A Question Of Surveillance

Surveillance through a nanny camera in and of itself shouldn't be controversial. With all of the questions of what could happen to a child these days, a nanny camera should be a basic tool for child welfare.

Indeed, a legitimate childcare provider should actually welcome the presence of a nanny camera. With all of the false allegations of child abuse and child sex abuse we hear of in the news these days, the easiest way to refute such a false allegation would be for the accused provider simply to say, "Roll tape."

The questions of ethics revolve more around what would become of the recordings from such a camera, and certainly, there should be regulation where that is concerned. And, clearly, a caregiver should know he or she is being recorded -- although that caregiver should not necessarily know where the camera is placed.

The bottom line is that in this post-9/11 world surveillance is kind of a given at this point. As I said, it becomes a question of how that surveillance is used.

This was a sponsored post.

Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Deployment Stress Leads To Higher Risk of Child Abuse, Neglect

Rates of abuse and neglect of young children in military families in Texas has doubled since October 2002, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study shows, raising concerns about the impact of deployment on military personnel and their families across the country.

The study, published in the May 15, issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, was designed by UNC School of Public Health researchers to measure the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on military and non-military families. The researchers chose to study Texas because of the large military population there and the availability of data.

Researchers found that prior to October 2002, rate of abuse and neglect – called maltreatment – was slightly higher among non-military families compared to military families. However, after the U.S. started sending larger numbers of troops to Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003, rates of abuse and neglect in military families far outpaced the rates among non-military families. Military files indicate more troops were deployed and fewer returned home in 2003.

In addition, the rate of occurrence of substantiated maltreatment in military families was twice as high in the period after October 2002 compared with the period prior to that date. During the same period, the rate of substantiated child abuse and neglect was relatively stable for non-military families, says Danielle Rentz, lead author of the study, which was part of her doctoral dissertation at the UNC School of Public Health.

“Among soldiers with at least one dependent, for every one percent increase in the number of active duty soldiers departing or returning, we saw an approximately 30 percent increase in the rate of substantiated maltreatment cases,” Rentz says. “These findings indicate to us that both departures to and returns from operational deployment impose stresses on military families and likely increase the rate of child maltreatment.”

State records showed that the majority of substantiated child abuse and neglect that occurred in military families was perpetrated by a parent, Rentz says. Before October 2002, the parent who was in the military was the perpetrator of abuse and neglect about equally as often as the non-military spouse. However, between October 2002 and June 2003, the non-military parent was found to have abused or neglected the children more often than the military parent.

“The stress of war extends beyond the soldier to the family left behind,” Rentz says.


Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Book: 'Red' State Kids at Much Greater Risk Than Those in 'Blue' States

Living in a "red" state appears to be more hazardous to the health of millions of American children, according to startling data contained in a major new book, Homeland Insecurity ... American Children at Risk available free on the Web.

The factors weighed in the "Homeland Insecurity" ranking includes such diverse indicators as inadequate pre-natal care, lack of health care insurance coverage, early death, child abuse, hunger and teen incarceration.

Based on a diverse range of 11 child-related statistical measures, nine of the 10 top states with the best outcomes for children today are "blue"states (Wisconsin, Iowa, New Jersey, Washington, Minnesota, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and No. 1-ranked New Hampshire, with Iowa being the sole "red" state in the group) and all 10 of the bottom states with the worst outcomes for children are "red" states (Wyoming, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana and, in last place, Mississippi).

The political dividing lines used in the book are "red" states (those that voted Republican in the 2004 presidential election) versus "blue"states (those that voted Democratic). Homeland Insecurity ... American Children at Risk outlines a $500-billion "Invest in Kids" agenda to reverse the harmful impact of conservative ideology on children caused by the failure to invest in documented children's needs and by federal andstate cuts in taxes and children's programs beginning in the early 1980s and accelerating since 2001, according to the book's author.

Michael Petit, author of Homeland Insecurity ... American Children at Risk, and founder of Every Child Matters, says: "The bottom line here is that where a child lives can be a major factor in that youth's abilityto survive and thrive in America. The reason why this is the case is no mystery: 'Blue' states tend to tax themselves at significantly higher levels, which makes it possible to reach more children and families with beneficial health, social and education programs. 'Red' states overwhelmingly are home to decades-long adherence to anti-government and anti-tax ideology that often runs directly contrary to the needs of healthy children and stable families."

How serious is it for many children today in "red" states?

The"red"/"blue" state dividing line is clear on issue after issue cited in Homeland Insecurity, the author says:

* A child in the bottom 10 states is twice as likely to die by the age of 14 as are children in the top 10. All 10 of the bottom states of this measure are "red" states. All of the top 10 states are "blue" states.

* Children in the bottom 10 states are 1.8 times as likely to be uninsured as children in the top 10. Nine of the 10 states in the bottom of this measure are "red" states. Eight of the top 10 states are "blue" states.

* Children in the bottom 10 states are seven times more likely to die from abuse and neglect as are children in the top states. Nine of the 10 bottom states of this measure are "red" states. Eight of the top 10 states are "blue" states.

* A child in a bottom-10 state is more than twice as likely to be living in poverty as a child in a top-10 states. All of the 10 states in the bottom are "red" states. Six of the top 10 states are "blue" states.

* Women in the bottom 10 states are more than twice as likely to receive inadequate prenatal care as women in the top 10 states. Eight of 10 states in the bottom of this measure are "red" states. Seven of the top 10 states are "blue" states.

* Juveniles in the bottom 10 states are almost two and a half times as likely to be incarcerated as juveniles in the top 10. Eight of the 10 bottom states of this measure are "red" states. Seven of the top 10 are "blue" states.

* Children in the bottom 10 states are 74 percent more likely to die before their first birthday as are children in the top 10. Eight of the 10 states in the bottom of this measure are "red" states. Seven of the top 10 states are "blue" states.

In order to illustrate the gap between "red" and "blue" states, the new book points to the serious circumstances facing more than a million children today in one of the crucibles of "compassionate conservatism": Texas. The Lone Star state has the highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation (24.6 percent v. 15.7 percent nationally), the fourth worst rate of immunizing two year-olds (75 percent v. 84 percent nationwide) and a teen birth rate that is 50 percent higher than the national average. There are more uninsured children in Texas (1.24 million) than there are in 26 other states combined, including such large-population states as Oregon, Minnesota, Louisiana, Colorado and Wisconsin. Texas also ranks No. 1 in both child abuse deaths and the percentage of households experiencing "food insecurity" (16.4 percent versus 11.4 percent nationwide).


Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz