Source: Women's Health - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - March 07, 2011
MONDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News)-- The tiny victims of shaken baby syndrome are equally likely to be injured by a man or a woman, although women are less likely to be convicted of the crime, according to a new study.
Perhaps because of men's sheer strength, the babies are also more likely to suffer graver harm if their abuser is male, and male perpetrators are more likely to confess to the crime and be convicted, the researchers found.
In data collected over 10 years on 34 cases of abusive head trauma (AHT) in infants, researchers found that abusers' gender was evenly split and that female abusers were typically significantly older than males.
Shaken baby syndrome is the leading cause of death in abusive head trauma cases, with an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 children injured or killed by shaking each year in the United States, according to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. Injuries sustained include brain hemorrhages, skull fractures and retinal hemorrhages, a cardinal symptom of being shaken.
In this study, biological parents were the most common perpetrators, followed by the mothers' boyfriends who were not the child's biological father. Prior research identified male caregivers as the more likely to cause abusive head injury to infants, but lead author Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen said she wasn't surprised that her study showed that half were women.
"I think there is a bias," said Esernio-Jenssen, medical director of the Child Protection Team at the University of Florida at Gainesville. "When a child comes in who's fussy and irritable and maybe vomiting, many pediatricians are not considering that this child could be an abusive head trauma [victim] if the child comes in with a woman."
"I think society accepts that a man may not be a good caregiver, especially with a young infant," added Esernio-Jenssen, also a board-certified child abuse pediatrician. "I think as a whole, society expects women to be nurturing caregivers."
For this reason, women may be more likely to deny abusing children when confronted, the study noted. The study authors added that although men were more likely to be seen as perpetrators of shaken baby syndrome, the percentage of female abusers may be underestimated. "When asked anonymously [about abuse]," they wrote, "mothers more readily admit to shaking infants or young children within the context of soothing or disciplining them."
The study is published in the March 7 online issue of the journal Pediatrics.
The average age of abused infants in the study was 9.4 months old, with 94 percent suffering brain hemorrhages and 82 percent from retinal hemorrhages. Two-thirds of the children were boys, and six of the 34 died from their injuries. (All the deaths were attributed to male perpetrators.)
While the perpetrators' ages ranged from 16 to 60, the median age of females was 34 -- significantly higher than the males' median age of 27. But 15 of 17 male perpetrators confessed, compared to only three of 17 women, and 82 percent of the men were convicted.
Because male abusers are typically stronger than females, their victims' injuries tended to be worse -- and tougher to pass off as resulting from a fall or other mishap, Esernio-Jenssen said.
"My study has small numbers, but of the three women who did confess, two of their three victims were covered with marks," she said. "It's harder to deny if you're looking at a kid with marks all over them."
Esernio-Jenssen said she thinks future research should assess the height and weight of perpetrators compared to the children to determine how size influences the degree of injuries suffered.
Dr. Randell Alexander, chief of the Division of Child Protection and Forensic Pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville, said it's difficult to figure out why two-thirds of the shaken babies in the study were boys.
"It's a pretty strong finding in general, and not very well explained," said Alexander, who was not involved in the study. "And nobody's going to come up with a great explanation for that. There are a few people out there who say boys need to be tougher'... I don't think it's most parents, and it may not explain that finding."
Alexander said friends and family members who notice bruises on babies should be concerned about child abuse and vigilant about following up on their suspicions.
"Bruises are extremely uncommon in infants," he said. "Accidents happen at those ages, but not too much. And if parents are aggressive with a child, that's someone who needs immediate help."
Parents should also be mindful of their emotions, he said, especially if they have an infant who often cries and tests their patience.
Parents "sometimes have this notion they have to do 100 percent all themselves," Alexander said. "The most important thing is, put the baby in the crib or bassinet on their back, walk a safe distance away and wait for 10 minutes to calm down. The baby will still be crying, but they'll survive."
More information
For more on babies and head trauma, visit the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.
SOURCE:
Debra Esernio-Jenssen, M.D., medical director, Child Protection Team, University of Florida at Gainesville, board-certified child abuse pediatrician, Gainesville, Fla.; Randell Alexander, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pediatrics, chief, Division of Child Protection and Forensic Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine at Jacksonville; March 7, 2011, Pediatrics, online
maandag, maart 07, 2011
dinsdag, januari 17, 2006
060117. Double-standard treatment for child abusers
Source: Renew America; Carey Roberts; January 17, 2006
Heather Thomas of Fairfax, VA was arrested last week in the shaking death of her 6-day-old granddaughter. On Christmas Day Valerie Kennedy held her son in a tub of scalding water as punishment, causing his death. A few days later Genevieve Silva was arrested in Oklahoma on child rape charges for luring a high school student to run away from home.
Chances are you didn't read about these incidents in your local newspaper. Because when a man commits abuse, it seems the story is splashed all over the front page. But when the perpetrator is a member of the fairer sex, the story is relegated to the bottom of the Police Report on page C9.
Each year the federal Administration for Children and Families surveys child protective service (CPS) agencies around the country to spot the latest trends in child abuse. And according to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, women are the most common abusers of children.
In 2003, females, usually mothers, represented 58% of perpetrators of child abuse and neglect, with men composing the remaining cases. In that same year an estimated 1,500 children died of abuse or neglect. In 31% of those cases, the perpetrator was the mother acting alone, compared to 18% of fathers acting alone.
Then there's the scandal of Dumpster babies. In 1998, 105 newborn infants were discovered abandoned in public places. One-third of those babies were found dead.
In a civilized society that makes adoption services widely-available, that practice should have been condemned as unconscionable and wrong. But instead of prosecuting the abandoners, we accommodated to the societal imperative to provide choices to women no matter the moral consequences. So we passed laws to establish "safe havens."
Under New York law, mothers can now anonymously drop off their infants up to five days old. But if she later has second thoughts, not to worry. She can come back and reclaim the child up to 15 months later.
That satisfaction-guaranteed-or-your-money-back offer might work at a Macy's handbag sale, but that's not how a moral society treats its most vulnerable members.
Patricia Pearson has written a blockbuster book called, When She Was Bad: Violent Women and the Myth of Innocence. Pearson documents repeated examples of violent women who draw their Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card by claiming PMS, battered woman's syndrome, or postpartum depression.
Remember Andrea Yates who admitted to drowning her five boys in a bathtub? Of course the National Organization for Women rushed to her defense, claiming that postpartum blues justified the serial murder. And two weeks ago Texas 1st Court of Appeals ruled that her conviction should be reversed.
Then there's the problem of women, usually female teachers, who seduce and deflower teenage boys. Look how the media sanitizes the issue. Reporters trivialize the incident using clinical phrases such as "sexual contact," or worse envelope the story in a snickering "didn't-he-get-lucky" tone.
I once knew a teenage boy who was raped by his older sister's girlfriend during a holiday visit to his parent's home. Ten years later, he was still devastated by the incident. Of course he never reported the assault, no one would have taken him seriously.
When these cases go to trial, the double standard persists. As CNN's Nancy Grace plaintively asks, "Why is it when a man rapes a little girl, he goes to jail, but when a woman rapes a boy, she had a breakdown?"
And shame on reporters who use limp clichés to excuse the inexcusable. Like the story about a New Orleans mom who stuffed her 3-month-old son in the clothes dryer and hit the On button. This was the feeble explanation that the Times-Picayune offered in its December 8 edition: "Murder Suspect 'Was Trying her Best.'"
That condescending headline brings to mind the Solomonic words of columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez: "There are mental-health issues in many of these cases, obviously, but regardless, a society can and must say loud and clear: 'That's wrong. That's evil. That can never happen again.'"
To which I say, "Amen."
In radio talk shows and internet bulletin boards around the nation, Americans' ire has reached the boiling point over female child abusers who are treated with reverential deference by the media and our legal system.
As long as we tolerate this gender double-standard, the problem will fester and grow. And our children will continue to be at risk. Carey Roberts is an analyst and commentator on political correctness. His best-known work was an exposé on Marxism and radical feminism.
Mr. Roberts' work has been cited on the Rush Limbaugh show. Besides serving as a regular contributor to RenewAmerica.us, he has published in The Washington Times, LewRockwell.com, ifeminists.net, Men's News Daily, eco.freedom.org, The Federal Observer, Opinion Editorials, and The Right Report.
Previously, he served on active duty in the Army, was a professor of psychology, and was a citizen-lobbyist in the US Congress. In his spare time he admires Norman Rockwell paintings, collects antiques, and is an avid soccer fan. He now works as an independent researcher and consultant.
© Copyright 2006 by Carey Roberts
---------------------
Kindermisbruik door moeders en vrouwen - Over gender racisme en het meten met twee maten in de kinderbescherming
Heather Thomas of Fairfax, VA was arrested last week in the shaking death of her 6-day-old granddaughter. On Christmas Day Valerie Kennedy held her son in a tub of scalding water as punishment, causing his death. A few days later Genevieve Silva was arrested in Oklahoma on child rape charges for luring a high school student to run away from home.
Chances are you didn't read about these incidents in your local newspaper. Because when a man commits abuse, it seems the story is splashed all over the front page. But when the perpetrator is a member of the fairer sex, the story is relegated to the bottom of the Police Report on page C9.
Each year the federal Administration for Children and Families surveys child protective service (CPS) agencies around the country to spot the latest trends in child abuse. And according to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, women are the most common abusers of children.
In 2003, females, usually mothers, represented 58% of perpetrators of child abuse and neglect, with men composing the remaining cases. In that same year an estimated 1,500 children died of abuse or neglect. In 31% of those cases, the perpetrator was the mother acting alone, compared to 18% of fathers acting alone.
Then there's the scandal of Dumpster babies. In 1998, 105 newborn infants were discovered abandoned in public places. One-third of those babies were found dead.
In a civilized society that makes adoption services widely-available, that practice should have been condemned as unconscionable and wrong. But instead of prosecuting the abandoners, we accommodated to the societal imperative to provide choices to women no matter the moral consequences. So we passed laws to establish "safe havens."
Under New York law, mothers can now anonymously drop off their infants up to five days old. But if she later has second thoughts, not to worry. She can come back and reclaim the child up to 15 months later.
That satisfaction-guaranteed-or-your-money-back offer might work at a Macy's handbag sale, but that's not how a moral society treats its most vulnerable members.
Patricia Pearson has written a blockbuster book called, When She Was Bad: Violent Women and the Myth of Innocence. Pearson documents repeated examples of violent women who draw their Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card by claiming PMS, battered woman's syndrome, or postpartum depression.
Remember Andrea Yates who admitted to drowning her five boys in a bathtub? Of course the National Organization for Women rushed to her defense, claiming that postpartum blues justified the serial murder. And two weeks ago Texas 1st Court of Appeals ruled that her conviction should be reversed.
Then there's the problem of women, usually female teachers, who seduce and deflower teenage boys. Look how the media sanitizes the issue. Reporters trivialize the incident using clinical phrases such as "sexual contact," or worse envelope the story in a snickering "didn't-he-get-lucky" tone.
I once knew a teenage boy who was raped by his older sister's girlfriend during a holiday visit to his parent's home. Ten years later, he was still devastated by the incident. Of course he never reported the assault, no one would have taken him seriously.
When these cases go to trial, the double standard persists. As CNN's Nancy Grace plaintively asks, "Why is it when a man rapes a little girl, he goes to jail, but when a woman rapes a boy, she had a breakdown?"
And shame on reporters who use limp clichés to excuse the inexcusable. Like the story about a New Orleans mom who stuffed her 3-month-old son in the clothes dryer and hit the On button. This was the feeble explanation that the Times-Picayune offered in its December 8 edition: "Murder Suspect 'Was Trying her Best.'"
That condescending headline brings to mind the Solomonic words of columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez: "There are mental-health issues in many of these cases, obviously, but regardless, a society can and must say loud and clear: 'That's wrong. That's evil. That can never happen again.'"
To which I say, "Amen."
In radio talk shows and internet bulletin boards around the nation, Americans' ire has reached the boiling point over female child abusers who are treated with reverential deference by the media and our legal system.
As long as we tolerate this gender double-standard, the problem will fester and grow. And our children will continue to be at risk. Carey Roberts is an analyst and commentator on political correctness. His best-known work was an exposé on Marxism and radical feminism.
Mr. Roberts' work has been cited on the Rush Limbaugh show. Besides serving as a regular contributor to RenewAmerica.us, he has published in The Washington Times, LewRockwell.com, ifeminists.net, Men's News Daily, eco.freedom.org, The Federal Observer, Opinion Editorials, and The Right Report.
Previously, he served on active duty in the Army, was a professor of psychology, and was a citizen-lobbyist in the US Congress. In his spare time he admires Norman Rockwell paintings, collects antiques, and is an avid soccer fan. He now works as an independent researcher and consultant.
© Copyright 2006 by Carey Roberts
---------------------
Kindermisbruik door moeders en vrouwen - Over gender racisme en het meten met twee maten in de kinderbescherming
zondag, december 31, 2000
001231. US Child Maltreatment Perpetrators 2000
For 2000, the majority of the USA perpetrators of child abuse were women (59.9%), and men accounted for 40.1 percent of perpetrators.
Child Maltreatment 2000 -
Chapter 4: Perpetrators
Source: USA Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Maltreatment 2000
Perpetrators of child maltreatment are the persons responsible for a child's well-being, such as the parents or caretakers, who have abused or neglected the child. "Caretakers" typically include those persons who are responsible for the supervision of a child e.g. grandparents, babysitters, and daycare workers.
Based on case-specific data, perpetrators are described from two perspectives.1 The first uses the perpetrator as the unit of analysis; the second considers the maltreated child as the unit of analysis.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PERPETRATORS
For 2000, the majority of perpetrators were women (59.9%), and men accounted for 40.1 percent of perpetrators.2 Female perpetrators were typically younger than male perpetrators. Of female perpetrators, 41.9 percent were less than 30 years of age compared to 31.6 percent of male perpetrators (figure 4-1). The median age of perpetrators for men was 34 years; the median age for women was 31 years."Parents" accounted for 78.8 percent of perpetrators. "Other relatives" accounted for 8.5 percent of perpetrators.3
CHARACTERISTICS OF VICTIMS IN RELATION TO THEIR PERPETRATORS
In order to establish whether perpetrators act alone or in concert with others, the data were examined from the perspective of the victim. In these analyses new categories of relationship were constructed-namely, "Mother Only," "Father Only," "Both Parents," and other relationship combinations.4A "Mother Only" was reported as the perpetrator for 40.0 percent of child victims (figure 4-2). A "Father Only" accounted for 16.6 percent of victims, and "Both Parents" accounted for 18.7 percent. At least one parent was the perpetrator for 83.3 percent of victims. These percentages were similar to those in 1999.
A "Mother Only" was most commonly found to be responsible for neglect (46.9% of victims) and for physical abuse (32.1% of victims).5 "Father Only" and "Other Relatives" were responsible for 21.5 percent and 19.4 percent of sexual abuse victims, respectively. "Other" perpetrators were responsible for 24.9 percent of sexual abuse victims (figure 4-3).
Almost 90 percent (89.4%) of neglect victims and 81.5 percent of physical abuse victims-but only 45.3 percent of sexual abuse victims-were abused by their parents.
SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES
The following pages contain the tables referenced in Chapter 4. Unless otherwise explained, a blank indicates that the State did not submit useable data and a number in bold indicates either a total or an estimate.
Chapter Four: Figures and Tables
Table 4-1 Age and Sex of Perpetrators, 2000
| Age | Male (median age = 34.0) | Female (median age = 31.0) | Total (median age = 32.0) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | N | % | N | % | |
| <20 | 19,413 | 6.6 | 20,458 | 4.7 | 39,871 | 5.5 |
| 20-29 | 73,283 | 25.0 | 162,969 | 37.2 | 236,252 | 32.3 |
| 30-39 | 117,713 | 40.2 | 181,293 | 41.4 | 299,006 | 40.9 |
| 40-49 | 61,095 | 20.9 | 56,837 | 13.0 | 117,932 | 16.1 |
| >49 | 21,201 | 7.2 | 16,453 | 3.8 | 37,654 | 5.2 |
| Total | 292,705 | 40.1 | 438,010 | 59.9 | 730,715 | 100.0 |
- Based on data from 33 States: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Percentages are based on a total count of 730,715 perpetrators from reports in which the perpetrator's age and sex were provided. A perpetrator is counted for each report and each child with whom he or she is associated.
- This table lists age groups, in the first column, for the adult perpetrators. These age groups are less than 20, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, and older than 49. The next two columns break the perpetrators down into males and females, respectively. Each of these columns first lists the number of perpetrators particular to the specified gender and age and then the percentage of perpetrators, within the given gender, that fall within the given age boundaries. The last column totals the number of perpetrators for each age group and gives a percentage of those in each. The median age of male perpetrators is 34 while the median age of female perpetrators is 31. The median age of all perpetrators is 32 years old.
Table 4-2 Perpetrator Relationship to Victim, 2000
| State | Par- ent(s) | Other Rela- tive(s) | Fos- ter Par- ent(s) | Resi- den- tial Faci- lity Staff | Child Day Care Provi- der(s) | Un- mar- ried Part- ner of Pa- rent | Other | Un- known | Total Per- pe- tra- tors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ala- bama | |||||||||
| Alaska | |||||||||
| Ari- zona | 8,339 | 410 | 26 | 31 | 1 | 279 | 43 | 2 | 9,131 |
| Arkan- sas | 6,642 | 1,054 | 15 | 45 | 58 | 48 | 2,334 | 10,196 | |
| Cali- for- nia | |||||||||
| Colo- rado | |||||||||
| Con- nec- ticut | 17,665 | 812 | 429 | 162 | 1,203 | 725 | 20 | 21,016 | |
| Dela- ware | |||||||||
| Dis- trict of Colum- bia | |||||||||
| Florida | 24,756 | 2,210 | 184 | 31 | 452 | 4,395 | 157 | 32,185 | |
| Geor- gia | |||||||||
| Hawaii | 3,925 | 307 | 91 | 6 | 341 | 68 | 4,738 | ||
| Idaho | |||||||||
| Illinois | 39,260 | 8,018 | 492 | 87 | 1,706 | 3,965 | 2,684 | 307 | 56,519 |
| In- diana | 21,669 | 2,369 | 83 | 34 | 48 | 1,433 | 2,882 | 1,583 | 30,101 |
| Iowa | 10,270 | 693 | 44 | 73 | 754 | 522 | 607 | 765 | 13,728 |
| Kan- sas | 7,302 | 865 | 53 | 2,357 | 10,577 | ||||
| Ken- tucky | 18,746 | 1,226 | 86 | 54 | 1,196 | 764 | 553 | 22,625 | |
| Louis- iana | 9,755 | 1,472 | 50 | 80 | 45 | 29 | 910 | 659 | 13,000 |
| Maine | 6,138 | 520 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 448 | 71 | 909 | 8,114 |
| Mary- land | |||||||||
| Massa- chu- setts | 35,591 | 1,678 | 175 | 82 | 94 | 2,924 | 1,170 | 81 | 41,795 |
| Michi- gan | 31,020 | 1,157 | 134 | 3 | 13 | 2,385 | 34,712 | ||
| Minne- sota | 11,832 | 831 | 34 | 11 | 93 | 835 | 315 | 1,258 | 15,209 |
| Missis- sippi | |||||||||
| Mis- souri | 5,916 | 717 | 40 | 141 | 42 | 621 | 770 | 429 | 8,676 |
| Mon- tana | |||||||||
| Ne- braska | 3,392 | 254 | 4 | 1,047 | 4,697 | ||||
| Ne- vada | |||||||||
| New Hamp- shire | |||||||||
| New Jersey | 7,857 | 536 | 107 | 169 | 137 | 420 | 164 | 237 | 9,627 |
| New Mexico | 7,241 | 764 | 1 | 307 | 258 | 6 | 8,577 | ||
| New York | 88,949 | 5,137 | 753 | 90 | 940 | 2,081 | 89 | 98,039 | |
| North Caro- lina | |||||||||
| North Dakota | |||||||||
| Ohio | |||||||||
| Okla- homa | 13,207 | 667 | 229 | 175 | 15 | 659 | 201 | 15,153 | |
| Ore- gon | |||||||||
| Penn- syl- vania | 3,055 | 681 | 66 | 53 | 666 | 462 | 560 | 1 | 5,544 |
| Rhode Island | 3,386 | 141 | 37 | 50 | 51 | 444 | 30 | 4,139 | |
| South Caro- lina | |||||||||
| South Da- kota | |||||||||
| Ten- nes- see | |||||||||
| Texas | 45,892 | 6,648 | 91 | 15 | 352 | 3,171 | 2,069 | 163 | 58,401 |
| Utah | 7,557 | 1,200 | 25 | 5 | 35 | 771 | 1,714 | 200 | 11,507 |
| Ver- mont | 850 | 150 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 390 | 42 | 1,450 | |
| Vir- ginia | |||||||||
| Was- hing- ton | 7,744 | 411 | 257 | 42 | 468 | 195 | 9,117 | ||
| West Vir- ginia | |||||||||
| Wis- consin | |||||||||
| Wyo- ming | 1,194 | 184 | 6 | 2 | 50 | 166 | 7 | 1,609 | |
| Total | 449,150 | 40,701 | 3,689 | 1,134 | 6,024 | 18,701 | 27,083 | 13,700 | 560,182 |
| % | 80.2 | 7.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 100 |
| Num- ber Re- por- ting | 28 | 27 | 27 | 21 | 24 | 19 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
donderdag, januari 01, 1970
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