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Show the tragedy of the battered child Johnnie two years old, the five of children in a youngest is family broken in spirit by poverty, lack of education, absence of religious affiliation and an inability on the part of the parents to control and guide the children other than literally tying them down. Johnnie's eyes do not glow with the love of life and natural curiosity of other olds. They are dull and two-yea- r lifeless. His tiny body is bruised and one leg is misshapen from being tied to his crib and struggling to get free. He is usually soiled and rather than smelling sweetly of baby powder, emits a strong odor of urine and spoiled milk. His skin has a grey pallor from lack of soap and water and a poor diet. What kind of man will Johnnie be when he grows up, if he grows up? What kind of parent will he be? This innocent child will most likely drift into a life of crime, unhappiness and poverty and if he becomes a parent will follow in the footsteps of his own parents. Not a very pretty picture, is it? But Johnnie is not unique. There are many like him in every city and in every part of our country, doomed to failure, hate and misery; a legacy of tragedy handed down from their parents. Judge Farr Larson, a Judge of the Second District Juvenile Court, former Probation Officer, Chief Probation Officer and Administrator of the Juvenile Courts, said in a recent interview that to his knowledge there were not any figures available on a national comparison of child abuse cases but that Utah certainly has its share." Larson has served as Director of the Bureau of Services for Children of the State Department of Public Welfare which administers child welfare services. He said the state has more cases of neglect reported than child abuse because most abuse cases do not come to the attention of officals. Doctors are reluctant to report such cases as they cannot be certain abuse was a factor and family members or neighbors do not want to get involved in such situations, he continued. Bruce Parsons with the Salt Lake Community Mental Health program agreed, stating that it is very difficult to get parents with this problem involved in therapy programs. "You are dealing with feelings of extreme guilt and shame, in most cases, and parents don't want to admit they have been abusing their children," he said. More information on services available to parents and more education about the causes and solutions to child abuse might help in bringing the problem out into the open, he added. Judge Larson pointed out the two primary reasons for abuse, stating that, "First, there is the stress situation. Quite a number of parents are perplexed and frustrated by children's adolescence. They are unable to control the child without resorting to severity. Second, there is the cultural response. have discovered a number of parents who follow patterns I through several generations, for example, attempting to toilet train a child by beating him each time he soils his diaper; teaching a child to walk by beating him each time he stumbles or falls." He recounted a situation where the father was confined to a wheel chair and was frustrated in attempting to control a 1 old daughter who had begun running around and finally beat her with a hose. "You might say this was the result of a healthy motive but it was a sick way of dealing with it," he said. When asked about the punishment of an offending parent, Judge Larson said, "I very rarely inflict a jail sentence or fine upon the parent, but rather attempt to find out what is going on inside the parent. What is causing the problem. This is done by. requiring psychological therapy for the parent and often the entire family." He said that if a child cannot safely be returned to the parent to participate in this therapeutic program, he is taken care of by the Welfare Department or in a few cases by close relatives, but he rarely takes a child from the parents completely. Abusing infants seems to depend on the background of the parent as to what situation would be stressful and what type of cultural background the parent has had. One incident was related by Judge Larson, of a mother who banged her infant child on the cement floor each time her husband stepped out on her. This was her breaking point and she took her anger and frustiation out on the child. Role reversal is another factor in many child abuse cases. This is the situation where the father assumes the household duties and "womanly" role and the mother works. Where couples have decided mutually that this will be their lifestyle, things seem to work out satisfactorily but if the husband resents his role, he might take his anger out on the children. A study made by Boston University Hospital shows the problem of role reversal to be a growing and important factor in cases of battered children. More than the problem of a broken home. Judge Larson pointed out, battered children come out of "shattered" homes. Homes, where often both parents exist, but where there are many deep-seate- d problems. problems - . . . by being aware of go on in our neighborhoods and families; and by involving ourselves when we see a child being abused or neglected. If you know of a will Occasionally, a step-pareresent the attention of the natural parent to his child and take out his anger on the youngster but this is not the common situation, things that he said. What can the average citizen family with problems and do to stop this treatment of innocent children? Probably in the same ways we can help solve other social and community you are having this difficulty in your family, reach out for help. You are not alone in your problem and there are qualified, concerned people available to help you. If you don't know which agency to contact, call the existing under stress and tension, attempt to get them in touch with one of the community agencies or 467-801- services which provide counseling and help for troubled families. If another young Johnnie to live and grow. Model Neighborhood News at and we will refer you to a 4 specific agency. You might give a reason |