Cry babies are normal, doctors say

By Sanne Specht

For the Daily Tidings

June 22, 2009

Russell Mendiola squinches up his little face and emits an unhappy whimper in the hallway at the Family Nurturing Center in Medford Thursday afternoon. Within a minute, he is in a full, fist-clenched wail. His mother, Rebecca Mendiola, 24, gently bounces her 5 1/2-month-old son on her lap.

"Sssshhh, ssshhh," she whispers, before offering him a quick suck on her breast.

Mendiola had a simple fix for her crying baby. But sleepless nights caring for a red-faced, screaming infant who cannot be soothed can cause parents or caregivers to unravel. It's easy for them to assume there is something seriously wrong with the baby — or themselves.

"Crying can turn to screaming," said Mendiola, whose four other children are ages 2, 4, 5 and 6.

"It's very stressful. They scream and cry and scream and cry."

Doctors and researchers have discovered inconsolable crying is normal behavior for all infants, particularly during the first three months of life.

And they hope by educating parents on this part of a baby's development — and how to respond to it — they can help prevent abuse.

Known as the period of PURPLE crying (see related story), the cycle begins in the first month, peaks during the second month and tapers off at the end of three months, said Dr. Russell Barr, researcher for the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

"We want parents and caregivers to know three things about inconsolable crying: It is normal, it is not their fault, and it will pass," said Barr.

But research also has shown that inconsolable or frequent infant crying is a trigger for shaken baby syndrome, said Dr. Kerri Hecox, medical director for the Children's Advocacy Center in Medford.

"The number one trigger for all child abuse is crying," she said. "We need to change the culture. And that starts with education."

Parenting is hard work. Stressors can reach lethal levels. Before that happens, parents and caregivers need to step away, Hecox said.

"Know when you can't take it anymore," she said. "As long as the baby's safe, the crying is not going to hurt them."

Barr has spent 30 years studying crying patterns in babies around the globe. Across all cultures and in all countries, inconsolable crying behavior in infants is the norm, he said.

"Every baby will have inconsolable crying episodes," said Barr. "We don't know exactly what causes it. We do know you can't do much of anything about inconsolable crying."

Barr said some babies will have more episodes. Some will have fewer. And, unfortunately, closely shadowing the crying curve is the number of incidents of shaken baby syndrome, Barr said.

"Even if it only happens six times in their life, if you happen to be there when it does, you can lose it," he said.

Shaken baby syndrome is the leading cause of death in abusive head trauma cases among infants, according to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. An estimated 1,200 to 1,400 children are injured or killed by shaking every year in the United States. Locally, the numbers of shaken baby syndrome cases are on the rise, said Hecox.

"I have one case I'm dealing with right now that involves a skull fracture," she said.

To reduce the abuse, Rogue Valley hospitals and community agencies will launch a new initiative this summer, The Period of PURPLE Crying program. A 10-minute DVD will be shown to mothers of newborns at all four hospitals in Jackson and Josephine counties explaining normal infant crying, offering ways to reduce stress related to the crying, and informing them of the dangers of shaking an infant.

The information also will be provided to fathers, aunts, uncles and baby sitters, Hecox said.

"Anyone who is in the room," she said.

"We're going to give it to them to take home, along with a pamphlet," she added. "We want them to share it with their aunts and grandparents and teenage baby sitters. We want everyone to have this information."

Hecox said parents and caregivers should do what they can to soothe a crying baby. But they also must recognize it is stressful to hear a baby cry. And when attempts to soothe a screaming infant prove fruitless, nerves can fray and tempers can flare. Bouncing and jiggling, intended to soothe, can quickly become a life-threatening shake if parents or caregivers snap under the pressure, she said.

Research shows frustrated caregivers, males in particular, often feel that shaking a baby or small child is a harmless way to make the child stop crying.

"If you're upset, you don't really realize the force you're exerting. And it doesn't take much of a shake to seriously injure a baby," Hecox said.

Shaken baby syndrome is the shaking of an infant or child by the arms, legs or shoulders with or without impact to the head. This trauma can result in bleeding and brain injury with no outward signs of abuse. After the shaking, swelling in the brain can cause enormous pressure within the skull, compressing blood vessels and increasing overall injury to its delicate structure.

Approximately 25 percent of babies with the syndrome die as a result of their injuries. Of those who survive, 80 percent suffer permanent disability such as severe brain damage, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, behavioral disorders and impaired motor and cognitive skills. Many survivors require constant medical or personal attention. Medical costs associated with initial and long-term care for these children can range from $300,000 to more than $1 million.

Previous studies done by Dr. Mark Dias in New York state proved that giving mothers information about shaken baby syndrome decreased incidents of abuse by 50 percent, said Barr.

Inconsolable crying may be normal. But it's still tough to handle when the cultural norm expects a crying baby to be instantly soothed.

"People stare at you, like, 'what did you do to him?' " Mendiola said. "I didn't do anything. He's just crying. It's normal."

Apple's introduction of a new iPhone application called "Baby Shaker" created a furor in April after child protection groups launched protests about the program's take on a deadly serious subject. For 99 cents, users of the iPhone and iPhone Touch received images of a crying baby. The object of the "game" was to shake the baby until red Xs appeared over its eyes and a calm baby appeared.

Apple pulled the application within two days and offered a four-sentence apology, said Marilyn Barr, founder of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome and wife of Russell Barr.

"(Apple) said it somehow slipped through the cracks," she said. "And I find it hard to believe they thought it was appropriate. But they put this up during Child Abuse Prevention month, and during Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness week."

Marilyn Barr said she wished her husband and other researchers had discovered inconsolable crying was normal when her children were infants.

"My first child was a high-crier," she said. "If I had only known it would come to an end. Just having that information would have helped so much."

Russell Barr lectures across the U.S. and Canada. Many doctors, nurses and child-welfare specialists also express relief that inconsolable crying is normal, he said. One 53-year-old nurse told Barr she'd carried around guilt for decades after being told her baby's cries meant she wasn't bonding well with the infant, he said.

"We now know you can't do much of anything about inconsolable crying," he said.

We all need to take a look at our response to crying babies, said Mary-Curtis Gramley, director of the Family Nurturing Center. Pounding on an apartment wall and hollering for a parent to shut a child up isn't going to do anything to alleviate crying. Nor will glaring, muttering or heaving huge sighs while witnessing an adult struggling with an inconsolable crying infant.

"We judge without understanding," Gramley said. "When you stop and think about the cumulative effect of stressors that families can face, you come to understand the humanity of this."

Russell Barr studied cultures in Africa where babies are swaddled and carried constantly by their mothers. At night, parent and infant sleep skin-to-skin, nestled against each other. Every whimper is responded to within 15 seconds, and the babies are fed every 15 minutes. Although the duration of the infants' crying episodes were reduced by half, these babies still experienced bouts of inconsolable crying. And their peak crying patterns remained the same, said Barr.

"If you had a baby that was crying for three hours every night, you might get it down to one and a half hours," Barr said.

Mendiola is glad her son has exited the peak crying period. But that doesn't mean he doesn't still cry. And when he does, she hopes everyone, including herself, will understand.

"I try to keep myself in that zone," Mendiola said. "I go pick him up and rock and sing. And if that doesn't work, I can leave him in his crib."

Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail sspecht@mailtribune.com.

Source

Children's Aid Society workers should be reined in, critics say

They are charged with the most essential of duties: protecting vulnerable children from abuse and neglect. They will intervene in the lives of roughly 200,000 Canadian children this year.

For most of us, they are generally unseen, save for occasional mentions in news reports, when they rescue children from misery. Or, as sometimes happens, deliver it.

Canada’s child-welfare agencies, says University of Manitoba social work professor Brad McKenzie, have among the broadest intervention powers in the Western world.

Caseworkers come armed with vaster powers than any police officer investigating crime. It is an immense authority easily abused, without vigilant restraint.

It is time, critics say, they were reined in.

“The social worker system, as it applies to children, is out of control, seriously out of control,” says Katherine McNeil, a children’s advocate who has worked with families in Nova Scotia and B.C. “And nobody’s doing anything about it.”

Child-welfare agencies step in when kids are homeless, exploited, hungry or abused. They do not stop there. As the highly publicized neo-Nazi case in Winnipeg demonstrates, they might seize children from parents for teaching racist views, or for “emotional neglect.” They have taken newborns from parents considered insufficiently intelligent; from religious families believing the Bible commands them to discipline kids with a rod. They order homeschooling parents to enroll children in public school, deeming them inadequately socialized.

“They violate all kinds of privacy and rights,” says Chris Klicka, senior counsel for the Home School Defense League, which represents Canadian and American parents.

Whether we wanted it or not, knew it or not, over time, the work of child-welfare organizations has become “parenting by the state and the imposition of their value system on other people,” says Marty McKay, a clinical psychologist who has worked on abuse cases in the U.S and Canada. Provincial agencies have the power to intervene when children are considered “at risk” of abuse or neglect — even if none has actually occurred. Or, where spousal abuse happens, but kids are untouched. And what they do with the children they take can sometimes be worse than what they suffered at home.

***

When journalist J.J. Kelso founded Canada’s first Children’s Aid Society in 1891, it was from revulsion at what he had witnessed working in Toronto’s slums: the filthy, homeless urchins begging on the street, the school-aged girls whored out by parents for whiskey money; children needing “rescue,” Kelso exhorted, “from the environments of vice, cruelty or mendicancy.”

Courts could imprison parents for cruelty, but not revoke custody. Backed by the 1893 Act for the Prevention of Cruelty to and Better Protection of Children, the society had unique authority to directly interfere in affairs of parents and children: Anyone under 14 found begging, receiving alms, out late, homeless, orphaned, imprisoned, thieving, or associating with thieves, drunkards or vagrants, would be appropriated by the province.

Since then, as child-welfare agencies multiplied across Canada, their authority expanded, too.

One Calgary mother said her kids were recently pulled from class and questioned by a caseworker after she kept them home from school for a week, fearing they might be exposed to Swine Flu. When the mother protested, the worker threatened to seize all six children in her house, including two toddlers.

“All because I was overtly concerned about my children’s health,” says an incredulous Ms. K, who, as is the case with all investigations, cannot be identified. Nor can she ever know who lodged the complaint against her.

The worker later visited the house. There, Ms. K reports (and witnesses confirm), when she further protested the interference — at one point calling police — the agent hollered at her, physically accosted her, and threatened to report her for abuse, of which, the caseworker later relented, there was no evidence.

The secrecy that envelops these cases makes it nearly impossible to fully investigate Ms. K’s remarkable claims: caseworkers do not permit “clients,” as they’re called, to record meetings, and agencies cannot comment on any case. But the account doesn’t shock those who work closely with the authorities.

“I’m certainly not surprised, and hear over and over again of workers … threatening [parents] with apprehension. They’ll never admit it in court, of course, but I hear it all the time,” says Bradley Spier, a Calgary family lawyer. “Most of the time they’re above board. … They all have an attitude, but they’ll do their investigation and, if they can’t substantiate it, they’re generally pretty honest about that, and won’t take any action. But until then, they’re god-like creatures, for lack of a better word. Or they think they are.”

***

The government’s role in protecting vulnerable children treads an impossibly fine line. Without anonymous complaints, and the power to interview and apprehend, some children would undoubtedly suffer terribly. Accordingly, legislators grant workers astounding licence: a social work graduate, fresh from college, can enter a home without warrant; apprehend children without due process; and commandeer police officers to enforce his or her efforts. A caseworker can order children dressed, fed, medicated, and educated any way they consider appropriate. Parents who do not submit risk losing custody, even visitation of their kids. Or have them taken away permanently.

It is an authority that is sometimes severely misused. When that happens, Ms. McKay says, families can be traumatized in a perversion of the very system designed to prevent abuse.

The anonymous process, for example, invites bogus tips — commonly from divorcing parents, for instance, since agencies can unilaterally alter custody arrangements. Most complaints prove “unsubstantiated”: 55% according to the most recent Health Canada study.

“Children’s Aid, even when they don’t start an investigation [themselves], they can be manipulated by people,” says Ms. McKay.

Prof. McKenzie says child-welfare agencies typically do good work under difficult circumstances. Overstretched caseworkers, with general training, can be unequipped to specialize in interventions and the complexities each case brings. What some, middle-class agents might consider neglect, for example, is often a matter of poverty, not necessarily cruelty.

And some child-welfare workers also exploit their tremendous clout to behave unethically, prejudicially or illegally.

“Some of them get a real power complex because they have a bachelor of social work, or a masters, and they suddenly have this power [to] apprehend,” says Ms. McKay. “They throw their weight around.” She sees in some workers a “police mentality.” It may be a coincidence, but in the largest English-speaking provinces, Alberta, B.C. and Ontario (Quebec data are incomplete), the number of children taken into care by provincial agencies between 1993 and 2001, rose a remarkable 97%, 63% and 72% respectively.

Prof. McKenzie is encouraged by a nascent trend in Canadian agencies away from historic, heavier-handed investigative and apprehension focus, and toward working more co-operatively with families to improve home conditions.

Studies show that under the current system, he says, “generally we find that the majority of children that are served [by welfare agencies] do well” — meaning they thrive at school, seem generally well-adjusted, are free from abuse and neglect. About 15% to 20%, he says, do not.

That is not a trifling number. But the stories behind it — let alone the validity of the initial apprehensions — can prove impenetrable. Cases are shrouded in silence, media blocked from reporting details, or questioning workers, in the legitimate name of protecting children involved (even in the high-profile Winnipeg neo-Nazi case, most details were concealed). But such limits thwart public scrutiny into an arm of government as capable of error as any other, yet, in determining how much or even whether families stay together, working with some of the highest stakes imaginable.

Last year, Ontario MPP Andrea Horwath tabled a private member’s bill to make Children’s Aid Societies answerable to the provincial ombudsman, something Ontario’s Children and Youth Services has repeatedly resisted (ombudsmen in some other provinces, such as Alberta, have that authority). Ontario’s CAS typically refuses to share files with its Child Advocate; in his annual report released earlier this year — which found 90 children in provincial care died in 2008 — Irwin Elman called it “almost impossible” to get information necessary to investigate potential agency wrongdoing. In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled parents could not sue child-welfare agencies; provinces, it ruled, owed no “duty of care” to families. The lack of oversight, says Ms. McNeil, creates departments accountable only to themselves.

And there are numerous instances of caseworkers acting improperly. Two years ago, a Nova Scotia judge ruled that workers intervening in a divorce custody dispute were so biased against the mother, and in favour of the father — who lived with a woman previously the subject of interventions for violence and neglect — that they took “intentional and deliberate” steps to “mislead the court” by concealing evidence against him. A few years earlier, the CAS of Prescott and Russell, near Ottawa, and one worker, were convicted of contempt of court for refusing to return a two-year-old boy to his parents, defying a judge’s instructions to do so. Agents insisted they were acting in the boy’s “best interests.” In 2001, two judges in Simcoe, Ont., criticized the CAS there for “arbitrary use of government power” and unreasonableness “verging on blind obstinacy” in fighting to keep children from being adopted by certain foster parents. Several parents interviewed for this story claim to have faced false accusations and bullying from caseworkers harbouring apparent agendas.

A report this year from Saskatchewan’s Children’s Advocate, Marvin Bernstein, found children suffering serious, ongoing abuse and neglect in the care of the province amidst a “culture of non-compliance with policy” among social services staff.

Even when acting with utmost professionalism, whether agents are able to provide children a better, safer environment than where they came from is not certain.

Mr. Bernstein’s report found staff knowingly placing children with histories of committing sexual abuse into crowded foster homes where they preyed on other kids, without alerting foster parents to the problem (one reported that a caseworker assured her “a certain amount of sexual abuse is to be expected in a foster home”). A quarter of children were placed in overcrowded homes, he found, as staff routinely used “manipulative methods” to “trick” foster parents into taking more kids than they were approved for. Two Saskatchewan caseworkers were suspended in February after being discovered shuffling children between foster homes to hide overcrowding conditions from investigators.

“Children’s Aid has no business placing into care a child that they can foresee is going to come out worse the other end than when they went in,” Ms. McKay says. “If that’s the best they can do, just leave them.”

Two teens charged in connection with the recent double murder near Edmonton were in care of a ministry-licensed group home — a place neighbours say they warned the government for years was poorly monitored. In March, a 15-month-old baby in care of Alberta’s Children and Youth Services suffered critical head injuries in a foster home; in the past four years, two Alberta children have been killed by foster parents. A 2008 report found Alberta caseworkers regularly placing kids in unsafe conditions, including abusive situations.

Last year, seven-year-old Katelynn Sampson was killed in Toronto in care of a foster parent with a record of violent crimes, and in Vancouver, police discovered minors in provincial care working as prostitutes. In 2002, Jeffrey Baldwin was abused and neglected to death by a couple with a known history of child abuse but were nonetheless granted custody of the five-year-old by the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. A 2006 CBC investigation uncovered Ontario caseworkers drugging a seven-year-old Ontario boy into a stupor with massive doses of psychotropic medications, which a psychiatrist would later find had “no actual treatment value,” except making him more compliant in his group home. While in his drugged state, he was sexually abused by fellow residents.

Those who believe in the good intentions of child-welfare agencies argue they lack the resources to deal properly with each case; with some workers handling more than 30 clients simultaneously, it is impossible to act perfectly. One problem, believes Ms. McKay, is caseworkers spread too thin, drifting far from the original vision of the state’s role in family matters: protecting kids from verifiable and authentic abuse, cruelty and neglect.

“They need to go back to the basics,” she says. “Do the children look well-nourished? Do they have bruises on them? Are they molested? Is the house crawling with cockroaches? If not, they’re not being abused or neglected.”

But with powerful, generally unaccountable agencies, dependent on justifying their place in a world far improved from the cruelties of J.J. Kelso’s Victorian Toronto, the need to intervene in more cases, for more reasons, may make such discipline difficult. “I would love to just demolish the system and start from scratch again,” she says. “Because it’s gone very far awry here.”

Source

American Children Dying from Abuse at an Alarming Rate

(PRNewsChannel) / Scottsdale, Ariz. / It is a dangerous time to be a child in America according to newly released statistics that report that 1760 children died in the U.S. in 2007 from child abuse and neglect. According to the annual Child Maltreatment Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the data shows a dramatic increase in deaths due to child abuse and neglect- almost one more child each day.

Since 2003, the average number of children in the U.S. who die each day because of abuse and neglect has been four. According to the report, now five children die each day. Based on a UNICEF report, the United States has rates that are 10-15 times higher than the average for leading countries.

“This new report just confirms that we all need to wake up and give this crisis the attention it deserves,” said John Reid, Executive Director of Childhelp. “Five children die every single day in our country due to abuse and most people don’t even realize it. We cannot allow this assault to continue on our children. We must do everything we can to end child abuse now.”

To combat this growing problem, Childhelp is launching a 50 state “End Child Abuse Now” bus tour to raise attention and awareness to the issue. Though the organization has accomplished much and made an impact in the lives of millions of children over the last 50 years, much more needs to be done. Child abuse cases have been increasing across the nation as CPS workers are being laid off during budget cuts and parents struggling with financial problems and venting their frustrations on their children.

“Since 2003, we have witnessed the number of abuse and neglect fatalities for children in our country per day go from three to four and now to five,” continued Reid. “Combine this horrible trend with the current economic downturn, and I am extremely fearful of what that number could be at in the next year to two if we all don’t take immediate action.”

Media Note: Childhelp Executive Director, John Reid, is available for media interviews to discuss the rise of child abuse and other related topics, please contact Derrek Hofrichter at 480-922-8212 if interested.

About Childhelp
In 2009, Childhelp commemorates 50 years of bringing the light of hope and healing into the lives of countless children. CEO and Co-Founder Sara O’Meara and President and Co-Founder Yvonne Fedderson started Childhelp in 1959, establishing it as a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect and at-risk children. Childhelp’s approach focuses on advocacy, prevention, treatment and community outreach.

The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD®, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam. Childhelp’s programs and services also include residential treatment services; children’s advocacy centers; therapeutic foster care; group homes and child abuse prevention, education and training. Childhelp also created the Childhelp National Day of Hope®, held each April during National Child Abuse Prevention Month, that mobilizes people across America to join the fight against child abuse.

For more information about Childhelp and to learn how to get involved in our 50th anniversary celebration, please call 480-922-8212 or visit www.childhelp.org.

Source

Day Care Owner Threw Infant To Floor

AIKEN, S.C. -- A Graniteville woman who operated an in-home day care is headed to prison after admitting she fractured the skull of an infant in her care by striking and throwing the baby to the floor.Erica Paradise, 21, was sentenced to 10 years, suspended to six years and four years probation. Paradise pleaded guilty Monday to child abuse causing great bodily injury.Authorities say Paradise admitted she hit the baby last November because the child had been crying. Paradise threw the child onto her hardwood floor, then onto a bed.Another woman saw the baby having a seizure on the bed and the infant was taken to a hospital where the abuse was discovered.The baby has not shown any sign of permanent injuries.

Source

Child abuse has severe impact

What does the Bible say about child abuse? The Bible does not specifically say anything about child abuse. There is no record of a single instance in the Bible where a child is being abused. What the Bible does tell us is this: Children have a special place in God's heart, and anyone who harms a child is inviting God's wrath upon him.

I would like to see the day when child abuse ends outright. It's hard finding anyone who thinks otherwise. Yet, exactly how to eradicate child abuse requires examination of the trauma itself, root causes, how it happens and why most survivors of child abuse won't talk about it — they'll go to their grave with it.

When an orphan or adolescent experiences trauma such as family violence, child abuse, or witnesses prolonged violence, several problems arise. These children might experience anger, distrust and fear commitment. Children who live through such childhood trauma often suffer permanently.

One of the most destructive consequences of child abuse may be the detrimental effect on a child's school performance. Over and over again, research indicates that abused children demonstrate reduced intellectual functioning and perform very poorly in school. And poor school performance can have serious long-term consequences.

Please get involved by fostering a child and get involved. You have the power to change lives.

Carolyn Payton-Pinson
Source

Antidepressant Drug Celexa Not Effective in Treating Autism

Research scientists, constantly on the lookout for possible treatments for autism have struck out again with Celexa, an antidepressant that had promise in treating symptoms such as repetitive motions. A recent study proved the drug no more effective than a placebo treatment. With a growing number of children across the U.S. being diagnosed with autism each year, doctors and scientists are on a mission to gain more knowledge about the condition, as well as exploring anything that might resemble a treatment option. In this case, the researchers actually reached a result that wasn’t expected, with the drug not proving to be any more affective than a placebo treatment for the condition. To date, there has only been one medication, risperidone (an antipsychotic drug), approved by the FDA to treat irritability and aggression usually seen in children with autism. With approximately 1.5 million Americans with autism, a disorder which is signaled by problems with communication and social interaction and limited proven drug treatments, many doctors are looking to drugs used to treat other conditions, such as those used to treat obsessive compulsive or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Results from the nationwide trial funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the June issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, demonstrates a drug once thought to show promise, may not be so effective for the autistic community. The team of researchers led by Bryan H. King, M.D., director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Seattle’s Children’s Hospital and professor and vice-chairman of psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine, evaluated 149 children who were being treated at six academic medical centers across the U.S., ranging in ages from 5 to 17 and were all diagnosed with autism or related disorders from April 2004 to October 2006. The children were divided into two random groups and given either a placebo or a daily dose of Celexa. Dr. King said the researchers had been expecting to prove the value of the drug in treating autism. However, when evaluating the results, the team found that 32.9 percent who took Celexa and 34.2 percent of those who took the placebo actually showed fewer side effects of autism or less severe repetitive symptoms, and those children given the Celexa actually had more side effects from the drug, such as hyperactivity, impulsiveness, decreased concentration, repetitive movements, and sleep problems. It seems children with autism do better during studies because of the attention they receive, which may explain the good results from the placebo treatment. The researchers explained that without the placebo comparison they may have thought the 32.9 percent reduction in symptoms was a pretty good result. According to Dr. King, “We didn’t expect it to work for everyone, but we were hoping that we’d be able to drill down into the population for whom it was very helpful and begin to identify the predictor of what a positive response would be.” The results raise questions as to the effects of similar antidepressants. However, a Baltimore autism specialist said he has treated children with autism from the ages of 3-5 with smaller dosages of Celexa and was successful. According to Dr. Lawrence Scahill, a study author and professor of child psychiatry and nursing at the Child Study Center at Yale University, “Clinicians should be very careful about what they’re targeting if they’re using medications.” He said antidepressants may be useful in treating children with autism for depression or anxiety, as they are in children without autism, but, “if you are targeting for repetitive behaviors, this medication does not appear to be effective.” Source

The private world of child abuse

The abusive institutions have closed but adults are still trampling all over the rights of children.

One of the great discoveries of the twentieth century is the rights of children. From their status almost as chattels of a patriarchal society -- as portrayed so indignantly by Charles Dickens -- children have evolved into human beings with dignity equal to that of adults, their own charter of rights and official advocates in the form of children’s commissioners. They even have laws in some countries to stay the parental hand that would administer a swift smack or clip around the ear.

To understand what we have left behind -- in reality, and not just in Dickensian caricature -- we need look no further than a recent report on the heartless and brutal regimes that prevailed in Irish industrial schools and other “childcare” institutions in the first half of last century and, in certain forms, in later decades. To read even a summary of the massive dossier compiled by the Ryan commission is to stare into a world of childhood suffering that makes one feel sick and ashamed of the human race.

Thankfully, such institutions have disappeared from the face of the earth, or at least from developed societies. Contemporary culture abhors institutions so there is no danger that children will run foul of them and be knocked about for it.

But there is another danger, and it is all too evident in the reports of child abuse in private homes that appear with distressing regularity; that is the danger of a culture in which self-expression has become the ruling ethos, and in which adults’ right to choose increasingly trumps the basic needs and rights of children.

The prime example of this privatised abuse is abortion, which, as the direct killing of an innocent human being, is a more fundamental and inhuman form of child abuse than anything the old institutions came up with, and just as hidden. It has been said, with some justice, that abortion is seed-bed of today’s often lethal abuse of infants. Certainly, it creates an excuse for abusers: if you can destroy an unwanted child before birth, why not after?

One such case is before a court in New Zealand this week; it concerns the death of a one-year-old boy while in the care -- supposedly -- of his uncle and the uncle’s partner, who is accused of the abuse. The case coincides with the release of a report by the Children's Commissioner on risk factors for death and serious injury from assault of children under five years old in New Zealand, which has one of the highest rates of child abuse among the richer countries.

According to the commissioner, “The report also highlights some risks we need to give more attention to in this country. For instance, there is a particular risk when babies are left in the care of young men who are not biological fathers. (Emphasis added.) They are often totally unprepared for the stresses of a crying baby and may already have problems with anger or alcohol abuse.

”International research has found that they often lash out in an attempt to ‘silence’ the child. With knowledge like this we can make sure that funding and resources to reduce child abuse are directed to the right places and at the right people.”

Well, let’s see what happens. It is very doubtful that “resources” will be applied to the real problem: the undisputed right of adults to drift in and out of “relationships” without regard to the rights and welfare of any resulting children.

The fundamental issue is this: all children deserve and need a loving biological father and a loving biological mother in a stable home. The further you move from that ideal -- which most children grow up in -- the more potential for abuse there is.

Far from minimising this potential, however, we are actually embracing adult “rights” that put more and more children at risk. Through our laissez-faire attitude to sex and marriage, through practices associated with in vitro fertilisation, we are creating children who do not know their parents -- especially their father -- or who are alienated from them by divorce. We foster and finance the institutions which facilitate things like divorce and IVF because it makes the parents, or, a parent, feel good.

In these situations in recent times there has been at least lip-service paid to the principle that the welfare or “interests” of the child are “paramount”. Sorry, kids, that is about to go out the window too.

Writing in the Journal of Medical Ethics this month about IVF, B Solberg asks, If a child does not yet exist, what meaning can its “welfare” have? None, he suggests. Children born in the traditional way may have “interests”, but not ones whom we create: “Potential children seem to be outside morality.”

What really matters in assisted reproduction, says the Norwegian, is the “parental project” of the adults; if it is “meaningful and doable” let them go ahead. He draws the line at providing IVF children for drug addicts, but says the technology ought to be available for homosexual couples, saviour siblings, sex selection -- and anything else that would result in a “functional family”.

Admittedly we are talking here about an obscure article in a journal that appeals mainly to the overheated brains of bioethicists, but it is on just such arguments that the IVF industry depends for its expansion.

In the areas of adoption and fostering there is emerging the same airy disregard for the welfare of children and even the rights and/or interests of birth parents who, for several decades have been treated as partners in their child’s transition to a new family, or a foster family.

Catholic charities in the UK are being forced into a corner where they must abandon adoption work or comply with new regulations which require them to consider homosexual couples as potential adopters, despite their belief that this is a violation of the rights of the child.

Local authorities are handing over children to same-sex couples for fostering against the wishes of birth parents and even when foster care within the extended family is possible. A Catholic mother who placed her 10-year-old son in care after a mental breakdown, is distressed that he has been sent to live with a middle-aged homosexual couple who run a hotel in Brighton. Can the authorities rule out the possibility of sexual abuse in such a case?

Foster care itself is a murky area which in some countries seems on the verge of collapse, as children are farmed out to whoever is on hand and just as arbitrarily removed. Unsuitable foster parents and instability must be the cause of terrible unhappiness to many children. Those who are not able to be placed with foster families end up in group accommodation, which is probably like a mini-orphanage with at least some of the old potential for abuse, including bullying and sexual abuse by other children.

Yes, institutionalised abuse may be gone, but there is absolutely no ground for complacency on that score. Today’s abuse is different, but the fact that it has been privatised makes it not one bit less real or horrific.

And the fact that it occurs in the name of freedom of choice makes it not one bit more excusable. But tackling the assumption that adults must not be impeded in their life “projects” would require a revolution in social ethics that would extend to divorce, sex education, pornography, drug use and, of course, abortion.

In its recommendations on future child policy in Ireland the Ryan report said that existing national guidelines should be uniformly and consistently implemented throughout the State in order to protect vulnerable people. The short title of those guidelines is “Children First”. To put children first, however, Ireland would have to swim against the tide of “adults first” that is lapping the shores of all supposedly advanced societies.

Carolyn Moynihan is deputy editor of MercatorNet.

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Children Services teaching how to identify abuse

MARION - Are there warning signs to indicate a child is being abused or neglected? What qualifies as a potential case of abuse or neglect? What should I do if I suspect a child is being abused?

These and other questions will be presented June 18-19, as Marion County Children Services presents "Child Abuse/Neglect Identification and Reporter" training sessions June 18-19 at the agency.

The sessions are free of charge to Marion County residents, states a press release. Participants may choose from the six-hour training session Friday, June 19, while a "refresher" three-hour program will be offered Thursday, June 18.

Jacque Ringer, intake and investigations supervisor with 10 years of experience in the child welfare profession, will present both sessions.

"This training is designed specifically for mandated reporters - those who are required by Ohio law to report suspected cases of abuse or neglect," Ringer states.

Mandated reporters include attorneys, physicians, dentists, nurses, day care staff, speech pathologists, licensed social workers, school personnel, and those rendering spiritual treatment.

"The world of child welfare is complex," Ringer states. "This training opportunity will assist in the understanding of what constitutes abuse or neglect. It will also empower mandated reporters with the tools needed to report suspicions of abuse or neglect, and as a result, will help serve our mission of keeping children safe."

Each training session will be conducted at Marion County Children Services, 1680 Marion-Waldo Road.

To register or to learn more, contact Jan Farison at Children Services, 740-389-2317, ext. 139. or Ringer at ext. 166, or send an email to moreinfo@marionkids.com by June 17.

Anyone can report suspected child abuse and neglect by calling 740-389-SAFE. A caseworker is available 24/7. All calls are confidential. Visit marionkids.com for more information.

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Prevent Child Abuse joins Family & Children's Center

Tribune Staff Report

MISHAWAKA — The nonprofit Prevent Child Abuse St. Joseph County has become an affiliate of the Family & Children's Center.

Prevent Child Abuse offers prevention classes to schools, parent groups, civic organizations and professional groups. Its representatives cover topics like shaken baby syndrome and the connection between domestic violence and child abuse. The group also leads local events in April for National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

It has been roughly a year since the group's last director left, and during that time, the board decided to save money by coordinating its activities itself, President Ellen Kyes said. That was tough, and it could be the group wasn't able to do as much outreach, she said.

Now that Prevent Child Abuse is part of a larger agency, it has help with fundraising, writing grants and running the programs – offering the potential to grow – Kyes said.

From June 22 to 26, the group will run Roofsit, the annual fundraiser for child-abuse prevention.

Other affiliates of the Family & Children's Center are The Children's Campus, the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County, and Family & Children's Center Counseling and Development Services.
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Type 1 Diabetes Among Young Children Predicted to Rise Dramatically

An estimated 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes each year in the United States, and more than 1 million American children and adults live with the disease every day. Previously known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed among children and young adults. With this disease, the body does not produce insulin, a hormone that is necessary for the body to convert sugar (glucose) and starches as well as other food into the energy essential for daily life. In addition, having type 1 diabetes increases the risk for serious complications such as heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage.

A recent study has indicated that over the next decade, the incidence of type 1 diabetes among very young children will double in comparison to the number of cases recorded in 2005 if current trends continue. Although these indicators are based on the course of the disease in Europe, it is believed that the rate of increase will be similar in the U.S. Environmental factors are thought to be the driving force behind this increase, yet it remains unclear as to what these environmental vulnerabilities are. Researchers are looking at many possible factors including changes in lifestyles among nations with increasing wealth such as more births by caesarian section, greater height and weight, and fewer infections experienced early in life.

Christopher C. Patterson, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Ireland's Queen's University in Belfast, and colleagues, have concluded that type 1 diabetes is increasing at a much faster rate among young children and teens than previously predicted. The study results can be found in the journal The Lancet. According to Patterson, “We are likely to see more children with severe diabetes complications presenting at earlier ages if we fail to recognize and adequately treat disease in very young patients.”

During their study, the researchers analyzed data gathered from the registries of 20 centers in 17 European countries. Information was included on 29,311 children having type 1 diabetes, who were registered between the years 1989 and 2003. Findings of the analysis revealed an overall increase in type 1 diabetes incidence of 3.9 percent annually.

The largest increase of 5.4 percent was seen in childen under the age of 5 years compared to an annual increase of 4.3 percent among children ages 5 through 9 years, and a rate of 2.9 percent among children ages 10 through 14 years. If this general course of increase continues, the total number of cases of type 1 diabetes is projected to jump by 70 percent by the year 2020, and rates are expected to double for children under the age of 5.

An estimated 15,000 cases of type 1 diabetes were diagnosed in Europe in 2005. Of those cases, children ages 4 and younger accounted for 24 percent, while those ages 5 through 9 accounted for 37 percent, and children 10 to 14 years of age accounted for 34 percent. The researchers predict that number could reach 24,400 new cases in 2020. With the continuation of current trends, the total number of new and existing cases in European children under the age of 15 could jump from 94,000 in 2005 to 160,000 in 2020.

To prepare for the future case growth, Patterson wrote, “In the absence of any effective means to prevent Type 1 diabetes, European countries need to ensure appropriate planning of services and that resources are in place to provide high- quality care for the increased numbers of children who will be diagnosed with diabetes in future years.” Source

Unvaccinated Children at Much Greater Risk for Whooping Cough

Whooping cough, known medically as pertussis, is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory system that is marked by severe coughing spells that end in a “whooping” sound when the person breathes in. Before a vaccine was available, whooping cough was a major cause of childhood illness and death in the U.S., but with the introduction of a vaccine in the 1940s, the number of cases fell from approximately 200,000 a year to an all-time low of 1,010 in 1976. Since then, however, the number of whooping cough cases has been steadily increasing, reaching 25,827 in 2004; the highest since 1959. Experts believe this trend could be due in part to the rising number of parents who refuse some or all of the recommended immunizations for their children—a theory confirmed by a recent study. To get a better idea of the impact immunization refusal has had on whooping cough, Dr. Jason Glanz and colleagues analyzed the records of children 2 months to 18 years enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Colorado health plan from 1996 to 2007. They looked for children who had laboratory-confirmed cases of whooping cough, and for those whose parents had refused at least one of the initial series of DPT—diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus—immunizations for nonmedical reasons. The researchers found that unvaccinated children were 23 times more likely to get the infection than those who received the full course of immunizations. Additionally, a second analysis of 27,748 children from 2 to 20 months of age who were continuously enrolled at Kaiser Permanente, there was a similarly high risk of infection among the children of parents who refused the vaccine. “This study helps dispel one of the commonly held beliefs among vaccine-refusing parents: that their children are not at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases,” Dr. Glanz said. “It also shows that the decision to refuse immunizations could have important ramifications for the health of the entire community. Based on our analysis, we found that 1 in 10 additional whooping cough infections could have been prevented by immunization.” While the study did not examine the reasons why parents refused to have their children vaccinated, the researchers say it could be because as many vaccine-preventable diseases, such as whooping cough, polio and smallpox, become rarer, parents are shifting their focus from disease prevention to issues of vaccine safety. Though numerous studies have found no link between vaccines and autism, the fear is still prompting some parents to refuse vaccinations. Other parents believe their children are at low risk for infection and that many diseases aren’t a severe enough threat to their children’s health. “These findings stress the need to further understand why parents refuse immunizations and to develop strategies for conveying the risks and benefits of immunizations to parents more effectively,” the researchers write. Dr. Gregory Poland, director of Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group in Rochester, Minnesota says the findings are consistent with other studies and agrees that “parents need to know they place their children at a documented and real risk, as well as others, when they refuse vaccines based on inaccurate information.” He added that “there is plenty of pertussis out there and it is highly contagious.” The bacteria spread from person to person through tiny drops of fluid from an infected person’s nose or mouth. These may become airborne when the person coughs, sneezes, or laughs. Others then can become infected by inhaling the drops or getting the drops on their hands and then touching their mouths or noses. Experts believe that up to 80 percent of non-immunized family members will develop whooping cough if they live in the same house with someone who has the infection. Dr. Glanz and his colleagues say they are concerned that the decreased immunization rates could also lead to other disease outbreaks across the country. For instance, in 2008 there were 131 cases of measles, the most in 12 years. The study will appear in the June 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics.
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Parent speaks out about Shaken Baby Syndrome

By Jamie Rogers
Morning News Reporter

Child advocates are warning Pee Dee residents about a form of child abuse that may seem harmless to some but can cause the death and serious injury of children.

Violently shaking an infant or small child is a form of abuse known as Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to child advocates for Keeping Kids Safe at Home, a program of Prevent Child Abuse Pee Dee.

An infant to a 5-year-old child can be a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome, said Erin McDaniel, whose child died as a result of the syndrome in 2007.

“Their brains aren’t formed enough to fill up the area (inside their skull) and so the brain hits the skull when you shake them,” she said. “The first minute they have been shaken, their brain hits their skull more than 100 times. It literally takes 60 seconds to kill a child.”

The result of that impact is bruising, bleeding and swelling of the brain.

Child advocates say caregivers or parents shake babies because they have lost self-control and have become frustrated or angry about the child’s behavior or constant crying. It can take as little as 10 second to harm a child by shaking him, McDaniel said.

Because babies have weak neck muscles, large head and soft brains, even shaking a baby for a few seconds can cause substantial injury, according to Prevent Child Abuse Pee Dee.

“Just to shake them very briefly to the point where someone says, ‘Please just shut up’ and just shake them very vigorously, it can give them cerebral palsy. They can be deaf, blind, never speak or never walk,” McDaniel said. “It can cause any type of learning disability It can cause a lot of problems.”

Child advocates say about 75 percent of Shaken Baby Syndrome victims suffer traumatic injuries that need 24-hour-care. The remaining 25 percent of victims die, according to Prevent Child Abuse data.

McDaniel’s son David Zachery is among that 25 percent. Authorities said the 3-month-old’s nanny, Steven Austin Joye, shook him violently, then left him unattended for hours, ultimately causing his death in February 2007. Joye was convicted of homicide by child abuse and unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person by a legal custodian one year after Zachery’s death.

McDaniel said anyone can harm a child by shaking him but, statistically, young men like Joye who are between the ages of 17-21 are more likely to shake babies.

Parents should instruct their child’s nanny or caregiver to lay the child down if they become frustrated, McDaniel said.

“They should call the parent and let them know the child is too fussy to be dealt with that day and that they need a break,” she said. “That something I always said I wish Steven would have done, just picked up the phone.”

If a parent finds themselves becoming frustrated by a child’s incessant crying, they should walk away from the situation and get help, McDaniel said.

“If a baby is fussy, then lay them down,” she said. “That’s what a baby has lungs for, to cry.”

Caregivers can also try bathing a child, offering him a pacifier or speaking and singing softly to calm him. Rocking or dancing with a child as well as wrapping him in a blanket and gently tapping his back also can quiet a child.

If all else fails, the caregiver can call someone they trust to watch the child until composure can be regained.

Caregivers can also call the 24-hour ChildHelp Pee Dee line at (866) 867-9857. A telephone counselor is available to talk about the situation and find a solution.

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Baby's crying will end; brain injury won't

They're cute, they're tiny and they're entirely capable of driving their new parents crazy with frustration.

Every mom and dad knows that newborns, those little bundles of joy, can be angels or demons. When asleep, they're so easy to love, when awake and smiling they're just adorable -- but when it's 2 a.m. and they've been squalling for hours on end, they can be very hard to take.

And when they squall for such a long time, bad things can happen.

In the last year, Maine, tragically, saw 12 cases of babies with "shaken baby syndrome," the term for a brain injury caused by the violent shaking of an infant or small child. That's triple the number of cases during the previous year.

During just the last two months, Bangor's Eastern Maine Medical Center has had four cases of babies with serious head injuries. All were victims of actions by parents or caregivers that could cause longstanding or permanent brain damage or even death.

The increase in shaken baby cases is matched by another gruesome statistic: Between 2006 and 2008, the number of cases of severe physical abuse of children reported to the state has increased 40 percent. The state defines severe physical abuse as cases of children with broken bones, bruises and other evidence being treated violently.

And that increase isn't an artifact of increased public attention to the problem. "It's not just better surveillance or making the diagnosis more often," Maine child abuse expert Dr. Lawrence Ricci told reporter David Hench. "It's that more kids are coming in."

The No. 1 cause of shaken baby syndrome is prolonged crying by the child. So a new effort is being mounted in the state to help parents of newborns learn about crying and colic in babies while still in the hospital or birthing center.

The effort, spearheaded by the Maine Children's Trust and funded by private donations, uses a program developed nationally to fight shaken baby syndrome. It includes a video that features a number of families describing their experience with an inconsolable baby, their frustration and sense of powerlessness. It's paired with coaching by health care workers, both in the hospital and during home and doctor visits, on how to deal with the crying.

Prime among the lessons of the program is the message that a baby's incessant crying is normal and that it will pass in time -- and that parents who are at the end of their rope need to walk away to calm down.

The effort is an important one and we wish it much success. In New York State, one region that undertook a similar program saw a 50 percent reduction in abusive head traumas over five years.

But while we're encouraged by the tackling of this particular aspect of the problem, we're also horrified at the increase in child abuse cases in Maine and recognize that while we may be able to tackle one small -- but significant -- part of the problem, there's an even larger one that desperately needs to be solved.

Editorials represent the opinion of the Editorial Board of this newspaper: Publisher John Christie, Executive Editor Eric Conrad and Opinion Page Editor Naomi Schalit.

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Deadly Child Abuse Cases Double In Central Florida

ORLANDO -- Child abuse is on the rise in Central Florida.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the number of fatal child abuse cases in Central Florida more than doubled in the last year from 14 to 30.

Already this year, the deaths of 59 children are under investigation.

The chairwoman of the state's Child Abuse Death Review Team believes we will see another increase next year. Major Connie Shingledecker believes the recession may be a contributing factor as unemployment and financial problems are increasing people's stress levels.

Men are usually the perpetrators in abuse cases, while women lead in neglect.

Statistics show the most typical abuser profile is the boyfriend of a single mom, 18 to 30, and unemployed.

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Washington Worker Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse Nonprofit Scam

WASHINGTON — A national non-profit group that helps victims of child sexual abuse has become a victim itself — of a scam by its own employees.

Federal court documents say three employees of the National Children's Alliance in Washington orchestrated a payroll scheme that cost the nonprofit group more than $50,000.

A staff accountant, Michael Young, pleaded guilty today to taking nearly $10,000 in five extra paychecks. He told the judge he now has a new job at another nonprofit.

Earlier this month, the agency's former finance director — Sharon Martin — pleaded guilty to stealing eight payroll paychecks totaling more than $15,000. She and Young each face up to six months in prison.

And the group's former chief financial officer is scheduled to plead guilty next month. Marvin Perry has been charged with stealing $27,000 in additional paychecks.

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Despair is no excuse for violence against children

Parents are responsible for protecting their child, and allowing any abuse to continue is unacceptable

Claudia Jones (Damned by despair, 6 May) argues that women who allow their partners to abuse their children do so "because they are in utter despair" due to the lack of love they have experienced in their lives, and that "unless we can understand that despair ... we will not be able to address seriously the problem of child abuse".

I am a survivor of intra-familial sexual child abuse, and I find her sympathies misplaced. Few abuse survivors would disagree with her that "we are not training ... enough social workers" qualified in child protection work.

Similarly, I agree that the idea "the child is best with the natural family" needs to be questioned where the child is known to have been abused by an adult family member, and I'd support her view that it is "time to fund a significant expansion of our non-medical mental health service staff", not least for those of us dealing with the after-effects of abuse.

But the starting-point for any discussion should be that there is no acceptable level of child abuse. The real victims are abused children - it is we who have to overcome the devastating effects of being raped as a child by a parent or other caregiver who we thought was supposed to love us.

When this is compounded by another parent who allows the perpetrator to get away with the abuse, the damage to the child's self-esteem is incalculable. The trauma to which we were subjected leads us to suffer from depression, difficulties in forming intimate relationships, loss of family, terrible flashbacks and many other wounds, from which it is a lifetime's work to recover.

Researchers estimate that at least 10% of people were sexually abused as children. Incestuous abuse of children by parents is known to be far more common than anyone would have believed 20 years ago. Intra-familial abuse is not confined to economically marginal households: it also occurs in outwardly respectable families.

My abuser was my father; when I disclosed the abuse to my grandmother as a child, my mother insisted that the police should not be called and told me never to speak about it. My parents were both Catholic school teachers. They continued to live together as a married couple until my father's death. Today I am on a journey of healing and have recovered a sense of my own self-worth, but it has been a long and rocky road.

I want to see a world in which it is unthinkable for an adult to inflict the pain of abuse on any child - and for another adult to stand by and let it happen. This cannot come about if we give the message that mothers who tolerate the abuse of their children by their partners are to be pitied or condoned.

The overriding responsibility of any parent is to do everything in their power to protect an abused child from further suffering. When there are reasonable grounds for suspecting abuse, it should be immediately reported, and carers should take action to keep the child safe without delay.

• The writer is an incest survivor who is actively recovering from the effects of the abuse he experienced response@guardian.co.uk

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Child abuse terms reduced on appeal

A couple who severely abused their nine-year-old daughter had their sentences reduced by three years yesterday by the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal.

The case of the Emirati girl was highlighted by authorities in a move to raise awareness of child abuse.

Her father and stepmother were originally sentenced to 10 years in prison on April 26 by the Criminal Court of First Instance and fined a total of Dh160,000 (US$43,570).

The public prosecution appealed, demanding the maximum penalty of 15 years. The parents also appealed in hopes of reducing the sentence.

The Appeal Court hearing was closed to the public at the request of the father. The father, dressed in blue prison overalls, walked up to the judge as the verdict was delivered. With no expression on his face, he returned to his seat. His wife, who is believed to be pregnant, was not present. Despite the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department’s renewed call for transparency, the judge declined to give any reason for reducing the sentence.

The girl, who has been recovering in Al Mafraq Hospital, was admitted in February when her father claimed she had fallen off her bicycle. She had severe bruises, burns and scars on her body. According to medical reports she was 80 per cent physically disabled.

Doctors who examined her doubted the father’s claim and contacted the police who arrested him and the girl’s stepmother.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, visited her in hospital along with his daughter. Both he and Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Minister of Interior, spoke out against child abuse and have personally committed themselves to the wellbeing of children.

The April 26 hearing received nationwide attention in an effort to bring the issue of child abuse to the surface. It marked the first case in which journalists were invited by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to attend court proceedings.

At the initial hearing, the father insisted he was “protecting” his daughter. The stepmother, who was accused of doing most of the hitting, confessed to beating the child to teach her not to “touch herself”.

In an emotional outburst, the man’s mother recounted how her granddaughter would confide in her about the abuse by the stepmother. The man’s family condemned him in court for failing to stop his own daughter being abused.

The reduced sentence came as a surprise to Dr Leena Amiri, a child psychiatrist and lecturer at Al Ain University Medical School, who is among a team handling the child’s healing process.

“I am shocked, to be honest,” she said. “It really sends the wrong message that we are too lenient about something that surprisingly came out in public after a long time. It raises more questions than it answers.”

Asked if the child was expected to make a full recovery, she added: “It’s too early to tell at this stage, but we are hopeful because she is getting the best attention possible. I just hope we can all learn from this tragedy.”

This case has opened discussion on the Child Rights Act, which is being proposed by the Ministry of Social Affairs. The draft law promises to criminalise child abuse and institute a foster care system in which abused children can be taken into state custody. It further sets penalties on people who know of abuse and fail to report it, such as housemaids and family members, with fines of Dh2,000 to Dh10,000. While the proposed law has yet to be introduced in the Federal National Council for debate, there are existing laws under which parents can be prosecuted for abuse. The new law would be the first comprehensive legal document dedicated to children’s rights.

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'Is it really child abuse to slap your own kid?'

Q: My 15-year-old son mouthed off to me the other night. I cannot stand his filthy mouth anymore and I slapped him. He told his assistant principal and the next thing I knew, the county was called in. Is it really child abuse to slap your own kid, even if he is wrong?

A: It is not illegal in Pennsylvania to slap your child as long as it doesn't leave a mark or cause lasting pain, the Help for Families panel says. However that doesn't mean it's morally right.

''Something that isn't legally abuse, could be philosophically abuse,'' says panelist Marcie Lightwood. ''There is a fine line between what's abuse and what isn't abuse.''

A child is typically taken from parents only in extreme situations, the panelists say.

''Children die as a result of child abuse so they have to have official laws to protect children,'' says panelist Bill Vogler. ''However I think the law is stacked in favor of protecting parents' rights.''

The panel agrees there are better ways to deal with your son.

''If you strike someone in anger, there is no way to control the outcome,'' says panelist Ann Friedenheim. ''If his language is that disturbing, maybe you should get help for both of you.''

Every time you use violence to discipline a child you're overlooking all the other options adds Lightwood. ''When you lose control, your child wins,'' she says. ''He has knocked you off balance.''

''Some people actually think it's OK to hit a child because 'I was hit as a child and turned out fine,' '' Friedenheim says. ''But meeting anger with anger doesn't solve any problems.''

Pick a time when tempers are cool, sit down with your son to talk and set up household rules, the panel suggests.

''Set a consequence, and then impose it unemotionally and rationally,'' says Vogler.

Slapping your son also could be a stepping stone to abuse, says panelist Denise Continenza. ''Violence is what people resort to when they are frustrated,'' she says. ''If you keep resorting to violence, it could destroy the parent-child relationship.''

''There's no excuse for slapping a child,'' agrees panelist Rochelle Freedman. ''Learn stress-reduction techniques to cool down whenever you feel the rage mounting.''

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Authorities Speak Up Against Child Sex Abuse

The phone call to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was unusual. The caller, who refused to identify himself, asked Putin to crack down on pedophiles and then quickly hung up.

Putin, who took the call during a televised call-in show in December, promised to toughen penalties for people who sexually abuse children and pointed to State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, who happened to be in the studio at the moment, as the man who would spearhead the legislative effort.

The spontaneity of the call is disputable. Putin's staff preselects all calls to his call-in shows, and media reports have suggested that the staff orchestrated some of the calls on that December day.

But one thing is for sure. Since the call, the government has adopted a harder line on child abuse -- at least in words.

On Monday, International Child Protection Day, Kremlin supporters campaigned heavily against child abuse. Senior officials with United Russia, the pro-Kremlin party that Putin and Gryzlov co-head, held a Moscow round-table on measures to prevent child abuse. Young Guard, the party's youth branch, held street rallies in 45 cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, to educate children about ways to protect themselves from abuse, the group said on its web site. Another pro-Kremlin youth group, Nashi, held a rally against pedophiles in Moscow.

Statistics on sex crimes against children are scarce. The number of children who were nonviolently sexually abused by adults increased sevenfold from 2003 to 2007 to 5,405, according to legislation under consideration in the Duma that would make good on Putin's promise for tougher penalties on child abusers.

In 2007, the most recent year that statistics are available for, 8,805 children were victims of violent sexual abuse, the legislation says.

Meanwhile, the number of criminal cases involving suspected pedophiles that were sent to court grew from 35 in 2003 to 351 in 2006, it said. The figures do not indicate, however, how many suspects were involved and how many were convicted.

But even a conviction does not necessarily mean that a child abuser will serve much time in prison. In March, a former United Russia lawmaker with the Perm regional legislature, Igor Pastukhov, won early release after being convicted of raping a boy. Pastukhov had spent three years in prison after being sentenced to six, and his release on parole stirred up anger in Perm. Regional prosecutors said his release was legal.

Curiously, the former lawmaker was freed just days after President Dmitry Medvedev ordered law enforcement agencies to step up their efforts to prevent child abuse. "Proper work to prevent the most terrible and cynical crimes in this area can only be done through the combined efforts of all of society," Medvedev said at the meeting at his Gorki residence outside Moscow.

Medvedev said Russia needed "a system of childhood protection" that included new legislation, measures to prevent child abuse and social services to care for abused children.

Russia's current system of fighting child sex crimes is ineffective, especially when compared to that of the United States, Russian and U.S. experts concurred at a recent conference on fighting child sexual abuse.

"It is typical for a pedophile to get three or four years or a suspended sentence, and when they get out, they are not controlled in any way," Vladimir Ovchinsky, adviser to the chief judge of the Constitutional Court, told the April 20 conference, which was organized by the Public Chamber.

In the United States, in contrast, an Atlanta doctor arrested in 2004 on suspicion of traveling to Russia to have sex with boys and later convicted on separate child sex charges received 35 years in prison, said Alexandra Gelber, a lawyer with the U.S. Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

Gelber also told the conference that convicted U.S. offenders usually are monitored by authorities for the rest of their lives and restricted in their contact with children.

"If a criminal violates any of these rules, they will go back to jail," she said.

Duma deputies are considering legislation that would extend the maximum prison sentence for people convicted of nonviolent sexual abuse of children from the current four years to 10. The bill would bar a convicted offender from working with children for 20 years instead of the current five.

A separate bill would extend the maximum prison terms for producers, dealers and buyers of child pornography from eight to 15 years. The bill also introduces a legal definition of child pornography.

A third bill would bar such convicts from applying for early release, a right which many prisoners have after serving half of their terms.

The Duma is scheduled to consider the bill on early release in a first reading this month. The other bills have not been placed on the agenda yet.
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Awareness of child abuse is aim of national ride

A ride to raise awareness of child abuse will pass through Walker County later this month.

The National Katelynn Stinnett Memorial Ride will be June 13. One of four participating rides in Georgia will head from Dalton to Rome and finish in LaFayette at Cherokee Farms.

While the ride is planned to roll through the picturesque Georgia countryside, the reason behind the event is a gruesome story and something organizers also want people to remember.

Two-year-old Katelynn Stinnett of Lexington, Ky., was raped and brutally beaten, allegedly by an 18-year-old that was babysitting her Nov. 25. With nearly every bone in her body broken and more than 400 staples or stitches, she was listed in extreme critical condition and died Dec. 3.

A group of friends nicknamed the Steel Horse Cowgirls stepped forward to provide a proper burial and an honor guard for the funeral, even becoming pallbearers that did not leave the child’s side. They slept in church pews overnight to ensure she would not be left alone.

Interest in the cause grew to a point where a nationwide ride was possible, and currently 42 states are involved. Georgia has the most planning to ride that day. The ride, which will be held annually, has even drawn international interest, with events planned in Germany and Australia.

Cathy Hopper of Chatsworth signed on as the organizer of the Dalton-to-LaFayette ride. She was emotionally drawn to the cause after having been abused as a child.

She was even inspired to become a volunteer for CASA, or Court-Appointed Special Advocate, which will benefit from the ride.

“I have walked in the same shoes as these kids,” Hopper said.

The trip will be approximately 123 miles, and will start at 12:30 p.m. at the Dalton Mountain Creek Harley Davidson location. Hopper anticipates more than 300 riders to participate. Riders will donate $15 to participate, and more money will be raised through vendor and auction items.

Overnight camping will be available at Cherokee Farms. Several local bands will perform that evening, including Chad Lewis, Jeff Rogers, the Fly Brothers and the Molly McGuires.

Pre-registration will be possible June 12. For campers that ride in and set up, the gates will open at 1 p.m.

To learn more about CASA, visit www.nationalcasa.org. For more on the ride or to register, call (706) 280-3218 or visit www.orgsites.com/ga/katelynnride2009.

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