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Join The Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center in this campaign by:
Attending an I believe event:
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Playing in the I believe... Golf Marathon.
Arranging for child abuse prevention training for your staff or volunteers who work with children.
Asking your employer to put up an "I believe..." poster and to include the logo in their advertising for the month of April.
Asking businesses and restaurants that you frequent to put up an "I believe..." poster.
Asking your church, synagogue or place of worship to put up an "I believe..." poster and to include the logo in their newsletters or bulletins during April.
Volunteering your time.
Donating to DNLCC or the Next Child Fund.
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The Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center (DNLCC) is giving Charleston area residents knowledge and tools to keep children safe as part of its annual child abuse awareness campaign. The I believe... Campaign focuses on the belief that child abuse is a grown-up problem, and we as adults are the key to successful prevention and treatment. To protect children, adults first need to be educated about abuse.
Results from "Do girls suffer more abuse
than boys ?" |
49% believe YES, girls suffer more abuse than boys.
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51% believe NO, girls do not suffer more abuse than boys.
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Answer: Boys and girls are equally likely to suffer physical and emotional abuse; however, girls are slightly more likely to be sexually abused.
According to Child Maltreatment 2006:
- 48.2 percent of child victims were boys
- 51.5 percent of the victims were girls.
Often pre-conceptions about abuse keep adults from protecting children. In addition to understanding that both girls and boys are at risk of abuse, adults need to understand the other factors that contribute to a child’s vulnerability to abuse. Two contributing factors are:
The youngest children had the highest rate of victimization. In fact, the rate of victimization decreases proportionally as a child gets older.
Contrary to popular belief, children from all socio-economic classes are at risk for abuse. However, certain family stressors may increase the risk of abuse. Poverty is the most frequently noted risk factor for certain types of child abuse.
How to protect children
While there is no action that is guaranteed to protect children from abuse, there are steps adults can take to decrease the likelihood of abuse, such as:
- Talk to children – part of keeping children safe from abuse is giving them words to talk about it. With young children, it is important that you ask them to tell you what they heard, to ensure that they understand.
- Create safe environments – When relying on other adults to care for your child, ask questions! In order to determine whether your child will be safe in this person’s care, you must ask questions that may seem intrusive or even rude. The comfort of the adult must be secondary to your child’s safety.
Adults need to understand that children are not prepared or able to protect themselves from the risk of abuse -- children must rely on the adults in their lives to keep them safe.
For more information:
Read “Children Can’t Protect Themselves…It’s Your Job” to learn how to keep children safe.
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| Results from "Are abused children required to be removed from their home?" |
56% believe YES, abused children are required to be removed from their home.
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44% believe NO, abused children are not required to be removed from their home.
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Answer: No
Usually, children can stay with their families while the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the family develop a plan to address the identified concerns. HOWEVER, sometimes the risk of harm to children is so great that they can’t remain with their families.
Where do children go?
The Department of Social Services initially will attempt to place children removed from their home with members of their extended families.
When this is not possible, children may be placed with foster families or in other settings, such as an emergency shelter.
Who can remove a child from their home?
A child may only be removed from the home if there is a likelihood of substantial and imminent danger to a child’s life, health or physical safety.
In an emergency situation, law enforcement officials can remove a child from his or her home. When children have been taken into emergency protective custody, a court hearing is held within 72 hours.
In all other instances, the Department of Social Services must go before a family court judge to request a child be placed into foster care.
How do parents get their children back?
Families have the right to receive services to promote timely reunification with their child. Services may include individual or family counseling, parent skills training, alcohol or drug treatment, and assistance in getting food, housing, clothing and medical care.
If the child must remain in DSS’s care for more than a day or two, DSS workers meet with the family to develop a plan for treatment of the child and family, opportunities for the child and family to maintain contact, if appropriate, and the return of the child to the family when it is safe to do so. If parents do not comply with required treatment in the specified time frame, children may be freed for adoption.
Ways you can help:
For more information:
"Caring for Children...Caring for Families... Caring for the Future," S.C. Department of Social Services
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| Results from "Are children more likely to be abused by their mother?" |
53% believe YES, children are more likely to be abused by their mother.
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47% believe NO, children are no more likely to be abused by their mother.
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Answer: It depends on the type of abuse.
- Perpetrators of child abuse or neglect are most often the child’s own parents.
- Children are more likely to be PHYSICALLY abused by their mother.
- According to U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2007:
- Approximately 40 percent of child victims were maltreated by their mothers acting alone
- 18.3 percent were maltreated by their fathers acting alone
- 17.3 percent were abused by both parents
- According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) from state Child Protective Services, in 2005:
- 79.4 percent of perpetrators were parents and 6.8 percent were other relatives.
- 3.8 percent of perpetrators were the unmarried partner of a child’s parent
- In 3.6 percent of child maltreatment cases the perpetrators were missing or unknown.
Physical Abuse vs. Sexual Abuse
The characteristics of an abuser depend in part on the type of abuse.
Perpetrators of Physical Abuse:
- Are often emotionally immature
- May have unrealistic expectations about children’s abilities and behaviors (lack of knowledge about child growth and development)
- May lack parenting skills
- May have had negative experiences as a child
- Often have an insufficient support system
- Typically experience frequent family crises (unemployment, etc.)
- May have substance abuse problems
Perpetrators of Sexual Abuse:
- Although we teach our children to be wary of strangers, most sexual abusers know the child they abuse. They may be relatives of the child, a friend of the family, babysitter, neighbor or other adult in the child’s life.
- Men are identified as perpetrators in most cases, regardless of whether the victim is a boy or a girl.
- Often demonstrate excessive interest in having access to children.
- Not all sex offenders were sexually assaulted as children. In fact most child victims do not become sex offenders.
How to protect children
Protective adults should watch for individuals who exhibit the following boundary violations:
- demanding that the child give or get hugs, kisses. etc.
- intrusive behaviors such as continued tickling of a child when the tickling is distressing the child
- not responding to indicators from the child regarding the child’s comfort needs
- indifference to the child’s reactions
- self-focused in meeting their needs through the child
- secret, exclusive and private contact with the child
- caregivers who are more interested in relationships with children than in adult relationships
Protective adults should also:
| Results from "Is spanking child abuse?" |
34% believe YES,
spanking is child abuse.
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66% believe NO,
spanking is not child abuse.
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Answer: Not necessarily
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It is very important to differentiate between spanking that is an acceptable form of discipline and that which causes physical harm to the child.
- Spanking is not abuse. It becomes abuse when it goes beyond what is reasonable and results in injury to the child, such as tissue damage, broken bones, skin lacerations, and bruises.
The South Carolina Code of Laws SECTION 20-7-490 defines child abuse or harm as occurring when a person responsible for the child’s welfare:
“(a) inflicts or allows to be inflicted upon the child physical or mental injury or engages in acts or omissions which present a substantial risk of physical or mental injury to the child, including injuries sustained as a result of excessive corporal punishment, but excluding corporal punishment or physical discipline which:
(i) is administered by a parent or person in loco parentis;
(ii) is perpetrated for the sole purpose of restraining or correcting the child;
(iii) is reasonable in manner and moderate in degree;
(iv) has not brought about permanent or lasting damage to the child; and
(v) is not reckless or grossly negligent behavior by the parents.”
Effectiveness of Spanking:
Research suggests that spanking may be the least effective discipline method because it does not teach an alternative behavior.
- Spanking models and teaches children the way to solve problems is through physical violence. Children may associate spanking with power and may then seek power by hitting.
- Spanking is one way to manage behavior; however, research indicates it can have unintended consequences:
- Hitting children can increase misbehavior.
- Children who are spanked are more likely to hit others, including peers and siblings.
- Adults who were spanked as children are more likely to hit their spouses.
- Spanking is a form of corporal punishment, which is associated with:
- Increased risk of child and spousal abuse
- Increased antisocial and delinquent behavior
- Decreased child and adult mental health
- Increased risk of child and adult aggression
- Impaired learning
Alternatives to Spanking:
The goal of discipline is to teach children. Therefore, other forms of discipline are often more effective as they help develop a child’s conscience and self-control, such as:
- Establishing rules and consequences
- Praising good behavior in children
- Modeling good behavior for children
- Explaining and reasoning
Consider the following: If an adult hits another adult, the behavior is legally classified as assault. Why should it be any different with a child?
For more information:
Effective Discipline Techniques for Parents: Alternatives to Spanking
Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child? The Negative Effects of Spanking--and Some Healthy Alternatives
10 Alternatives to Spanking
The I believe Campaign is possible through
the generous support of:
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