Jfcblog’s Blog

MYTH- A child who witnesses domestic violence is not affected the same as children who have been abused or neglected.

FACT- Recent studies have shown that children who witness domestic violence are subject to having emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dysfunction as children and adults similar to those of children who have been abused.  Studies indicate that 10-20% of children are at risk for witnessing domestic violence.

-Written by Nashilla Alibhai

MYTH- Youth who are visiting with online sexual predators are curious about sex.

FACT- While this may be true, the majority of children have histories of sexual and physical abuse offline.

-Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K.J., & Wolak, J. (2000). Online victimization: A report on the nation’s youth (NCMEC 6-00-020). Alexandria, VA, National Center for Missing and Exploiting Children

MYTH-Victims of child abuse develop only emotional problems and not medical.

FACT- When a child has been a victim of multiple incidents of different types of child abuse, he/she is 4-12 times at risk for developing adult health and disease outcomes such as, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease.

MYTH- In the state of Texas, every week 1 child dies of abuse or neglect.

FACT- In 2007, of the 71,344 children who were confirmed child abuse and neglect victims, 233 died from abuse and neglect.  Every week 4 children died from child abuse or neglect.

-TexProtects, The Texas Association for the Protection of Children

MYTH-  After Child Protection Agencies have intervened by using family preservation tools, the child is safe from further abuse and possible death.

FACT-  Children whose families had received family preservations and CPS were aware of the abuse have within the first 5 years after returning accounted for 11.9% of child fatalities. Slightly more than 2% (2.6%) of the child fatalities had been in foster care and were reunited with their families.

-Child Maltreatment 2007, US Dept. of Health and Human Services

MYTH- The perpetrator of  child fatalities as a result of abuse is usually unknown to the child.

FACT- Nationally yearly 70% (69.9%) of child fatalities were caused by one or more parents in 2007.  More than one-quarter (27.1%) of fatalities were perpetrated by the mother acting alone and child fatalities with unknown perpetrators accounted for 16.4%.

-Child Maltreatment 2001, US Dept. of Health and Human Services

MYTH:  Child abuse rarely results in death of the child and it more often happens to older children.

FACT-  Sadly, violence and neglect against children kills more than 4 children every day in America. Most of the children who die are younger than six years of age. Of these fatalities, 79  percent were under the age of six; 44 percent of the children were under the age of one.

-Childwelfare.gov

MYTH- If a victim of child abuse does not report it immediately then the perpetrator will not be convicted.

FACT- Every state has its own statute of limitations based on the time the crime happened, and if the crime happened before the age of 16 the statute begins at that age in some states.

-Written by Nashilla Alibhai

MYTH- Foster parents are not able to adequately care for the kids.

FACT- There are programs that have been successful in helping foster parents develop behavioral management skills and stress management to assist in the transition.

-Written by Nashilla Alibhai

MYTH- When a child who has been abused and removed from the home and placed in foster care, he/she is no longer in danger.

FACT-More often children who are placed in foster care are prone to exhibit behavioral and emotional problems that can lead to potential abuse.

-Written by Nashilla Alibhai