• In an average classroom of 20 children, there are most likely at least three children who are either victims or bullies. • One-half of motor vehicle accidents involving adolescents are associated with alcohol and other drugs. Methodology: This is a Quantitative study providing seemingly countless statistics, percents, and relationships between children and the “critical issues” they face today. Findings: Although poverty rates have gone down in the last 15 years, with the recent economic downturn, it is anticipated that we will again experience significant increases in children living poverty. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that children, adolescents, and young adults are disproportionately affected by violent injury and death.
80% of young adults who were abused as children have reported cases of anxiety, eating disorders, depression, and suicide attempts among others. In Idaho, there are more than 638 victims of child abuse who seek refugee from the community-based organizations (Rix 74). The data shows that almost 5-15% of boys 15-20% of girls are sexually abused in a calendar year. Rix (127) observed that in 2012, more than 2062 cases of sexual assault were reported to the relevant authorities in the state of Idaho where more than 30% of these cases involved
32,500 children have been neglected in 2010, and in Ingham County 42 percent of children have been abused or neglected (milhs.org). In Ingham County, 8.5 children of every 1000 are in out of home care, referring to foster homes, etc (milhs.org). Unemployment rates and low income is affecting the youth and children in terrible ways. WLNS.COM reported in an article titled “More Michigan Children living in Poverty” that there are a lot of reasons why neglect and abuse has gone up 92%. Now there are more health professionals available to investigate issues of neglect and abuse and family court in Ingham County has become a strong source of help for
Statistics show that between 1,200-1,400 children suffer head injuries from abuse in the United States. All it takes is that one time that parent, family members, close friends and or caregiver gets frustrated, then he or she snaps and might cause serve damage to the baby’s life
Uninsured children are 10 times more likely than insured children to have unmet medical needs, such as untreated asthma, diabetes or obesity, and are 5 times as likely as an insured child to go more than two years without seeing a doctor, according to Uninsured Children: The Children’s Defense Fund,2012. Children without adequate health insurance are also more likely to die from diseases or illnesses. Children living in a poverty filled home may have health issues that come from such things as no running water, lack of food, lack of heat, or an infestation of bugs. These poor living conditions can really cause a child to fall ill, but when they don’t have the means to receive healthcare, they can become seriously ill. Health can influence everything from a child’s ability to learn to a child’s overall wellbeing (Wolf, 1999). When a parent does not have health insurance for their child, they tend to wait longer to take that child in for care.
But government statistics suggest that a substantial number struggle emotionally. Among Asian American high school students, 29 percent have reported feeling “sad or hopeless” for at least two weeks in a row during the past year, enough to interfere with their daily lives, according to a recent national youth survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That figure is slightly higher than that of teens from all racial groups, 28 percent. With suicidal thoughts, the gap widens. When the CDC asked Asian American students if they had seriously considered suicide during the past year, 19 percent answered yes, compared to 16 percent of all high school students.
A greater number of young children with complicated, serious physical health, mental health, or developmental problems are entering foster care during the early years when brain growth is most active. Data shows that in 2003, children aged birth to 3 had the highest rates of victimization, at 16.4 per 1,000 children of the same age group, and 78.7 percent of the estimated 1,500 children who died as a result of child abuse or neglect were younger than 4 years of age (Goode & Shaw, 2005). There is an increasing number of children are being placed in foster care because of parental neglect. Neglect has a long-lasting effect on all areas of child development which consists of poor attachment formation, under stimulation, development delay, poor physical development, and antisocial behavior. Being in an environment in which child-directed support and communication is limited makes it more difficult for a child to develop the brain connections that facilitate language and vocabulary development, and therefore may impair communication skills.
The most common signs that a child is being physically abused are unexplained bruises, cuts, and burns as well as broken bones, internal injuries and head injuries. (Gill) Children who have parents that use drugs are at the highest risk for physical abuse with 1 in 13 being abused regularly. (National Child Abuse Statistics) As if that wasn’t horrific enough, at least 100 babies are born to drug-using mothers every single month. (11 Facts About Child Abuse) Sexual abuse makes up about 10% of all child abuse making it the third most common form of abuse. Sexual abuse includes, but is not limited to, rape, intercourse, sodomy, fondling, oral sex, incest, sexual penetration and sexual exploitation.
In the report titled, The Forgotten Americans Homelessness; Programs and the People They Serve, it states that serious problems since childhood are common causes among homeless people with 25% reporting childhood physical or sexual abuse, 22% reported they were physically assaulted and 7% sexually assaulted. It also states that 38% reported an alcohol problem and 26% reported a drug problem. “According to date from the Administration on Children and Families, in 1998 there were an estimated 2,806,000 referrals of child abuse or neglect to relevant state or local agencies,” Additionally, approximately, 1,100 children died of abuse or neglect, a rate of 1.6 deaths per 100,000 children. Of all forms of abuse, about three quarters of the perpetrators were parents,” (Almanac of Policy Issues:Child Abuse). Domestic Violence also plays a major role in abuse.
Magazines usually tell people how beautiful and powerful guns are, and never mention how many children get hurt by guns every day. But I am here to ask all of you to oppose gun ownership because the fact is that guns are a weapon of violence, they take more lives away every year, and they make people blind to the fact they are killing their own children. 2) S/P: I want to actuate you to support banning guns. 3) C/I: Having guns around the house creates the opportunity for lethal violence. Guns pose such a significant risk to children.