Government

There is a bill dealing with child abuse that has been making a decent amount of progress on a federal level this year. The “Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009″ was introduced on February 9th of this year and was passed by the House of Representatives on February 23rd. It is now November and we are still waiting for a Senate vote to pass so that this act can go on to help the United states youth.

The purpose of this act, as the title of the bill explains, is to put an end to abuse of those under the age of 18 years old in programs in their local areas. The programs that they are referring to are for behavior modification, boarding schools, boot camp type programs, and others in the same vein. This legislation will also pertain to programs that aim to help children with behavioral, emotional, or mental health problems, as well as problems with alcohol or substance abuse. This act does not, however, cover hospitals or foster homes.

All of the punishable offenses are stated within the act itself. Child abuse of any kind is disallowed in these programs (or anywhere for that matter), disciplinary techniques may not include withholding basic human needs such as food, water, shelter, or medical care, and children may not be restrained physically. Any type of abuse that is intended to humiliate or degrade a child and affect their self-respect is no longer legal, and all members of these programs should have a reasonable amount of access to a telephone as well as informed of when they have this access.

What is also guaranteed by this legislation is that program administrators and directors will not be able to plead ignorance for any of these issues. All staff members are required to know what constitutes child abuse and neglect and how to report it. They will also be responsible for being aware of the signs for heatstroke, dehydration, and hypothermia as well. Most importantly though, all staff members will have a background check to see if they have been violent towards children or involved with sexually inappropriate conduct with minors. Provisions such as these should keep unqualified or undesired persons from becoming a member of a staff that regularly works with children and teens.

These are all very basic needs that the act is helping to provide for children, and there should not be a question of whether the “Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009″ passes the vote in Senate or not. Contact your state’s senators to find out what they are doing to make sure that this bill is put into effect as soon as possible.

Physical Child Abuse

Physical child abuse can include any type of physical action by an adult that causes bodily harm to a child. Most often, physical child abuse involves striking, either open or closed fist, but many other actions are considered under this category as well. Choking, burning, and shaking all fall under this umbrella.. In some states, even fetal alcohol syndrome is thought to be physical child abuse. This is when a woman imbibes alcohol while pregnant, which may cause damage to the fetus while still in the womb.

The subject of whether striking a child for disciplinary purposes is considered physical child abuse is very controversial. While some believe that it should be legal to slap or spank a child, others believe that causing pain in any way because of physical contact is considered abuse. Many countries around the world find it acceptable to use striking in some forms as a disciplinary tool, but this can lead to the acceptance by cultures of physical child abuse among their citizens. Corporal punishment of any kind is illegal, but still used by many parents in the United States.

There is a definite link between physical child abuse and psychological issues later in life. Those that face this kind of abuse are much more likely to be dependent on drugs and alcohol, partake in crimes, and have unprotected sex, just to name a few. To prevent these future negative effects, we need to put an end to physical child abuse once and for all.

Child Abuse Prevention

There are quite a few ways that child abuse prevention can be put into action. There are several groups and organizations that have dedicated themselves to child abuse prevention, and their efforts have not been in vain.Throughout the United States, the number of organizations that are doing whatever is in their power to help these children is in no way small. There are literally hundreds of these groups that are introducing legislation for child abuse prevention, teaching parents how to discipline their child without using violence, and investigating possible cases of abuse.

The best way to initiate child abuse prevention is to educate the public. Citizens should be aware of all the effects that abuse can have, both short term and long term. At Laws.com, we have a piece that features some of the programs that are leading the child abuse prevention movement. Read more about them here http://www.laws.com/help-put-an-end-to-child-abuse.html, and find out what role you can play in helping the children of this country be safe from violence.

There are also many blogs that are joining the effort for child abuse prevention. Visiting their websites can provide you with up to date information regarding the movement, so knowing about the latest goings-on can be very useful information to have. Find out more about child abuse prevention blogs here http://www.laws.com/child-abuse-awareness.html, and browse through a list of the top blogs in that area. With everyone putting an effort into child abuse prevention, we may be able to end abuse sometime in the near future.

Sexual Exploitation

Federal laws have been put into place to keep children safe and punish sexual predators that are trying to use them for either sexual gratification or monetary gain. The United States Sexual Exploitation legislation has made it illegal for any person to persuade or entice a minor to engage or assist in sexual acts with the intent of creating a visual depiction. The visual depictions that are mentioned in this law refer to video, images, or any other type of child pornography. Also, if any person is aware that these visual depictions will be transported or transmitted by the use of mail, the Internet, or shipped across state lines, they will also be facing penalties

Along with those that are directly involved with this type of child sexual exploitation, any parents or legal guardians that knowingly allow a child to engage in sexual explicit acts for video or pictures, they will also being face trouble with the law. Parents should be aware of what types of activities their child is taking part of, but that is not always possible. But for the ones that do know that their child is being used for child pornography, or are encouraging it for their own monetary or any other type of gain, will be prosecuted along with all the other criminals that are exploiting minors for their personal benefit.

These are not the only people that are being sought after using this law though, the ones that are looking for this type of material are keeping child pornographers in business. This is why it is also illegal for people that post advertisements or notices that offer exchanges, reproduction, or distribution of these types of illicit visual depictions. The advertisements are also not allowed to contain requests to purchase child pornography, produce it, or participate in any sex acts with a minor.

For those that are caught participating in any of these activities, the punishments are not lenient. The law states that they will fined and spend at least fifteen years in prison, but no more than thirty years. If a person has been convicted of any of these crimes in the past, they will spend no less than twenty-five years in prison but no more than fifty years. The people that commit these crimes obviously do not have much respect for the lives of children, and there are times when their sexual exploitation activities actually end with the death of the child involved. If that were to occur, the criminal would face no less than thirty years but may get life for their actions.

Having these types of laws to protect children is necessary for a smoothly functioning society, but there is much more legislation that is needed to assure the safety of our nation’s youth. Find out more about what organizations are doing to prevent child abuse and see what you can do to help out.

Child Abuse Victims

When children are abused, the effects of that will last them for a lifetime. Instances of crime, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol use have all seen large raises in percentage for child abuse victims compared to those who have not experienced any form of abuse as children (you can see the abuse statistics for yourself here: http://www.laws.com/child-abuse-statistics.html). The psychological damage that is done during the development stages of child abuse victims is very unfortunate, but luckily there are survivors that keep hope alive and find a way to get through their difficulties.

Many past child abuse victims have gone on to lead normal lives, and through the use of the Internet, we have been given a chance to hear about what they went through and what they have done to deal with their sadness, pain, and anger towards their abusers. There are a number of child abuse victims that have shared their personal stories with the general public through the use of their blogs. This way, they can anonymously get things that have been bugging them for years off of their chest, and no one is able to judge or harass them for doing so.

Go to http://www.laws.com/child-abuse-survivors.html to read more about the subject of child abuse victims and visit the blogs that are listed along with the article. Several of the blogs have their stories available for people to read, and they can be heartbreaking. It is great that people that have faced abuse now have an outlet that can both be therapeutic for them and simultaneously increase awareness about child abuse victims in general.

Prevent Child Abuse

There are quite a few child abuse cases that are reported in the news on a daily basis, and Laws.com has reported on a quite a few of them. It is surprising to see how many people are committing these types of crimes and how seemingly normal people can be involved in child abuse cases, no matter what their profession, gender, or age is. During the month of November in 2009, there were multiple child abuse cases that actually involved police officers, the public servants that were chosen to serve and protect. That really shows that you never know who can potentially harm your child. As parents, it is important that you keep a watchful eye on your children and make sure that they are not put into situations that could be detrimental to both their physical and mental health.

Just this past week (the week of November 15th), there have been child abuse cases that involved an entire family that sexually abused their daughters and granddaughters over a period of several years, a Baltimore schools police officer that was arrested for child pornography charges, a sixty-three year old man that repeatedly sexually assaulted a boy that he was babysitting, and a mother that was accused of drowning her own daughter in the bathtub. All of these child abuse cases are absolutely awful to hear about and personally, I am glad that they have been caught and are being prosecuted. Hopefully they will not be able to harm another child again. Below are the links to these news articles.

Mother Accused of Purposely Drowning Daughter
http://www.laws.com/mother-accused-of-purposely-drowning-daughter.html

Father and Sons Charged With Sexual Abuse
http://www.laws.com/sexual-abuse.html

Baltimore Police Officer May Face 6 Years for Child Pornography
http://www.laws.com/police-officer.html

63 Year Old Illinois Resident Facing Prison Time for Sexually Assaulting Child

Upset Child

Being able to recognize the signs of child abuse is very important for everyone to know, whether you have a child of your own or not. If a child is being subjected to violence within the home or some form of psychological harm, then it is possible for us to intervene and save them from a situation that they may not be able to handle on their own. Equipping yourself with the knowledge of the signs of child abuse can literally save lives, and that is no exaggeration. There have been several cases all over the country where a third party was able to contact authorities and relate their concerns because they saw the signs of child abuse and had the courage to speak up about it.

If a child shows a drastic change in their behavior, is performing unusually poorly in school, does not have the proper adult supervision needed, or they make it known that they do not want to go home, these are all likely signs of child abuse and may require further investigation. On the parents’ side, they may be blaming their children for any problems that they may have at work or at home, they are not nurturing towards their adolescent, show little concern for them, or demands school grades and physical performance that they are unable to achieve, these are also common signs of child abuse.

Other signs of child abuse are if the child commonly has bruises or marks on their body that they try to provide excuses for, the excuses for the cuts and bruises that the parent and child provide end up contradicting each other, and the child may be afraid every time an adult comes near them or tries to touch them. Sexual abuse is evident if the child has difficulty with normal movements, has a large amount of sexual knowledge for their age, or if the parents are overly protective and keeps the child isolated from contact with other people.

Becoming familiar with these signs of child abuse can end up changing the route that an adolescent will take in life. Those that were abused are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, commit crimes, and get pregnant, but detecting these signs can get them out of these homes and onto the right path.

Child Abuse Articles

We have been posting quite a few child abuse articles recently, and just so none of you miss any of them, here is a list of the ones that have been published on Laws.com so far. If this is a subject that interests you, be sure to read through all of them, find an organization or a few within the child abuse articles and get involved.

There have been a number of child abuse articles that brought the latest news to our readers regarding the subject. There was a 63 year old man that molested the child he was babysitting, a Baltimore schools police officer that was caught with child pornography on his computer, a father and his sons that repeatedly raped the young girls in their family, and a mother that purposely drowned her own daughter.

To increase awareness about organizations that are working hard to help victims, we posted several child abuse articles that profiled them and explained exactly what it is that they do to fight for the rights of children. You can read about the groups that help families and children that face abuse and violence in these child abuse articles: Stop Violence, Serving Child Abuse, and Help Put an End to Child Abuse. There are also child abuse articles that contain entire profiles that are dedicated to groups like the National Children’s Advocacy Center, Global Kids, Inc., the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, and Child Advocates, Inc.

We also have child abuse articles about blogs written by survivors and other blogs that focus on child advocacy and abuse. We are very proud of the groups that are giving their all to this cause and as long as there are people that want to make a difference, we will be there to bring their efforts to light.

Megan's Law

In an effort to keep sex offenders from claiming more victims after being prosecuted for the first time, Megan’s Law was put into place. Since 1996, the law has been a very useful tool when it comes to identifying potential threats and keeping children safe. While the specifics of this legislation depend on the state that the offender is in, the basic steps and intent is the same. Officially, the federal law is called the Sexual Offender Act of 1994. Whenever a former sex offender changes their address or their place of employment, they must let officials know where they are going, register as an offender, and make the public aware that they are in the neighborhood.

Before this act made it necessary for sex offenders to let the community know about their presence, there were some organizations that went around and tried to tell their neighborhood the type of person that was moving in. Without a registration system in place though, it was very difficult to know who was coming and going. The girl that this law was named after suffered a painful death because of this exact problem, and afterward, steps were taken so that these criminals would not have such an easy time brutalizing innocent children. Megan Kanka was kidnapped by a repeat sex offender by the name off Jesse Timmendequas. During this time, Timmendequas proceeded to rape and murder little seven year old Megan, devastating the entire country. New Jersey put an end to the death penalty in 2007, so he will be spending the rest of his life in prison.

This type of incident could have been prevented if there was a larger awareness of Timmendequas’s criminal history. If people knew about is past as a sex offender, they would have kept a closer eye on him and perhaps he would not have had the chance to perform the horrible deeds that he did. What happened to Megan Kanka is absolutely awful, but the legislation that was passed because of her incident has done a lot for children everywhere. Many have debated that Megan’s Law has not really done much in preventing child molestation or sexual assault and that forcing people that have paid for their crimes is unfair. Allowing people to find out about the crimes that they have committed may cause the offender to be ostracized by their community, and in fact, there have been many cases of community protests against past sex offenders that were looking to move into a new area.

The fact remains that people have the right to know what type of person is lurking around the corner. They should know whether they can allow their kids to play on the sidewalk in front of their neighbor’s house without having to worry if they will be snatched up at any given time or not. As mentioned earlier, how the law affects sex offenders and the community depends on what state you live in. Go to MegansLaw.com to find out more and see if there are any sex offenders in your neighborhood.