Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence is an issue that is very prevalent, not only in the United States but in the entire world. It does not effect me personally, but I have heard many horror stories of relationship abuse from friends and family. I want to choose this issue because I believe that it is not spoken about enough, and that more awareness should be brought to this topic. I don’t necessarily have to narrow down this topic, but on my website I would put different aspects and categories that relate and correlate, such as warning signs, kinds of domestic violence, and how to get help. Domestic violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime, and though that may seem like a small percentage, one category taking up that much of the whole is very frightening. Yes, there are many historical perspectives of this issue and I will have to decide which historical view to use that goes along with the agenda I am trying to push. There are thousands of statistics online relating to domestic violence, and I will be using these to my advantage on the website.

Image from a Domestic Violence Campaign

Mental Health

Mental health is an issue that effects me personally, and many others in the community. I want to choose it because there is a huge stigma associated with it, and the stigma is even worse for certain types of mental illness. I do believe I would have to focus on one aspect, and that aspect would be the stigma and how to end it. There is a historical background to mental health and its awareness, and for that I would have to focus less on the stigma and more on the topic in general, so as to provide a better and more wide-covering history. Another aspect that I do want to cover in the history section is the history of mental hospitals and prisons, and how poorly patients and inmates would be treated when they first opened. Yes, there are statistics for mental health on the internet, but once again I would have to narrow down to one specific sub-category of the topic in order to find more accurate research.

Accessible Education

Accessible education has always been a hot discussion topic, with campaigns such as No Child Left Behind to go along with it. Now, with the pandemic that is taking place, school age children have to use a computer to finish their school year. To many this is seen as a breeze and an easily accomplished task, but for those without computers or even internet access, it is a nightmare. This issue does not effect me personally, but I do know many people in my home school district that are being negatively affected by the transition to online learning. I want to choose it because it is an issue that has been talked about in the past, but is now more prominent than ever. I think I can focus on the overall issue and still have a substantial amount of educational research. Yes, there is historical background to this issue. Though it may not be exactly the description that would fit the issue in today’s times, it is the overall principle that counts. I have not done too much intensive research on this topic, so I have not found many relevant statistics, but I am sure that once I look harder I will easily find some.

 

https://ncadv.org/statistics

https://www.facebook.com/NEPADomesticViolenceAwareness/

https://www.customink.com/fundraising/break-the-stigma

http://etashasolutions.com/projects/wordpress/education-world-n-go/education-for-all/

 

 

In today’s times, sweatshops are not run in a person’s home, they only exist in large, factory settings. If a person is doing tailor work or clothing design in their home, it would not be called a sweatshop, but instead a boutique or fashion business. Back then, sweatshops were very common and lots of people began their rise to the top of the job market by working at a sweatshop factory. Now, sweatshop employees are seen as the lowest of lows and have little to no potential of working in a better paying job. Back then, sweatshop owners who worked from home may employ a few helpers so that the work got done quicker. This may still apply, but is seen a lot less, given that most boutiques and small fashion businesses are only run by one or two people.

Throughout history, there has always been a connection between immigrants and sweatshops. Sweatshops were a way for the immigrant to immediately be placed in a stable environment in which they could earn a few dollars and be placed with people just like them. For immigrants who were more bold and started sweatshops in their homes, they were making a name for themselves and using their home work to interact with the outside world by hiring employees and selling the pieces they made to bigger factories.

These days, a lot of sweat shops are ran in foreign countries and continents. They have a huge presence in China, and there are a sizable amount in Spanish speaking countries as well.

From an outside perspective, I think that sweatshops can be both good or bad for immigrants, depending on different factors. For example, if the immigrant is very poor when first arriving to the country, they can easily make a small salary at the sweatshop. If the immigrant does not yet know English, they can work at the sweatshop in which communication isn’t too necessary, and there are other workers who will be in the same situation, and may even speak the same language as the new hire. The negative impacts of sweatshops do seem to outweigh the positive factors, though. Sweatshops do not pay well, far less than minimum wage, and the working conditions are not always sanitary or up to code. Sweatshops are notorious for not treating their employees well, doing things such as limiting lunch breaks and not permitting bathroom usage.

Female Workers Sewing in a Sweatshop

https://www..com/projects/la-fi-forever-21-factory-workers/

https://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/i-dont-care-about-feminist-message-your-shirt-i-do-care-how-much-female-garment-worker-was-paid.html

Advocacy can be as simple as having a discussion with friends and educating them about mental health.

As society has modernized, mental health awareness has become less taboo and more socially respectable to seek help and talk about mental health as a whole. There are millions of Americans that suffer from a mental health disorder every year. Certain things, such as stigma, is very destructive and will only prolong an individual’s mental health disorder. Thus, mental health advocacy is a crucial part of promoting support and healing to those that have also been effect by a mental health disorder or know someone who has been.

What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is a process in which an individual promotes awareness for a specific cause or social issue. Fundamentally, advocacy can consist of policy lobbying, educating, volunteering, donating and so much more. Advocacy can apply to any topic because there is always someone who is passionate about various causes. It usually is best implemented for causes which there is little knowledge or awareness about. People that become advocates are usually those that have been personally affected by the cause they are advocating for because it is easier for them to connect to the issue since they have a better understanding of it.

What is Mental Health Advocacy and Why is It Important?
Even if you do not have a mental health disorder it is extremely important to advocate for those with mental health disorders and it is a touching way to make a difference in your community. Mental health advocacy emerged as families of people with mental health disorders were not being treated equally and were being taken advantage of. As the years went by, and more families were fighting to be heard, organizations joined in and began supporting them. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “advocacy is considered to be one of the eleven areas for action in any mental health policy because of the benefits that it produces for people with mental disorders and their families.” (1) Due to the number of people that are affected by mental health disorders, advocacy is important because it allows individuals to make informed decisions about their needs and benefits that will help not only themselves but others as well.

Who Is At The Forefront of Mental Health Advocacy?
Organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Mental Health America (MHA), and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) are only three of many organizations that are at the forefront of mental health advocacy. NAMI was founded in 1979 and has local chapters and over 500 affiliates that educate and advocate for individuals with a mental illness. MHA was founded in 1909 by Clifford W Beers, has more than 200 affiliates and associates around the US that are working hard to protect the rights of those with mental health disorders. MHA has its own screenings for mental health and other programs that support people at all stages in life. The AFSP was founded in 1987 and is a volunteer-based organization that provides community empowerment through education, research, and advocacy for suicide prevention.

What Do You Need To Know To Be An Advocate For Mental Health?
There are no real guidelines when it comes to being a mental health advocate! All it really takes is a passion to help others and promote the education and awareness of a social topic.

References:
(1) World Health Organization (WHO). “ADVOCACY FOR MENTAL HEALTH,” https://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/services/1_advocacy_WEB_07.pdf.

Images:
Featured Image: Photo by Perry Grone on Unsplash
Image Above: Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

According to a recent poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), about 45% of adults in the United States (US) have said that their mental health has debilitated since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the very beginning of this pandemic, there has been and still is a lot of uncertainty regarding what society is going to look like and what members of a society should be doing to help combat it. Many individuals’ lives have been impeded which has added further stress to the mix.

The first population that is experiencing a high impact on their mental health are frontline workers, especially in healthcare. They are the ones that have seen the most frightening side of COVID-19 and are being supported the least. Many healthcare workers have been very transparent regarding personal protection equipment (PPE) shortages and the lack of training that they have been provided when being placed to work in COVID-19 units. The next biggest factor that has caused them further additional stress is when people say that “they signed up for this.” No, they did not. Healthcare workers signed up to help and treat people in the units that they were trained for, not to be thrown into a situation, blindsided, and without the proper equipment to keep them, and their families safe. It will take many healthcare workers quite a while before they will be able to be relieved of the post-traumatic stress and anxiety that was caused by the way they were treated and are still being treated during this time.

The first population that is experiencing a high impact on their mental health are frontline workers, especially in healthcare. They are the ones that have seen the most frightening side of COVID-19 and are being supported the least.

Many healthcare workers have been very transparent regarding personal protection equipment (PPE) shortages and the lack of training that they have been provided when being placed to work in COVID-19 units. The next biggest factor that has caused them further additional stress is when people say that “they signed up for this.” No, they did not. Healthcare workers signed up to help and treat people in the units that they were trained for, not to be thrown into a situation, blindsided, and without the proper equipment to keep them, and their families safe. It will take many healthcare workers quite a while before they will be able to be relieved of the post-traumatic stress and anxiety that was caused by the way they were treated and are still being treated during this time.

The second population that is currently experiencing an impact on their mental health are most likely adults that are older and/or adults that have pre-existing health conditions because they have to take extreme precautions in order to stay safe. Most likely, this means that they have to decrease if not completely stop interactions with others such as friends and loved ones.

The lack of social interaction may lead to heightened anxiety and depression. For those that may not necessarily be of older age, but have preexisting health conditions that position them at greater risk from having complications of the coronavirus, mental health is also of concern. According to KFF, there is research proving that those with chronic illnesses or preexisting conditions may already be at a greater risk of developing a mental health disorder, and the situation with the pandemic will only increase those chances because of the precautions they have to take in hand with the self-isolation.

Another population of adults that should definitely not been left out of the mix is adults that have kids at home and are trying to balance homeschooling with either working remotely or job loss/loss of income. A statistic from the Department of Labor showed that “5.2 million people filed for unemployment benefits during the week of April 5, bringing the four-week total to a historic 22 million people filing for unemployment.” Especially during this time, when it is harder to receive unemployment benefits and parents are also having to homeschool their children and monitor them to make sure that they are doing what is needed to be done, anxiety and depression can definitely pop up.

While many providers and mental healthcare workers have transitioned to teletherapy there are still many obstacles that need to be solved. Other mental healthcare services are seeing a shortage right now because of the need that is being requested. There are many burdens that have formed since the beginning of this pandemic and there is no knowing how long they will last.

References
(1) Panchal, Nirmita, Rabah Kamal, Kendal Orgera, Cynthia Cox Follow @cynthiaccox, Rachel Garfield, Liz Hamel, Cailey Muñana, and Priya Chidambaram. “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, April 21, 2020. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/.
(2) Ibid.

Images
Both are from https://unsplash.com/
Featured Image: Photo by iMattSmart on Unsplash
Image 1: Photo by Luis Melendez on Unsplash
Image 2: Photo by Matthew Bennett on Unsplash

My project is on the topic of mental health stigma on college campuses and how both campuses and college students can eliminate that. While it has been very interesting to research, I have hit a few roadblocks or dead ends that have made the project somewhat more difficult or take me longer than it should have. There is not as much research on college mental health programs as I would have preferred. The research is mainly in the category of mental health in general, and there are comparisons statewide, but research in the specifics of college mental health is somewhat sparse and/or difficult to track down.

Even more specifically, was for my qualitative data post, I had wanted to compare and contrast the quality of some of New Jersey’s college’s mental health program, and I was not able to track down any research similar to this. Additionally, I was planning to send surveys to college students regarding their college’s mental health programs, but due to the current pandemic, I was not really able to network with others at colleges, nor did I feel like it was very appropriate to do. Therefore, I had to approach this section of my project from the standpoint of just analyzing what programs colleges offer based off of what they listed on their websites. Due to some of the roadblocks, and my interest in continuing this project after this class, I have had to revise my schedule of when I would get certain things done quite a few times.

This image is a screenshot from my website which demonstrates the static homepage that I was hoping to create. I wanted to make the colors green to represent mental health and also give it a earthy-plant vibe because it fits with the color scheme and also is just relaxing.

Technologically, I have had questions with how to change some of the design aspects of the theme with WordPress. I used to work with WordPress a few years ago but since then I have forgotten how to maneuver certain functions. I also switched my theme because of certain functions that I wanted to include worked better with a different one than the one I had previously downloaded. Otherwise, I have had no issues in uploading or saving my work. My website is not where I want it to be just yet, however, I wanted to focus on the content first, and then revisit the design and physical look of it afterward.

This is a screenshot from my website which demonstrates the way I wanted blog posts to appear on the homepage. I like the tile look, and when I go back and add images it will look even better.

Altogether, while I have a great deal of knowledge of mental health stigma, especially among college students, through this project, I have been able to learn a lot of new information and facts as well. Prior to the research I have conducted for this project, I did not know that the first college health program was created in 1861 with the standards for which mental health in colleges should follow were not set until Syracuse in 1931. I have also learned about various mental health programs at different colleges all throughout New Jersey. I really did not think that the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) had the most advanced or innovative mental health programs, at least from my perspective of learning about it on the website, out of them all. I am very excited that I was able to finally start a project like this through this course as this was something I had wanted to do for a while, and I really look forward to continuing this, especially when colleges officially reopen. I hope to work with counseling centers at various colleges and help them spread their programs and better support their students.

American claims to be the free and the land of the brave. Unfortunately, we still need to do a lot to make sure it is a place equal for everyone. I believe anyone who is able to serve in the military has a right to do so. To truly live up to what America is supposed to be, we have to spread tolerance, have empathy, and fight for equality.

Why LGBTQ+ bans Should Be Repealed and Why you should help

Unjustified bans on the LGBTQ+ breeds hate, ignorance, and intolerance within the military and America. LGBTQ+ members have served in the military throughout United States history since the American Revolution. By applying bans, the military just loses valuable members.

No Harm to Military

Studies have been done saying that the LGBTQ+ community harms the military and there are also many studies that say the opposite. The truth is that there is not enough data or openness about LGBTQ+ service members.  Something to think about is the fact that without any data, no side can be proven. The justification of bans on LGBTQ+ starting in the 1950s had no real basis in reality. From the information that does exist today, it can be argued that LGBTQ+ poses no considerable harm to military strength, cohesion, or healthcare.

Healthcare

One study found a dramatic difference in health issues for LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ individuals in civilians. Due to DADT being repealed only recently, some are looking to non-service members to predict the differences in health care needs. “Studies of LGBT civilians from the general population indicate that there are important health differences between LGBT civilians and non-LGBT civilians. In civilian studies, LGBT individuals consistently show increased stress and psychological vulnerability when compared to their non-LGBT peers Specifically, LGBT civilians have higher rates of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use and abuse compared to non-LGBT individuals” 1.  That being said, “When it comes to health, men are the weaker sex” 2. One study found “Black, Hispanic, and other/multiple race veterans reported much worse health than White veterans” 3. Factors in life, in biology, differences in socially accepted behavior, and discrimination all affect the health of everyone in America. By arguing that LGBTQ+ members are more at risk for certain diseases seems weak compared to this evidence. Saying White men shouldn’t serve because they are at higher risk to “become alcoholics, or to have bladder cancer” 4 seems like a ridiculous notion to many. Every military service member can have multiple health issues, just because they are different does not mean that they will cost the military a dramatic amount of money. There are also plenty of studies done that have evidence that LGBTQ+ has no extreme differences in medical health. (See the arguments for LGBTQ+ tab). This shows that whatever differences may exist are not so great that it would cause an extensive gap between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+

How to Help

Multiple organizations help LGBTQ+ individuals in all aspects of life. GLAAD uses multiple tools such as the new, social media platforms, and entertainment to

 boost acceptance of LGBTQ+. The Trevor Project was founded for suicide prevention and protection of LGBTQ+ youths who are disproportionally affected by mental health issues such as depression. The Modern Military Association is the nation’s largest non-profit organization helping LGBTQ+ veterans receive equal and fair treatment. All of these organizations accept volunteers. Individually, there are many ways to help the acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals. First, one can elect public officials who support the LGBTQ+ community. Legislation can be revolutionary, take laws against child labor, protection for domestic abuse victims, and the landmark Civil Rights law of 1964. All these laws helped to change the world and how individuals are treated for the better and laws regarding LGBTQ+ individuals in the military are no different. 

Obama Repealing DADT

The remarkable law passed by Obama repealing DADT and the Supreme Court deciding to make homosexual marriage legal in all states are examples of how political officials can make a difference if elected into office. Legislation has the power to determine right from wrong. It is an idea that over a long period of time, can shape the moral outlook of society. Laws preventing discrimination and hate eventually creates a society where persecution is frowned upon. Another way an individual can help is by informing themselves and others. By educating the younger generations and proving harmful myths wrong, public opinion can be changed. The power that public opinion has over society is unbelievable. That is why changing public opinion and military views are so important for acceptance. Legislation can be made, but it doesn’t immediately fix inequality. Take the 1964 civil rights amendment. Despite it being illegal to be discriminatory toward minorities like African Americans, it still was a constant. People cannot change overnight and even today there is still plenty of persecution, but people can no longer be outwardly hateful without repercussions. When the general public agrees something is wrong, people will do what they can to stop that injustice. If the majority of Americans agree that LGBTQ+ should not be discriminated against and takes action against persecution, a more equal society can be created. It all starts with individuals that come together to create a movement. 

Citations and Footnotes

1 Goldbach, Jeremy T., and Carl Andrew Castro. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Service Members: Life After Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Current Psychiatry Reports, 2016. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11920-016-0695-0.

1/ 4 Grimm, Alexandra. 2015. “War of the Words – Harvard Political Review.” University Wire, Feb 23. http://library.ramapo.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.library2.ramapo.edu:2443/docview/1862979836?accountid=13420.

3 Sheehan, Connor M, Robert A Hummer, Brenda L Moore, Kimberly R Huyser, and John Sibley Butler. “Duty, Honor, Country, Disparity: Race/Ethnic Differences in Health and Disability among Male Veterans.” Population research and policy review. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Decem

My research and writing has been going okay. I have little difficultly in the research portion, as I can usually find what I am looking for with this topic. I have no issue with the writing when I get down to it, my main issue has been simply motivation. I have been at a loss in regards to feeling motivated enough to push myself to complete tasks related to this project. The whole quarantine thing has really thrown everything out of whack. Not being in a school environment almost makes it feel like we aren’t in school anymore, even though we very much are, and we still have much to do.

I have not been holding well to my schedule at all. I have a hard time timing when I actually will get something started or finished, so I will simply do my best to eventually get everything I listed on the schedule done at some point or another, as long as everything regarding the project is in by the deadline. I should still be able to have everything I planned to do done, just much less spaced out than originally planned. In fact, I actually might end up with more content in some areas than originally planned simply due to more ideas about what I can talk about on the site. I will still be covering most of the topics I planned to cover at minimum, though.

I haven’t really messed around with any of the other tools besides WordPress yet, but I have heard others have had difficulty with Tableau. I know it is optional now, but I might still attempt to work with it and see what happens. I also need to figure out which timeline tool I will prefer using. Once I decide which tool I’d prefer, which won’t take me long, I’m sure I’ll have no problem figuring it out. I typically have little trouble learning to use new programs and technology, and I always know how to look things up in case I do run across a problem that I can’t figure out myself. I’ll also need to play around a little with the other tools on offer to integrate into my site. I will need to likely tone down a lot of my writing’s readability grade, as I have a tendency to go overboard with the vocabulary at time when it isn’t absolutely necessary.

Overall, I feel that I have had the most difficulty with not only my motivation regarding working on this project, but I have also had my other courses take priority at different times, preventing me from doing work on my project when I have needed to focus on those classes entirely. My other classes almost had me in a rush to get everything finished, with final assignments and exams coinciding on occasion. I currently have finished with every course with the exception of this one, so now I have much more time to work on this course. I should be able to meet my deadline with my site, with no problem.

It was not at all hard for me to find data sources related to my subject. Due to disability being something that is now classified under law, and the disabled population being considered its own demographic in many government surveys, there is a decent amount of data to be found on the disabled population in the United States.

I took a look at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to find employment data for those in the U.S. with legally documented disabilities. This set of data was started after June 2008, when the questions related to disability were added to the survey this data set comes from. The survey that provided the data is called the Current Population Survey (CPS). With the data, which is updated monthly, there is included news releases, frequently asked questions, a list of charts that the data has been interpreted into, and a list of articles regarding the way the questions in the survey were developed. The site on which the data set can be found is linked here: https://www.bls.gov/cps/demographics.htm#disability

I also looked at the Bureau of Justice Statistics to find data on violent crimes committed against people with disabilities. This uses the the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) from 2009-2015. The violent crimes recorded are nonfatal violent crimes and only nonfatal violent crimes committed against those with disabilities 12 and older are recorded under the category of violent crimes committed against disabled people. This data also contains the other demographics each victim may have fallen other, crime characteristics, the victim-offender relationship, the time of the crime, whether or not the crime was reported to the police, and how the victim used victim services agencies. The site includes highlights of how the data was interpreted by the Bureau as well. The site on which the data set can be found is linked here: https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5986

I think both of these data sources will be equally useful, so I will be find a way to include both of them in my project, in some way or another. I think that I shouldn’t have too much of a problem with the data needed to be cleaned or anything, see as it has been collected and used by the government. So, there should be little cause to have to fiddle with the data at all seeing how it has already been used for such official purposes. I feel that analyzing and visualizing data isn’t very difficult, but can be a fairly tedious task. Even if I don’t use Tableau to interpret the data myself, there are interpretations readily available at least for the Labor Statistics data. As for the Justice Statistics data, I will likely need to do my own interpretation. I will likely need to use Tableau for this, and figure out how to put the data into this program. Hopefully, the data will easily work with this program. If not, I may have to manipulate it to be able to work with such a program in order to make my own interpretation.

People should care about racism and discrimination on college campuses because millions of lives are affected. Everyday there are students that walk on campus, attend classes and clubs but they do so in fear. Fear that they will be judged by their peers because of how they look or the way they dress. Fear that they will be judged by their college or universities faculty and staff because of how they speak and write, how they dress or the stereotypes and misconceptions that are associated with their ethnicity and hometown. Everyday these students live with this fear and it is not healthy. Racism and discrimination can lead to many health risks and it starts with mental health. When people are face racism or discrimination it affects their psyche. It makes them start to wonder what is so wrong with them that causes a person to look at or treat them with contempt or disgust. Initially we try to ignore these thoughts and feelings because as children we are taught to always love and have respect for ourselves. But when you are of a certain race and live in a specific hometown where either your race is common or your own personal views and beliefs are common and or does not bother anyone, then naturally you begin to have the “Is something wrong with me?” thoughts when you face people who look at you and treat you differently because you are different from what they are used to. Now, this works both ways because as they look at you differently, the same thing is being done on your side as well. Some people respond to this by wanting to make physical changes to themselves. It usually starts off as something small like a haircut or change in clothing style. But others make bigger steps that affect them physically and mentally, such as claiming a sexuality they do not identify with. This causes further mental pain and physical struggles because they begin to force things on themselves so they can fit in but doing this causes the mind to feel pain because they are not being true to themselves. But not everyone feels this as there are people in the world who have made careers out of fairness in the educational system. Groups and organizations such as the NAACP and the Board of Education. Even campus or local protesters are out fighting for proper respect and fairness on college campuses. The people are tired of this occurring and are doing what they can to help. Websites have been created, workshops have been held, laws have been made and investigations have been held as a way to combat this. The message that they want to be taken from  that is to be fair in our judgement and allow equal opportunity for education. But those were views of the past in my opinion because times have changed. Today worldly views go beyond just being fair and providing an equal opportunity. Those are important things in the world of course but the world needs to accept people as they are. Acceptance is key so If we cannot accept then we can hope to fully be fair and treat each other as equals.  

Why equality and fairness matters - Cube Group

The social issue of child abuse has occurred since the beginning of time. The National Statistics on Child Abuse states that nearly 700,000 children are abused annually in the united States. Statistics from the article 11 Facts About Child Abuse from dosomething.org also show that:

  •  the United States, more than 4 children die from child abuse and neglect on a daily basis. Over 70% of these children are below the age of 3
  • 9 million cases of child abuse are reported every year in the United States
  • Children who experience child abuse and neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violence crime
  • About 80% of 21-year-olds who were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder
  • 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually abused before they reach age 18

These statistics show how dangerous home life can be for a child. Over time, child abuse has become more of a hidden issue and is less talked about. More people should become aware of the issue and advocate. Children cannot speak for themselves most of the time and are also unaware that child abuse is an issue. 70% of children that die on a daily basis are under the age of three which means they are not even mentally or physically developed enough to stop the abuse or report it; children also believe what happens to them is normal as they are too young or scared to compare their home lives to others. Children need more people to care for them, advocate them, and support them.

You can help!

From an individual level, volunteering can be an easy way to make a difference. Organizations such as CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, of New Jersey offers a program for individuals over the age of 21 who is a CASA volunteer to become a court appointed special advocate. This program advocates for children removed from their families due to abuse or neglect and allows CASA members to be a voice for these children in court. CASA members speak for the children when the children cannot do so for themselves. They also provide a support system for these child victims and a friend during tough times. CASA is organized in 49 US States, as well as the District of Columbia. CASA is just one of thousands of child abuse organizations that provide volunteer options and ways to help.

From a community/college level, getting professions such as nurses and social workers to present at events can be a big help to helping future students in these majors identify signs of child abuse and neglect. Forming other events to educate and advocate for children can also be a big movement for this audience. Some events may consist of creating support groups for survivors, or an anti-stigma event that stops the stigma and informs the audience.

From a national level, laws can be supported and passed in favor of ending child abuse. The H.R.2480- Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was introduced in May of 2019 and pushed to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, CAPTA. While all parties have been shown to want to end child abuse, Democrats typically have more votes of putting an end to it.

Child abuse is an age-old social issue but many things can be done to help put an end to it. Bringing awareness to the issue is an essential way to help stop child abuse from occuring.

You can help!


“Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Jersey.” Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Jersey, www.casaofnj.org/.

“Let’s Do This!” Let’s Do This! | DoSomething.org, www.dosomething.org/.

“Our Response.” National, www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/.

 

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