Child Services Should Be Held Accountable for Cases Of Child Abuse - Essay Sample

Introduction

One thing that we can all agree is that child abuse causes a lot of emotional instability in children. The children who are abused always live in anxiety not knowing when next their abuser will strike and what kind of punishment the child will receive next. Child abuse does not have to be physical harassment but it also include any type of emotional abuse be it insulting the child or belittling him or her. Child abuse affects the self-esteem of the children so much, they undergo psychological torture and this makes them not be able to concentrate on important aspects in their lives like education. When a child does not get good shelter, food and clothes that a form of child abuse already. There has been debate about whether child amenities managers and the general community should be held responsible in occasions where child abuse happens. This is quite a tricky situation especially for child services and the public and we need to look at what is the role of both the public and child services in taking care of the children. What is one supposed to do if for example he or she sees a child being abused by the parent? Should the person report the matter or should he ignore it? The children's services and the public should be held accountable when a child is abused under their guard this is because they act as the watch dogs for authorities.

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Children's service workers are supposed to be held accountable in the event a child under their watch is abused and this is because the workers are accountable for the welfare of the children and they should serve the interests of the children. According to Marian Wright Edelman, the leader of the Children's Defense Fund too many children die when these workers fail to do their duties. She wrote this in the Huffington Post and argued that if the children's service workers are not committed to their work then it is better to have them removed. This is truly the case because if the work of the services is to look at the welfare of the children then they should make sure that they protect their well-being and security. If they don't then we have to question their work ethics and why they are in the children's services (Edelman).

It is very immoral for anyone to disregard cases of child abuse. These children are helpless and hence there is a need for people to act when they get a child being abused. It is everyone's responsibility to report any form of child abuse. This includes the neighbors, relatives as well as friends. It is morally and ethically wrong to turn a blind eye when a child is being abused. When one has suspicions of child abuse he or she should report so that the child will not be abused. When we turn a blind eye towards this we are giving the abusers energy to continue with the act and when we don't act then we are like being part of the action. A case example is what happened in Brooklyn in 2010, four-year-old Marchella Pierce died after being intoxicated with extreme doses of adult allergy medicine and the tied to a bed. This was done by her mother who was a drug addict and she was convicted and condemned to 32 years in prison. Apparently also her grandmother who also lived in the house was sentenced to 15 years in prison. As if that was not enough, the New York City's Administration for Children's Services (ACS) which was conscious of the awful conditions that Pierce lived in had sent caseworkers but they filed fraudulent reports and were charged with negligent homicide and official misconduct (Cooper). This is just among the cases that have involved negligence by either the public or children's service.

Adults who are accountable for child welfare agree to the fact that teachers, counselors, day care workers, and other people who have close interaction with children daily should be more proactive in reporting cases of child abuse (Evans). This is because these people stay with the children more and they understand them deeper (Evans). This is not only morally required but it is also a legal obligation to all the adults. The adults should never hesitate to report child abuse and at no point should they try to cover for the people committing abuse.

While the case about protection of the children's welfare it is also critical to look at what the opponents to this idea say. Most believe that it is not right to hold the outsiders accountable for cases of child abuse. This is because most believe that the workers usually do their best to make sure they look out for child abuse cases but they are usually constrained by funding and many other factors (Gilmore). When these workers are charged it becomes difficult for the other workers to perform their duties well as they will be working with fear and anxiety.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is imperative to note that the protection of children falls on the shoulder of each and every one of us. It is the duty of each and every one to make sure that cases of child abuse are reported. The child services have to be on their feet to take care of the children and should they fail then they should be held accountable for this.

Works Cited

Edelman, Marian Wright. "Children Need Better Protection from Abuse and Neglect." Children's Defense Fund, March 5, 2010, www.childrensdefense.org.

Cooper, Todd. "Failure to Report Abuse Not Just a Penn St. Problem." Omaha World-Herald, November 10, 2011, www.omaha.com.

Evans, Matt. "Senators Debate Child Abuse Reporting Bill." Missouri Digital News, February 20, 2012, mdn.org.

Gilmore, Phyllis. "Letter: Prevent Child Abuse." Topeka Capital-Journal, April 12, 2012, cjonline.com/opinion.