Human Service Issue
The issue of child maltreatment is severe in the New York City. There were three million reports documented in 2004 in the United States. There are many welfare organizations working for the protection of children who are abused, unwanted, and neglected by the citizens. There is no significant success in resolving the issue, but someone should raise the voice for children who cannot communicate their problems to the concerned authorities (Schagrin, 2007).
Analysis of the Issue
The cases reported in the year 2004 highlighted some reasons for child abuse in the society. There were many reasons observed in the cases of child maltreatment. The highlighted issues were domestic violence, unemployment, poverty, social isolation, and marital discord. Children are abused by their family members because of lack of skills and abilities to raise a child. Another fact that was common that maltreatment targets usually include those who are mentally ill or disabled (Jenny, 2010).
The main factor associated with the child maltreatment is that a child less than four years of age may die during the abuse. Another important factor is the increase of caregiver burden among children. A child may become disabled or get mentally disturbed because of the abuse. There are some community risk factors that may result in increasing the abuse in the society. Community violence and poor social connections may amount to an increase in the abuse.
Affected Population Details
The social workers realized that the figures represented only one-third of the actual incidents. The ratio of child maltreatment was 2.9 per 1000 children in the country. Approximately, four children lose their life daily, and some children faced small injuries. According to the survey of 2005, around 17.6 percent of the teenagers live in poverty. The young adults and children were badly affected by the abuse and were neglected in the community. Although there are children welfare organizations working for the improvement in the growth of children living in the United States but still there is a need to assess those programs and make amendments in them to ensure children welfare. The issue is not common only in the United States, but it is also significant in other countries like India and Nigeria.
Theories to Resolve the Issue
Ecological theory is applicable in preventing the child abuse by improving four systems that are individual, family, community, and culture. A child can be abused by another individual who enjoys the dominant position than the child himself. The behavior of family should be polite and calm with the child who is immature in understanding the problems. The community should also support and introduce child welfare programs and provide sufficient knowledge to the citizens regarding the prevention of child maltreatment. The society or community should also focus on the multicultural sensitivity that is offering learning programs how to respect other’s cultures (Scannapieco & Arlington, 2005).
The cognitive behavioral theory is also required to provide sufficient knowledge to the community that how children may be treated. There should be easy access to every individual for conducting research and collecting information regarding the upbringing of a child. The authorities should also focus on the professional ethics that do not contradict with the program implemented by them. The learning program is the only source to reduce the activity in the country or society.
References
Jenny, C. (2010). Child Abuse and Neglect: Diagnosis, Treatment and Evidence. Amsterdam: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Scannapieco, M., & Arlington, K. C.-C. (2005). Understanding Child Maltreatment : An Ecological and Developmental Perspective: An Ecological and Developmental Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Schagrin, J. M. (2007, March 23). The Top 5 Social Justice Issues Facing Social Workers Today. Retrieved from http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/marapr2007p24.shtml
