NCJ Number
161846
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 20 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1996) Pages: 157-160
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article presents the observations of the Director of Cornell University's Family Life Development Center on the question of whether child abuse can be prevented.
Abstract
The author has studied childhood in the United States and around the world for 20 years. He is hopeful about the prospects for child abuse prevention, principally because he sees, in the midst of much social deterioration generally, a shifting of attitudes, beliefs, and behavior away from the foundation of child abuse, such as hitting children. A majority of American schools now prohibit corporal punishment; we must acknowledge and promote public consciousness of that progress. The author suggests that a first step in confronting the realities of the problem is eliminating from the child care vocabulary euphemisms such as corporal punishment and discipline, when what is being described is assault. We must work toward establishing standards for caregiving, with respect to the use of force, with respect to sexuality (he considers any sexual contact inappropriate and probably damaging), and with respect to meeting basic physical and emotional needs. References