers. The child will often not get attention for physical problems when they have been clearly identified in the risk assessment. The people at school might notice that the child arrives early and is reluctant to go home.

If you come into contact with a child that has been abused, it is your solemn duty to help them. Some people fear the breakup of the relationship with the adult when really it is the child that is suffering. You must have the courage to tell the authorities if you think that a child is being abused. At the same time you should not through accusations unless you really know what you are talking about. Those can be very damaging to family life. It is a balance that we explore as we deal with children.

Peter is a writer who spends his time doing research on different topics and posting articles about them. His main focus right now is in Legal issues including, Austin Divorce Attorney and Business Litigation Austin

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