Child Abuse in the USA: Abuse at Home, Substance Abuse, and Foster Care

This is the continuation to http://www.progressiveu.org/221453-child-abuse-usa-homelessness-and-prostitution

The home is usually where the first abuse a child experiences originates, the abuse that later leads him to the streets, drug use, and crime. It's difficult to tell how many children are victims of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse at home due to severe underreporting, but even the reported numbers are shocking: last year, over three million children were reported as neglected/abused (7, 52).

Other estimates on the number of abused children can be made based on the prevalence of domestic violence - between 50% to 70% of men who abuse their female partners also abuse their partners children. Witnessing violence, even without being the target of it, can also be extremely harmful to a child, and be a major component in their later delinquency. It is estimated that between 1.5 and 3.3 million children witness some form of violence in their own homes - and those children typically exhibit more aggressive and delinquent behavior than children from nonviolent homes (7, 38, 52).

As can be seen, as well as being more at risk for living on the street and all the risks that come with that, children who are abused are also far more at risk for becoming juvenile delinquents. A study comparing abused to non-abused children found that abused children are 4.8 times more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, and 11 times more likely to be arrested as a juvenile for a violent crime. This is divide is similar in adulthood, with abused children being twice as likely to be arrested as an adult, and three times more likely to be arrested as an adult for a violent crime (45, 51, 52).

Child abuse - and criminal activity in general - is often exacerbated by alcoholism and substance abuse. It is estimated that seven out of ten cases of child abuse and neglect are exacerbated by the abusers used of alcohol or other drugs. 67% of parents with children in the foster care system require substance abuse treatment. Children whose parents abuse drugs and alcohol are about four times more likely to be abused or neglected than children whose parents are not substance abusers (38, 52).

Approximately 20% of adults with a severe mental illness abuse alcohol, compared to only 6% among adults without severe mental illness. Abused children are quite likely to have serious mental health problems into adulthood, or simply to use alcohol as a coping mechanism, as their parents had, and are thus far more likely than their peers to end up dependent on alcohol and even continuing the abuse they themselves had suffered (51).

It is estimated that over 80% of children in foster care - who have typically suffered abuse - have mental health issues. As well as putting them more at risk for becoming alcoholics, this also raises their likelihood of becoming juvenile delinquents. A recent federal study of teens in juvenile detention found that 66% of the boys and 75% of the girls had at least one psychiatric disorder. However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human services estimates that about 80% of children who need mental health services do not receive them. Typically, they are afraid to speak of them, or of the abuse they suffer (51, 52).

Even when abuse does surface and reaches the authorities, it is quite likely nothing will be done. Many claims of abuse are dismissed as "unfounded" because of lack of evidence - or they are not even investigated. A frightened child can easily be made to lie to a social worker, and even trained professionals typically will believe an adult over a child. Even when there is clearly abuse, the focus is often not on the child's best interests, but rather on keeping the family intact - even in cases where the child would clearly be better off with a different family who actually showed him love and care.

However, even when a child does escape an abuse family by entering the foster care system, his future is often not much brighter. Many suffer untreated mental illnesses, don't have a stable place to live, and still don't receive proper care. Only 54% of foster care youth end up completing high school, despite that many do express the desire to attend college - it's rare for them to have the means.

Surveys show that only 38% of former foster youth maintain employment for one year and that 25% have been homeless at least once after leaving foster care. They're also quite likely to engage in delinquency and later in serious crime - in Clark Country, Nevada, 41% of former foster care youth reported spending at least one night in jail (33, 52).

Another problem is the lack of treatment available to those parents who abuse their children due to their own addiction to alcohol or drugs. Yet while, as mentioned above, 67% of parents with children in the child welfare system require substance abuse treatment, only about 31% are able to get those treatment - though comprehensive substance abuse treatment has been shown to be quite effective. For instance, 68% of women who stayed in comprehensive drug programs longer than three months stayed drug and alcohol free, compared to 48% of those who left within the first three months (33, 52).

Clearly much is lacking in the response to child abuse. In my opinion, what must change in that system to ensure the safety of abused children are their main priorities. The first priority must be the child, the child's wishes, and the child's best interests. A child should not be made to live with people who have hurt him in the past, even if they are not doing so currently - he should live in a place where he can feel safe and secure.

As well as taking a serious look at the policies of child protective services and of the quality of foster care, better treatment must be offered to those parents who can be reunited with their children. If it is determined that it is in a child's best interest to live with her parents, those parents must first receive adequate treatment so they do not continue the abuse.

If you enjoyed this post, please rate it! The final part of this paper will be posted soon.