Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect (Child Abuse & Neglect Book 1)

This brief e-book about child abuse and neglect is easy-to-read and to understand. It is a summary of important information written for

1. Parents, guardians and family members
2. Teachers and school staff
3. Counselors and psychologists
4. Child welfare students and professionals
5. Police and other law enforcement officials

Children have been abused and neglected nearly as long as man has inhabited earth!

• History reveals how the Sumerians, five thousand years ago, had a man in charge of the whip to punish boys who stepped out of line.
• It was common for the ancient Greek philosophers to have sex with their young male students.
• The Spartans abandoned their weak and deformed children on hillsides or threw them into a deep canyon.
• In China and India, children were cast into rivers as offerings to water gods to bring good harvests.

For most of history, children have been abandoned, beaten, sacrificed, sold, used in sex, murdered, even eaten, and very little was done to protect them.

In 1875, the case of Mary Ellen began a new era for the rights of children. Her adoptive parents abused and neglected Mary Ellen. Concerned church workers tried to convince local authorities to take legal action against the parents. They next appealed for help to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

The SPCA brought Mary Ellen to the attention of the court as a mistreated animal. Since the law did protect animals from abuse, the court took Mary Ellen from her adoptive parents. They went to prison.

Children had at least reached a status equal to animals.

Because of the Mary Ellen case, the New York County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was established. Similar societies began in other American cities.

By 1968, all 50 states had enacted some form of law requiring certain professionals to report child abuse and neglect. In 1974, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was signed into law, creating the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Nearly 100 years after the case of Mary Ellen, a national approach to the problem of child abuse began.

Unfortunately, however, the problem of child abuse and neglect continues.

• Each year, over one million cases of child abuse and neglected are reported to authorities in the United States.
• As many as seven children die each day from abuse.
• About 12 abused children each day suffer brain damage.
• It is impossible to know exactly how many children suffer from emotional, physical or mental handicaps resulting from abuse and neglect.

What can we do about this national tragedy?

How can we save children from further abuse and neglect?

One answer is citizen involvement. Concerned citizens saved Mary Ellen. Law enforcement and government agencies cannot do the job alone. They, and the children they protect, need your help.

This concise book provides important info about child abuse and neglect, including the answers to 20 revealing questions about this national tragedy.

• Who commits child abuse?
• Who reports child abuse and neglect?
• Do I have legal protection when I report suspected child abuse?
• Do I need proof that a child has been abused?
• What information should I know when reporting suspected child abuse?
• What happens to the child when abuse or neglected is proven?

There is also an explanation of How a Case of Child Abuse is Handled.

Five more lists provide additional child abuse and neglect information such as

1. Conditions common to abusive parents
2. Possible indicators of child abuse and neglect
3. Effects of sexual child abuse
4. Symptoms of neglect and psychological abuse
5. Agencies to contact about child abuse and neglect

If you’re concerned about abused and neglected youth purchase this e-book! What you learn may just make all the difference in a child’s life.