Child Neglect: A Growing Concern in the US - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the United States, child neglect remains to be a common issue despite the state boasting of being a first-world nation. The national children's alliance organization estimates that 1670 children died in the United States from neglect (American SPCC, 2018). Various organizations are in place to help curb the menace, and through a combination of efforts; there has been steady progress in combating the vice. The essay integrates different points of view on child abuse, thus providing summaries on all current issues and proposes ways on how to handle the vice.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Analysis of Child Abuse and Role of Boy Scouts of America

Cases of child abuse and neglect are quite common in the United States and New York City at large. Child abuse is evident in how parents and guardians expose their children to physical abuse, including injuries, lack of basic needs or even sexual abuse. Other ways that child abuse is evidenced is though the failure to provide basic needs, including education and parental love (Debowska, Willmott, Boduszek & Jones, 2017). Debowska (2017), states that New York has faced numerous cases of child abuse, the national children's alliance states that a total of 156, 994 cases were registered (American SPCC, 2018). The numbers translate to 15.8 for every 1000 children. Out of the neglected children, 3% faced sexual abuse, while 9.7% underwent physical torture (Childhelp.org, 2019). 108 of the children who experienced physical abuse died as a result (American SPCC, 2018).

The boy scouts of America are an essential tool in controlling the rate of child abuse and the number of homeless teenagers in the states. As per their operation module, it is vital that the scouts need to understand the opinion of others and accord the respect desired. Upholding of cultural understanding is essential to help work with others much efficiently. With the development of new skills and interaction knowledge, it becomes easier for members of the association to work across different global cultures. For instance, in 2018, 300 scouts were enrolled in the department of homeless services to help in the identification of children who may need help.

Summary of Achievements and Challenges

In New York City, the most significant achievement has been the ability to use historical information to predict and determine cases of child abuse. The use of predictive analytics to investigate possible causes and create solutions has been a significant achievement in helping to handle child abuse. Based on continuous learning, the predictive model makes use of past data to simulate future situations where there may be child abuse or in high-risk areas (St Clair, 2014).

Groups using the predictive models are faced with the challenge of undermining vulnerable populations. Minority races or people of minority faiths may be at a higher risk due to the cultural background that may raise the alarm and pose them as potential child abusers (Ferris, Hershberg, Su, Wang, & Lerner, 2015). For instance, corporal punishment in the United States is banned while immigrants may be using it as a way to raise their children. Despite the available technology, the administration for children services needs to uphold the procedure used to avoid bias that may arise due to cultural differences (Finkelhor, Turner, & Hamby, 2015).

Consideration of Ethical, Cultural, And Diversity Issues

In the humane service professional standards, the third standard emphasizes on the need to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the vulnerable children exposed to abuse or neglect (Fernandes, 2016). The service providers are expected to conceal the identity of the children under threat and ensure that they are not hunted down. The level of confidentiality is dependent on the harm that may be impacted on a child. On the other hand, a service professional standard 18 is essential in initiating treatment programs and the creation of awareness campaigns and thus reaching more abuse victims (National Children's Alliance, 2019).

The organization under study, Boy Scout of America, is an ideal source of culture and diversity issues (BSA, 2019). With the law in place, the scouts association can provide law-abiding citizens and help make decisions on their own (Kahn, 2018). Based on the fact that most of the members are from the united states, it becomes easy to handle cultural issues, instilling of scouting culture is also more comfortable and thus better serve their purpose (BSA, 2019)

Theoretical Frameworks and Proposed Solutions for Collaboration and Advocacy

The theoretical framework is based on the UNDP betterment of human lives. The primary focus on child neglect remains the causing factors which are poverty, underdevelopment, disasters and energy. To reduce the impact of neglect and reduce the number of child abuse, UNDP advocates for the ultimate reduction of poverty, attaining sustainable development, disaster management and sustainable development (St Clair, 2014). The UNDP suggests that by bettering human lives, common challenges such as diseases, poverty and homelessness that may bring an eventual neglect f the child are done away with (Rice, 2015). Through collaborating with different organizations, business and governments, it is possible to attain sustainability, thus handling the issues (St Clair, 2014).

Conclusion

Child neglect remains to be an issue of concern, either out of parent's negligence or due to poverty. In either case, a deeper understanding of the matter is ideal as it helps to create a way forward. There has been steady progress and considerable achievement; the BSA has been suitable in helping track down the homeless and working with different cultures. On the other hand, the theoretical framework makes it easier to integrated ethical and cultural issues.

References

American SPCC. (2018). Child Abuse Statistics. Retrieved August 14, 2019, from https://americanspcc.org/child-abuse-statistics/

BSA. (2019). Youth Protection. Retrieved August 14, 2019, from https://www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection/

Childhelp.org. (2019). Child Abuse Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/

Debowska, A., Willmott, D., Boduszek, D., & Jones, A. D. (2017). What do we know about child abuse and neglect patterns of co-occurrence? A systematic review of profiling studies and recommendations for future research. Child Abuse & Neglect, 70, 100-111.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.014.

Fernandes, G. M. (2016). Organizational climate and child welfare workers' degree of intent to leave the job: Evidence from New York. Children and Youth Services Review, 60, 80-87. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740915300980?via%3Dihub.

Ferris, K. A., Hershberg, R. M., Su, S., Wang, J., & Lerner, R. M. (2015). Character development among the youth of colour from low-SES backgrounds: An examination of Boy Scouts of America's ScoutReach program. Journal of Youth Development, 10(3), 14-30.Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/6-24-2-PB.pdf

Finkelhor, D., Turner, H. A., Shattuck, A., & Hamby, S. L. (2015). Prevalence of childhood exposure to violence, crime, and abuse: Results from the national survey of children's exposure to violence. JAMA Pediatrics, 169(8), 746-754.Doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.0676.

Kahn, M. (2018, April 23). New York's Homeless Girl Scout Troop Plans for the Future. Retrieved August 14, 2019, from https://www.elle.com/culture/a16765692/new-yorks-homeless-girl-scouts-troop-plans-for-the-future/

National Children's Alliance. (2019). National Statistics on Child Abuse. Retrieved August 14, 2019, from https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/nca-digital-media-kit/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/

NYC Children services. (2018). Get Covered NYC. Retrieved from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/acs/index.page

Rice, M. F. (2015). Diversity and public administration. ME Sharpe.

St Clair, A. L. (2014). The role of ideas in the United Nations Development Programme. In Global Institutions and Development (pp. 196-210). Routledge.Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2015_human_development_report.pdf