Generational
By Veronica Zhang | Grade 9 | Scholastic 2024 | Critical Essay | Silver Key
A starving boy stumbling through the streets of New York, a woman slipping into psychosis in her dingy LA apartment, a directionless millennial desperately searching for a job in suburban Kansas, and a mass murderer receiving a guilty verdict in a Texas courthouse. What do these individuals have in common? Childhood maltreatment.
Parents, of course, are responsible for preventing maltreatment; however, few laws– American ones in particular– ensure this. Everyone is familiar with what children are legally owed: food, water, shelter, and clothing. A lack of this is considered neglect. But neglect takes many different forms. Even when physical needs are met, a lack of parental affection and attention will still damage a child’s future. As authority figures who can make decisions that children cannot, parents and policymakers are equally responsible for ensuring that this does not occur.
Here’s what neglect in the modern era often looks like. Sophie, a young girl from the UK, describes her experience with her drug-addicted parents: “I was often left by myself and I felt so lonely. I even felt lonely when mum and dad were in the house because they just weren’t there, like mentally they were completely out of it.” [1] Just a few years later, Sophie became extremely depressed and even attempted to overdose before eventually being placed in the care of a charity following police intervention.
Sophie is just one of thousands who experience an absence of love and positive attention due to a guardian’s inability or unwillingness to provide, which directly constitutes the aspect of neglect that will be focused on in this paper. This is because though we may conjure images of abandoned or unfed children, emotional starvation is just as harmful as physical hunger. Furthermore, this paper equates abuse and neglect due to the similarities in their outcomes, which range from violent crime to economic hardship to psychological trauma; for these reasons, parents owe their children a life free of harm.
The Downward Spiral
To start, child maltreatment causes higher delinquency in children, which then creates major educational hurdles and decreased employment opportunities. A 2002 NIJ study found that neglected children were 4.8 times more likely to be arrested as juveniles. [2] Additionally, a study of over 500 incarcerated juvenile boys in a mid-Atlantic US state found that over 80% had been suspended, and over 50% had been expelled from school. [3] With these rates, it’s no surprise that their education achievement levels were grim as well– a 2010 survey of youth in detention facilities found that 13% had recently dropped out and 21% left school without a diploma. [4] Due to meager funding, inconsistent policies, or a lack of emphasis on education, it’s nearly impossible for prisons to provide troubled youth with the education they need to become contributing members of society. [5] Essentially, they are first neglected by their parents, and then by the legal system– one abusive environment is being swapped out for another. The impacts extend beyond a mere jail sentence. Because education aids employment opportunities, the future prospects of detained youths sink quickly. Center for American Progress analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and found that 20% of reentering young adults were unemployed in the first year following release; this later grew to 26% in the 12th full year. [6] When we analyze these statistics together, they begin to display a clear image of the glaring abyss of empty opportunities for abused children.
An even more monstrous issue arises when juvenile delinquency continues into adulthood, igniting the bonfire of crime, which then causes economic ruin on both a personal and societal scale. The same 2002 NIJ study found that “Neglected children are 3.1 times more likely to be arrested for a violent crime.” [7] This is also evident in the real world– criminal justice expert Peter Vronsky states that there was a common link between infamous household names like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez and other violent criminals: childhood maltreatment. [8] Though not all victims of abuse become serial offenders, it often serves to provoke those with genetic dispositions. Even more concerningly, a study performed by the Compassion Prison Project showed that 98% of inmates had at least one traumatizing adverse childhood experience (ACE), which often includes abuse, neglect, exposure to violence, or all of the above. [9] The sorrow and terror that crime inflicts on society is all too obvious; therefore it is all the more crucial to eliminate the weed at the root and stop child abuse.
Maltreatment also destroys employment opportunities, which jumpstarts and perpetuates a vicious cycle of further abuse. Through a combination of reduced brain volume and function, as well as toxic stress, emotionally or physically starved children struggle to develop proper social and emotional management skills. [10] As a result, maltreated children often drown under the pressure of surviving in an increasingly competitive job market. The statistics tell a strikingly similar story: neglected children have a 140% increase in risk of unemployment. [11] Conversely, non-neglected children thrive. A 1980’s Child Parent Program preschool enrichment study followed a group of children and their families yearly into adulthood. [12] Results demonstrated that those who utilized family support services achieved significantly higher rates of full-time employment, and an almost 30% increase in educational attainment. [13]
Another reason why child neglect is so concerning is because the issue self-perpetuates, as unemployment is the greatest contributing factor to child neglect in the first place. Researchers Ma, Orsi, and Brooks-Russell found that having a jobless adult at home was associated with about 50% higher odds of emotional or physical abuse. [14] This is because unemployment naturally results in financial instability, hampering a parent’s ability to provide, both for themselves and for others. As shown before, when a parent neglects their child, the neglected child is more likely to become unemployed in the future, thus perpetuating the cycle. Escaping this trap midway through is nearly impossible because the effects of childhood maltreatment are so haunting: according to the CDC, it impairs the brain and can even shorten the victim’s lifespan by 20 years. [15]
The consequences don’t end there: the monstrous monetary costs of child neglect flood into the government and ripple out over all of society. Shockingly, the CDC found that just a 10% decrease in adverse childhood experiences in North America could equate to an annual savings of $56 billion. That’s more than the national government’s investment in National Health Institute research [16], or New York’s education budget for 2023. [17] Furthermore, the exact cost of child maltreatment was estimated by Prevent Child Abuse America to be $80,260,411,087 in May 2012, which amounts to more than $129,000 for each of the estimated 618,000 abused children annually. [18] This cost includes both direct and indirect outcomes of abuse. What it doesn’t account for though, are the unquantifiable psychological costs, ranging from trauma to the price of therapy that a victim may need to seek out for years after. Even worse, said therapy is generally unaffordable: a 2022 online survey from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing found that 42% of Americans who needed treatment could not afford it. [19] And who does this issue affect the most? Tragically, it turns out to be those very same victims of child abuse or neglect, for 51% of all adults who experienced childhood maltreatment later experienced domestic abuse too.[20] This recurring abuse is both tragic and devastating, especially because it can crescendo into rampant mental health issues over time. According to Gilman et. al 2013, childhood maltreatment increased the risk for recurring depressive episodes and suicide ideation by 20–30% during a 3-year follow-up period of over 2000 participants. [21] In short, child maltreatment actively threatens the lives of victims through both physical and psychological harm; even when their abusers are long gone, they still leave a looming shadow in their victims’ psyche. But the good news is that in the absence of even just one ACE, the risk of lifetime and childhood/adolescent suicide attempts would be reduced by 67% and 80%, respectively. [22] For all the reasons listed above, it is now more necessary than ever to find and implement a solution to widespread child neglect.
Public Solutions
It is clear that we must halt child neglect immediately for this issue festers crime and unemployment, damages our economy, and puts lives at risk. But how do we ensure that children are being looked after? One answer is community programs. It would be astronomically beneficial if all children took a wellness check with their school system or community in order to spot the red flags of maltreatment. This approach isn’t novel–in fact, some areas of the US, such as New York and Texas, have adopted it and reaped its positive effects. As mentioned earlier, the decades long preschool enrichment program that began in the 1980’s actually found that children who participated in family counseling and education enrichment had “a 52% reduction in substantiated reports of child abuse and neglect, a [30%] higher rate of high school completion, and lower rates of juvenile arrest…” [23] The program also provided an 18% annual economic return to society, which further ameliorates the costs of the issue. In addition, community-centered organizations such as the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, provide access to resources like education. Unlike other groups, they offer an extremely wide range of services from youth employment, homelessness and food shortage management to after school care. And, with their family support services, 99% of at-risk families in Brooklyn and Queens New York remained not just together, but even stable. [24]
The miraculous impact of community support services is even more noticeable in regions such as Scandinavia, which has widespread child-prioritizing systems. For example, a 2020 KidsRights study based on UNESCO data ranked all the countries in the world based on factors including child welfare prioritization and protection. The top scorers included Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. [25] In a striking correlation, the happiest countries in the world in 2021– based on factors like freedom, safety and economy– were those very same countries: Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark. [26] There is also a clear correlation with reduced crime: in 2023, Switzerland and Denmark had some of the lowest crime rates in the world. [27] Of course, these statistics are not without cause. In Iceland, both mothers and fathers are each given 6 months paid leave when a child is born. [28] By comparison, in the US, parents are entitled to a maximum of 12 weeks of unpaid leave only. [29] By encouraging parents to spend as much time as possible bonding and tending to their child, this law nourishes a close family bond. These Scandinavian countries are a perfect example of how policies play a principal part in preventing child maltreatment, and should promptly be replicated both in the US and globally.
This is especially pressing because our current solutions are lackluster at best, and disastrous at worst. Juvenile detention centers are clearly not effective in providing quality education to their inmates, and should be replaced with a system that resembles therapy and school more than a prison. They should provide resources such as counseling to those who have experienced maltreatment and attempt to resolve any trauma incurred. The government should hold these institutions accountable with regular inspections and administer tests to ensure these at-risk youth are receiving grade-level education. Ultimately, as a minor authoring this piece, I strongly believe our parents and governments owe us the right to a life free from child maltreatment and its harrowing consequences, a life free from mental illness and unemployment, a life where we are cared for and educated– a life where we have a chance to live to our full potential.
Endnotes
1 "Sophie’s Story.” NSPCC, www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/childrens-stories/sophies-story/. Accessed 26 May 2023.
2 Diane J. English, Cathy S. Widom, Carol Brandford, “Childhood Victimization and Delinquency, Adult Criminality, and Violent Criminal Behavior: A Replication and Extension,” National Institute of Justice (2002). Accessed 15 Jun. 2023.
3 Kriezman, Michael P., et al. “Detained and Committed Youth: Examining Differences in Achievement, Mental Health Needs, and Special Education Status.” Education and Treatment of Children, vol. 31, no. 4, 2008, pp. 445–464, https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.0.0029. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023.
4 Peter Leone and Lois Weinberg, “Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems” (Washington, DC: The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, May 2010), 10–11. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023.
5 Rapanut, Kimberly, et al. “Patchwork Education System in Juvenile Centers Often Falls Short.” News 21, 21 Aug. 2020, kidsimprisoned.news21.com/education-juvenile-detention/#:~:text=Lack%20of%20access%20to%20career,of%20State%20Governments%20Justice%20Center. Accessed 17 May 2023.
6 “How To Improve Employment Outcomes for Young Adults Leaving Incarceration.” CAP, 16 Mar. 2023, www.americanprogress.org/article/how-to-improve-employment-outcomes-for-young-adults-leaving-incarceration/. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023.
7 Diane J. English, Cathy S. Widom, Carol Brandford, “Childhood Victimization and Delinquency, Adult Criminality, and Violent Criminal Behavior: A Replication and Extension,” National Institute of Justice (2002). Accessed 15 Jun. 2023.
8 Ehrlich, Brenna. “Why Were There So Many Serial Killers Between 1970 and 2000 — And Where Did They Go?” Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2021, www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/serial-killers-1970s-2000s-murders-1121705/. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023.
9 “How Common Are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?” Compassion Prison Project, compassionprisonproject.org/childhood-trauma-statistics/. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023.
10 Bick, Johanna, and Charles A Nelson. “Early Adverse Experiences and the Developing Brain.” Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology vol. 41,1 (2016): 177–96. doi:10.1038/npp.2015.252. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023.
11 Zielinski, David S. “Child maltreatment and adult socioeconomic well-being.” Child abuse & neglect vol. 33,10 (2009): 666–78. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.09.00. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023
12 Fortson, B. L., Klevens, J., Merrick, M. T., Gilbert, L. K., & Alexander, S. P. (2016). Preventing child abuse and neglect: A technical package for policy, norm, and programmatic activities. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023.
13 Ibid.
14 Ma, Ming et al. “Is Household Unemployment Associated With Increased Verbal and Physical Child Abuse During the COVID Pandemic?.” Child maltreatment vol. 28,1 (2023): 7–12. doi:10.1177/10775595221088217. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.
15 Brownstein, Joseph. “Childhood Trauma May Shorten Life By 20 Years.” ABC News, 5 Aug. 2009, abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/cdc-study-childhood-trauma-shorten-life-20-years/story?id=8758968. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.
16 “FACT SHEET: President Biden’s 2024 Budget Invests in American Science, Technology, and Innovation to Achieve Our Nation’S Greatest Aspirations.” The White House, 13 Mar. 2023, www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2023/03/13/fy24-budget-fact-sheet-rd-innovation/#:~:text=The%20Budget%20provides%20%2425%20billion,within%20the%20Department%20of%20Commerce. Accessed 18 Jun. 2023.
17 “Spotlight: School Budget Allocations.” New York City Comptroller, 29 May 2023, comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/spotlight-school-budget-allocations/#:~:text=The%20State%20Allocation,Executive%20Budget%20for%20FY%202024. Accessed 18 Jun. 2023.
18 Gelles, Richard J., & Perlman, Staci (2012). Estimated Annual Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect. Chicago IL: Prevent Child Abuse America. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023
19 “4 Out of 10 Americans Can’t Access Mental Health Care When They Need It — Community-Based Support Is an Immediate Solution.” Fountain House, 30 Aug. 2022, https://www.fountainhouse.org/news/4-out-of-10-americans-cant-access-mental-health-care-when-they-need-it-community-based-support-is-an-immediate-solution. Accessed 17 Jun. 2023
20 “People Who Were Abused As Children Are More Likely to Be Abused As an Adult.” Office for National Statistics, 27 Sept. 2017, www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/peoplewhowereabusedaschildrenaremorelikelytobeabusedasanadult/2017-09-27. Accessed 28 May 2023.
21 Gilman, S E et al. “Psychosocial stressors and the prognosis of major depression: a test of Axis IV.” Psychological medicine vol. 43,2 (2013): 303–16. doi:10.1017/S0033291712001080
22 Choi, Namkee G., et al. “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Suicide Attempts among Those with Mental and Substance Use Disorders.” Science Direct, 10 May 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0145213417301734. Accessed 27 May 2023.
23 Fortson, B. L., Klevens, J., Merrick, M. T., Gilbert, L. K., & Alexander, S. P. (2016). “Preventing child abuse and neglect: A technical package for policy, norm, and programmatic activities.” Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed 18 May 2023.
24 “Our Impact.” SCO Family of Services, sco.org/about-us/community-impact/. Accessed 18 May 2023.
25 “Which Countries Are the Best at Protecting Children’S Rights?” Child in the City, 6 Jan. 2020, www.childinthecity.org/2020/06/01/which-countries-are-the-best-at-protecting-childrens-rights/#:~:text=Children%27s%20rights%20are%20best%20preserved,new%20United%20Nations%2Dbased%20study. Accessed 18 Jun. 2023.
26 “Happiest Countries in the World 2023.” World Population Review, worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-world. Accessed 18 Jun. 2023.
27 “Crime Rate by Country 2023.” World Population Review, worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-world. Accessed 18 Jun. 2023.
28 “Maternity/Paternity Leave in Iceland.” Nordic Co-operation, www.norden.org/en/info-norden/maternitypaternity-leave-iceland#:~:text=The%20duration%20for%20a%20child,a%20total%20of%2010%20months. Accessed 18 Jun. 2023.
29 Hastwell, Claire. “How Competitive Is Your Company’s Paid Parental Leave?” Great Place to Work, 1 Mar. 2023, www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/how-competitive-is-your-companys-paid-parental-leave#:~:text=Employees%20who%20qualify%20for%20the,which%20is%20just%20four%20weeks. Accessed 18 Jun. 2023.
