Affects Of Child Abuse

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Buried in all our sincere efforts to solve these pressing issues is a core social problem contributing to many of them: the (Word deleted) Exploitation of Children. These crimes of indescribable betrayal frequently remain cloaked in silence, though visited repeatedly in the minds of victims. The aftermath of such trauma can no longer be disputed. A flood of documentation confirms that (word deleted) abuse leaves its victims profoundly vulnerable to a host of other problems. In fact, every major social issue effecting the education, personal relationships, addictive behavior and mental/physical health of Americans today all-too-often shares the common denominator of childhood (word deleted) abuse.

Not surprisingly, most of us find the thought of childhood (word deleted) abuse extremely disturbing. Sadly, that aversion has caused generations of Americans to skirt this social epidemic rather than address it head-on.

Surely a nation founded on democratic doctrine and upheld as a beacon of hope to the world, a society that can land men on the moon and recover lost treasures from unfathomable sea depths - surely such a nation can live up to its moral obligations as well.
By striving to prevent the (word deleted) exploitation of America's children and youth, we prevent a legion of related social problems that rob our country of its full potential. Lest we forget: children make up only 30% of our population, but a full 100% of our future as a nation. They depend on us to protect them. Let's not let them down.

Poor School Performance/Drop Out:

Victimized children had IQs 13 points below the general average of 100 and severely depressed reading abilities.
The National Institute for Justice, 1991
Cathy Spatz Widom

Smoking:

Smoking is strongly associated with adverse childhood experiences (i.e. [word deleted], emotional or physical abuse; battered mother; parental separation or divorce; growing up with a substance-abusing, mentally ill or incarcerated household member.) Primary prevention of adverse childhood experiences and improved treatment of exposed children could reduce smoking among both adolescents and adults.
JAMA, 1999;282:1652-1658
American Medical Association

Drug & Alcohol Abuse:

(Word deleted) victimized children appear to be at a threefold risk for substance abuse.
Childhood Sexual Abuse: Impact on a community's mental health status
1992, K. D. Scott

Men who have been (word deleted) abused have higher rates of psychological problems, alchohol misuse and self-destructive behavior than men who have not been abused.
The British Medical Journal, Royal Free and University College Medical School
1999, Prof. Michael King

Violence/Arrests:

Abused or neglected children are 67 times more likely to be arrested between ages 9-12 than those who aren't.
The Child Welfare League

Approximately 31% of women in prison state they were (word deleted) abused as children.
U.S. Department of Justice, 1991

Teen Pregnancy:

62% of pregnant and parenting adolescents had experienced molestation, attempted rape, or rape prior to their first pregnancy.
Boyer & Fine, 1993

74% of women who had intercourse before age 14 report a history of forced (word deleted) intercourse.
Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994

Between 11% and 20% of girls were pregnant as a direct result of rape.
Boyer & Fine, 1993

Women on Welfare:

Over the last decade, six surveys of welfare recipients have produced estimates of (word deleted) abuse that are both diverse and strikingly high. In Paterson, N.J., 24% of the recipients surveyed said they had been (word deleted) abused as children. The figure was 25% in Michigan, 28% in Chicago, 38% in Washington State, 41% in Utah and 42% in Worcester, Mass.

"It is extremely common," said Kathryn Edin, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, who has interviewed hundreds of women on welfare. "Nobody in the policy-making community talks about this, and they should."
The New York Times, November 28, 1999 by Jason DeParle

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