Columnist Sandy Thompson: Child abuse, neglect: We still don’t get it

Sandy Thompson

Friday, May 4, 2001 | 4:11 a.m.

Sandy Thompson is vice president/associate editor of the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at 259-4025 or e-mail at thompson@lasvegassun.com

THEY ARE tortured and taunted, berated and beaten down. At a time when they should be playing with toys, they are used as sex toys. They are told they are no good and should never have been born. They are a nuisance and a millstone.

This is the life of an abused child. It also can be his death -- if not of his body, then certainly his spirit.

The physical scars often will heal, but the emotional ones will last a lifetime.

Society usually reacts to the physical signs of abuse, but often ignores the harder-to-define form of emotional abuse -- neglect or verbal tauntings that make the child feel worthless.

Nevada ranks among the highest in the nation in the number of reported cases of child abuse and neglect per 1,000 children, according to the Nevada Registry for Child Abuse and Neglect. Last year in Clark County alone, Child Protective Services conducted 7,850 abuse and neglect investigations.

Just in the first three months of this year, investigations numbered 2,328. The number increased by more than 100 in just one month.

"Since January, it's like someone opened a floodgate," a Child Protective Services supervisor commented.

She added that CPS and the Metro Child Abuse and Neglect Unit are overwhelmed.

According to the 2001 Nevada Kids Count Data Book, there were 13,384 reports of suspected child abuse and neglect in the state in 1999, of which 3,983 were substantiated. Fifty-nine percent of the total reports occurred in Clark County.

Because more than one child was involved in some of the reported incidents, the figures show there were 6,755 victims of substantiated child abuse and neglect in the state in 1999.

The three most frequently documented types of child maltreatment were physical neglect, 22.1 percent; lack of supervision, 17.7 percent; and minor physical injury, 14.1 percent.

The three most-often reported family stress factors associated with child abuse and neglect, according to Kids Count, are parents who cannot cope, insufficient income and alcohol/drug dependency.

Another disturbing statistic cited by Kids Count is the number of domestic violence incidents where children are present. In 1999 children were present during 6,754 of the 17,706 reported cases of domestic violence. The actual figure probably is much higher because some police reports weren't fully completed and many domestic violence incidents are not reported to the police.

Trying to bring attention to the plight of abused and neglected children, the Child Welfare League of America worked with states to designate a Children's Memorial Flag Day. Many states, including Nevada, flew the flag April 27 in memory of the children who died violently.

Despite all the national and local public awareness campaigns and programs about child abuse, we still don't get it. Unless a person has been living in a cave for 25 years, he or she should know it's wrong to inflict emotional and physical harm on a child.

Know the signs: Unexplained injuries, physical marks, depression, fear of a certain adult, difficulty in trusting others or making friends, sudden changes in eating or sleeping patterns, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor hygiene, secrecy or hostility.

Regrettably, sometimes we do recognize the signs but fail to take action. We don't want to get involved. We're not sure it's abuse. It's a family matter. That's just their way of disciplining their children. They have a lot of stress; this will pass. The kid is just being difficult.

The reasons go on and on. Sadly, so does the abuse.