Children and Violence

Children and Violence

Children suffer at the hands of violence every day.  Many don’t know what happens in a child’s home because the child may be afraid to say what happens at home.  Many children grow up witnessing their mom suffering from the act of domestic violence. “The reality is that young children do not forget what they have witnessed and that they have an extraordinary capacity to recall traumatic events.  Recent brain research supports the belief that maltreatment and witnessing violence can have a negative impact on a child’s development.”  (Evans 2012). 

Community Violence

When I think about children being exposed to violence, I have to consider the effects of community violence.  Not all children are exposed to domestic violence or direct violence done unto them but they have witness it done unto others.  “Exposure to community violence is among the most detrimental experiences children can have, impacting how they think, feel and act. Community violence refers to interpersonal violence in the community that is not perpetrated by a family member and is intended to cause harm.”  (Guerra, 2011)  The child’s development can be affected and cause the child to act out violently.  “What is the impact of violence exposure on child development? One clear message is that ‘violence begets violence’– children who experience violence are more likely to become ensnared in a cycle of violence that leads to future violent behavior, including aggression, delinquency, violent crime and child abuse.  This holds true for all types of childhood violence exposure including, but not limited to, community violence.”  (Guerra, 2011)

Children and Gang Violence

Young children are the top pick for gangs.  These gangs often look for children that fit the following criteria:

Risk factors that can lead children and adolescents to join a gang include:

• Growing up in an area with heavy gang activity.
• A history of gang involvement in the family (family members who are current or former gang members).
• A history of violence in the home.
• Too little adult supervision.
• Unstructured free time, particularly during after-school hours and on the weekends.
• A lack of positive roles models and exposure to media (television, movies, music) that glorifies gang violence.
• Low self esteem.
• Sense of hopelessness about the future because of limited educational or financial opportunity.
• Underlying mental-health issues or behavioral disorders, such as oppositional defiance disorder (ODD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  (AACAP, 2011)

Children and Violence in the Bahamas

I chose to write on children’s exposure to domestic violence in the Bahamas.  Just like the United States, children in the Bahamas are affected by domestic abuse.  The Minister of Labour and Social Development stated that “Each year hundreds of children are exposed to domestic violence in The Bahamas.” (Henderson, 2010) Children that live in the Bahamas have the same changes in their behavior as the children in the United States.   “The Minister of State said children of battered parents have been found to be at increased risk for a broad range of emotional and behavioural difficulties, including depression, substance abuse, developmental delays, educational attention problems, suicidal tendencies and involvement in violence.” (Henderson, 2010).

As we can see, violence effects children the same way no matter what country they live. 

Quotes about children and violence

Nobody believes that domestic violence kills and nobody believes it is detrimental to children. This world has got to wake up. To me, if there is domestic violence, if the children see it or hear it, that to me is detrimental. Batterers should not have rights to children.” 
-- Denise Brown

"The schools play an important role when it comes down to protecting children against violence.Violence is one of the principal reasons why children don't go to school. It's also one of the causes of the alarming school dropout rates." 
-- Shakira

(previous two quotes were retrieved from http://www.betterworld.net/quotes/violence-quotes.htm)

References:

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2011, September).  No. 98.  Children and Gangs.  Retrieved from aacap.org

Evans, Jane (2012, August 20). The Impact of Violence on Child Development.  Retrieved from Children’s Medical Services. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/AlternateSites/CMS-Kids/index.html.

Guerra NG, Dierkhising C. (2011).  The effects of community violence on child development.. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development [online]. Montreal, Quebec: Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development and Strategic Knowledge Cluster on Early Child Development; 2011:1-6. Retrieved from: http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/documents/Guerra-DierkhisingANGxp1.pdf.

Henderson, L. (2010, April 30).  Hundreds of Children Exposed to Domestic Violence Each Year.  Bahamasislandinfo.com. Retrieved from http://www.bahamaislandsinfo.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5474:hundreds-of-children-exposed-to-domestic-violence-each-year&catid=34:Bahamas%20National%20News&Itemid=147