CHILD ABUSE; BLOG # 2231; FRI APRIL 10, 2020

THE COMEBACK:

WHAT DO YOU SAY NOW BABE?

I SAY KEEP THE BELT IN YOUR PANTS!

THE MESSAGE: 

Having children is not simply a right or a consequence of reckless behaviour or a means of securing more welfare dollars or a solution to loneliness or fulfilling a fantasy. Having a child is both a blessing and a responsibility.

A case study exists where a child was the fourth born into a home where abuse and neglect were practically a family tradition. The mother, who was both a victim and the perpetrator of abuse, abused cocaine and suffered from mental illness. She repeatedly refused treatment; knowing that keeping her family intact depended on it. 

One by one, the authorities removed the children. She lost custody of her 10-year-old son in 2004. Her 7-year-old daughter was removed in 2005. And her 3-year-old daughter was taken in 2008. 

When she became pregnant with her fourth child, there was an active neglect case against her. Yet when she delivered the healthy boy on Dec. 27, 2010, he was released to her care. 

Within a month, he was dead. 

TONY TODAY:

How could this be allowed? Child abuse is any act of maltreatment of a child by a parent or guardian that results in injury or harm and included instances of neglect, emotional injury, physical abuse and sexual abuse. Should this situation not  have resulted in some form of sterilization for the mother after the removal of all of her previous children? When will individual rights and freedom be dependant on sanity and responsible behaviours  ?

The Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act of Alberta defines the four main types of abuse as: 

1.Neglect
2.Emotional injury
3.Physical abuse
4.Sexual abuse

Each situation and family is different so, while some of the signs might point to abuse, they might also mean that the family is facing other problems that may contribute to child abuse such as: 

• A lack of parenting skills. 
• Immature parents. 
• Parents with negative childhood experiences and social isolation. 
• Alcohol and/or drug use in the home. 
• Manufacture of drugs, indoor marijuana grow operations, drug trafficking, or other forms of illegal drug activity in the home. 
• Spousal violence in the home.  
• Unrealistic expectations of a child’s behaviour and capacities.
• Suicidal thoughts or incidents.
• Abuse resulting from so-called ‘Honour’. 

According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, more than a third of Canadians have suffered some kind of child abuse in their lives, and that abuse has a strong correlation with mental disorders.

THE TUNE:

In a recent survey, questions about child abuse were asked to respondents over age 18. Respondents were all over 15 and excluded people in the three territories, in indigenous communities, the Canadian Forces and people living in institutions.

Abuse was more prevalent in Western Canada, with the highest rate of 40% in Manitoba, 35.8% in British Columbia and 36.1% in Alberta. The lowest was 20.5% in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2010 there were almost 99,000 victims of family violence in Canada who reported to the police, accounting for one-quarter of all victims of police-reported violent crime. Of these, almost half (49 percent) were victims of spousal and ex-spousal violence while the other half (51 percent) were children, siblings or extended family members. In 2018, almost one-third (32.6 percent) of solved homicides were committed by a family member.

The cost to Canadians attributed to just one type of violence, spousal violence, is estimated to be $7.4 Billion per year. 

THE QUESTION:

When is enough truly enough?

THE LEMON:

Awarded to Rafael Loera, 56, and Maribel Loera, 50. They are charged with child abuse, abandonment or concealment of a dead body and arson of an occupied structure. Firefighters found evidence of human skeletal remains in the couple’s drywall after responding to a fire at the home.

THE QUOTE:

"70% of murdered aboriginal women are killed by indigenous men.” RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson. 

THE CLIP: