Week 4, Blog #1 Domestic Violence and Youth

The video presentation featuring Tracee Parker was probably one of the most comprehensive understandings of Domestic Violence that I’ve seen to date. I am a domestic violence survivor. Listening to Ms. Parker’s presentation I felt that she touched on a lot of information that rang true not just for me but for other survivor’s that I know.

I was physically and emotionally abused during my marriage of five years. Thankfully I was able to come to a point of resolve to understand that the relationship was unhealthy for me. I decided to seek help and an officer took me to a safe house in Brunswick, GA. I was hundreds of miles away from home and I didn’t know anyone. Tracee Parker addressed isolation by the perpetrator (University of Wisconsin, 2006). My abuser had isolated me from everyone I knew. I was in a state of dependency. My whole livelihood had become built around him under the guise of marriage.

Once in the shelter I had the chance to speak with other women who were facing the same issues and I understood that I was not alone. It’s a huge problem. I think from a victim’s perspective it can be difficult to talk about. I felt like an idiot. How did I let this happen? How did I end up in a shelter, with no money, clear across the United States?

The staff explained to me what the cycle of abuse is and it really helped me understand the patterns of domestic violence (Walker, 1979). One of the key points that stuck out to me in regards to the video presentation was when Ms Parker stated that mothers, if the children are away, will attempt to initiate a fight with their abuser before the children return home (University of Wisconsin, 2006). That idea would correspond with the cycle of abuse which has four phases: tension building, acting-out, the honeymoon or reconciliation phase, and lastly the calm phase also known as the denial phase (Walker, 1979).

If the mothers are able to get their abuser to act out before the kids get home then she knows it will prevent the children from having to experience a violent episode. The cyclical nature of the relationship keeps you on edge and as the article pointed out family members learn, including children, how to adapt and understand cues from the abuser (Fusco, Fantuzzo, 2009).

My first semester at ASU I became involved in gathering statistical information for the College of Public Programs Intimate Partner Violence Research Study. The goal as a researcher was to gather newspaper data that indicated DV caused homicides. If the perpetrator was female, two or more people had to have been killed and if male, three or more deaths had to occur in order to be considered for data. The total number of killings could not include suicide.

Because of the nature of the research more often than not the typical population that made up the additional number of victims would be the victim’s and or perpetrator's children. Finding out the majority of physically involved children in the study were more likely to be age 6 and younger was a surprise (Fusco, Fantuzzo, 2009). At that age I don’t think the children fully understand death and how the worst case scenario can play out. I’m unaware if that age has developed deductive reasoning. They have such good intentions and become involved when they see their loved one is being hurt.

When we did the blog discussion on GEMS and the pimp’s interactions with the girls it was eerily similar. You don’t have your own money sometimes. Your abuser knows your every move and if you try to leave you could be fatally hurt. It really resonated with me when the GEMS founder discussed the leaving process can take several times similar to a domestic violence victim. I believe the motivation is the same. Whether it’s a pimp or a husband, the abuser sells you a dream of life filled with love and intimacy that they are incapable of ever giving.

University of Wisconsin series on Issues for Youth Advocates and the Systems in which They Work (Producer). (2009, March 30) The Impact of Domestic Violence on Youth [online video]. Retrieved July 26, 2010 from http://www.researchchannel.org/prog/displayevent.aspx?rID=29215&fID=345

Fusco, R. A., & Fantuzzo, J. W. (2009). Domestic violence crimes and children: A population-based investigation of direct sensory exposure and the nature of involvement. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(2), 249-256.

Walker, Lenore E. (1979) The Battered Woman. New York: Harper and Row.

Week 3, Blog #2 Child Labor in the U.S. and Internationally

Child labor is an important global issue associated with poverty, inadequate educational opportunities, gender inequality, and a range of health risks. Work affecting a child’s health and schooling should be eliminated, according to UNICEF’s Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Labor Organization, (Roggero, Mangiaterra, Bustreo, Rosati, 2007). In the United States and more significantly in the State of Arizona if a child between the ages of 14-15 would like to work it must be outside of school hours. The child cannot work after 7:00 p.m. unless it is summer break at which they can work till 9:00 p.m (U.S. Department of Labor, 2011).

The International Labor Organization estimates that there are approximately 250 million child laborers worldwide, with at least 120 million of them working under circumstances that have denied them a childhood and in conditions that jeopardize their health and even their lives. Most working children are ages 11 to 14 years old, but as many as 60 million are between the ages of 5 and 11 (Roggero, Mangiaterra, Bustreo, Rosati, 2007).

I had no idea the problem was this huge. Watching the video was particularly hard because I buy incense that says on the label it is made in India. Seeing those little hands rolling the sticks in the shimmer powder and hearing the health effects that it can cause was devastating (Meehan, 2004).

How do I support ending child labor? Is it best to not purchase the sticks? I see the family’s dilemma. They need money to survive. They are not living lavishly in huge mansions with greatly adorned clothing. They are modest people enduring struggles that I have never known.

I really appreciated the views of Shanta Sinha, founder of the MVF. She said something that struck me. Shanta Sinha stated that they observed once the children were placed in school the wages for the jobs children once performed were forced to be raised because the adults refused to do the work at the price the children were forced to accept (Meehan, 2004). This correlated with my reasoning as to why the United States created child labor laws shortly after the depression.
It’s amazing to think that adults who understand that the labor is difficult and therefore pay must be equivalent don’t unionize. Perhaps this is western ignorance. But I wish the descendants of the untouchables could come together and force a change to occur.

Yet, I can see that the relationship is co-dependent. In the United States as consumers we want inexpensive products. Here and there you’ll find a media story about a sweat shop in Guam, but the spotlight on these issues is few and far between. My generation is so busy watching Jersey Shore we have no idea what millions of kids are enduring every day.

Meehan, Ruth (director). "India: Working to End Child Labor" 2004. Online video clip. Arizona Universities Library Consortium. FMG Video On Demand. Peadar King (Executive Producer)Accessed on 20 July 2010.http://digital.films.com/play/VBRGKP

Roggero, P., Mangiaterra, V., Bustreo, F., & Rosati, F. (2007). The health impact of child labor in developing countries: Evidence from cross-country data. American Journal of Public Health, 97(2), 271-5.

Week 3, Blog #3 Child Exploitation & Abuse - Youth Sex Workers

In March 2003, Chris Hansen traveled with Dateline NBC to Cambodia and aided in the rescue of over 30 very young children involved in sex work. The images of the children were frightening. Locked away in a brothel they were as young as five with an understanding of bartering and enough English to strike a deal with their visiting customers from the west. I was concerned initially watching the video because after reading the article from Montgomery I was able to understand that child sex work in South East Asia is not just a violation of the CRC but also a political, social, and economic circumstance (Montgomery, 2007).

I was fortunate enough to be able to locate follow-up videos from 2008 on four of the girls that were rescued from Cambodia (Hansen, 2008). Viewing the rescue efforts I was extremely pleased to see the girls smiling and talking about their future. An unnamed organization had taken them in and was caring for them. They were attending school, learning martial arts and dance and although they had been removed from the brothel at such young ages they understood what they had been through and how they were rescued from such a dark place.

Filial piety is a form of obligation for the child to support the family financially (Montgomery, 2007). Montgomery discussed filial duty in response to the child sex workers in Thailand that she was able to observe. Through ethnographic interviewing Montgomery attempted to gather understanding about the dynamics of child sex work in the area she called, Baan Nua.

It was honorable to me that the children felt a sense of indebtedness to their parents. Being able to provide for the family they expressed a feeling of pride and their own autonomy. Listening to the retellings it reminded of the interviews of the kids that ran away from home. They too were able to justify their experiences of living on the street and define it from a place of empowerment.

If the children in Baan Nua felt empowered, than the interview by Rubenson in Ho Chi Minh, China told a different tale, “I would like to live decently as everyone else. But, please, think about this: everyone has a happy family, but for me the family is pain. When we were children they neglected us. They did not send us to school. Now when we are able to make money they exploit us. They use all different ways to get our money. Many times I feel I hate my parents extremely, deep in my blood and to my bones” (Rubenson, 2005, p. 407).

The above reference was not everyone’s experience but a depiction that Western Culture is more apt to understand. We want to believe that sex workers are ashamed and hate what they do. I think there is a consensus thought that these prostitutes are children and adults for that matter, which have been abused by their parents. It’s difficult for our society to view that it’s honorable for a child to sell themselves in order to support their family. It’s even harder to understand the parents that allow their children to be placed in such harmful situations both physically and psychologically.

Montgomery, an anthropologist discussed her ethical dilemmas while in Baan Nua when she stated, “To my mind, and in the modern western ideal, parents are expected to make sacrifices for their children; the child is vulnerable, in need of protection from adults, has the right to an education, should not work and should be protected from sexual relations either with other children or adults before the age of 16” (Montgomery, 2007, p. 416). This is my own understanding of children. I share this ideal. Montgomery’s words mirror my exact feelings.

Nevertheless, I can understand the dilemma that these populations face. Baan Nua functioned as a community only because of the children. They were the glue that held the village together, both financially and socially (Montgomery, 2007). When families live in areas where there are no jobs, no education, and no opportunities a tough decision must be made in order to sustain life.

Hansen, C (Correspondent). (2003, March). Children for Sale [Television series episode]. Dateline . New York: NBC.

Hansen, C (Correspondent). (2008, August). They Have a Future [Television series episode]. Dateline . New York: NBC.

Montgomery, H. (2007). Working with child prostitues in Thailand: Problems of practice and interpretation. Childhood, 14(4), 415.

Rubenson, B., Hanh, L. T., Hojer., B., Johansson, E. (2005). Young sex-workers in ho chi minh city telling their life stories. Childhood, 12(3), 391.

Week 3, Blog 5 Child Soldiers

Explore the issue of child soldiers and explore some of the barriers to ending the conflict. What are some of the major challenges former child soldiers face as they attempt to reintegrate with their societies?

The child soldiers have been not only abducted and taken away from their families, but they have been tortured, brain washed, exposed to genocide, and forced to kill. These are not natural children (Russel, Bailey, Poole, 2006). The films were brilliant and moving. I’ve heard about child soldiers but that was the first time I really could see what they were enduring. It was earth shattering. I applaud the three young videographers for taking the risk to document these atrocities and bring them to the light. Without the ability to show these issues there would have been virtually no coverage and no pressure placed on the international court of law to address this conflict.

There were quite a few issues that would strike me in regards to the children soldiers being reintegrated into their villages. The children have been taught to kill from the time they could hold a gun. They have seen the power that comes from that ability and may have become desensitized to murder. If these children are an unable to have empathy for their victims the plight of the country could continue in random killings caught up in a child’s whim.

Another issue the children need addressed is their safety. The government did not appear to have security or a safe haven that protected escapees. I know the war is complex and the objective of Kony’s was to overthrow the government, yet I did not see within the documentaries the government protecting their people. The government did appear for the peace talks but that was the extent of their participation that I witnessed (Russel, Bailey, Poole, 2008).

It’s estimated that more than 30,000 children were abducted and forced to fight in Joseph Kony’s “Lord’s of the Resistance Army” also known as the LRA (Russel, Bailey, Poole, 2006). The staff that’s needed to facilitate the thousands of children needing reintegration may not be available especially in the remote villages where some of the children are from. These children in my opinion have suffered significant trauma and not only need medical attention for physical ailments but the government has a daunting task of addressing the mental health needs of these youth.

I had the chance to view additional material on Invisible Children’s website (www.invisiblechildren.com) and I was in awe. They are doing an amazing job. I believe the vision that those three young college students Jason, Bobby and Laren had in 2003 was exactly what was needed for that area. By raising awareness and creating a platform for the issue to be discussed they have been able to affect change.

Their story shows that no matter what your age or amount of money you can make a difference. What they had they gave. They had time and they had talent. They created a voice for thousands of children that didn’t have one and have become advocates to the Northern region of Uganda and expanding.

Russel, J, Bailey, B. & Poole, L. (Creators). (2006, April 7) Invisible Children [Google video]. Retrieved July 22, 2010 from http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3166797753930210643

Russel, J, Bailey, B. & Poole, L. (Creators). (2008) The Rescue: Full [vimeo]. Retrieved June 16, 2011 from http://vimeo.com/3400420

Week 3, Blog #1 Youth and Human Rights

In 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or CRC, a human rights treaty set out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children codifying a range of children's rights into international law (Timeline of young people's rights in the United States, 2009). The treaty was signed by every country in the world, and currently ratified into law by all but two (Executive Summary, 2010).

In 1994, The United States became a signatory country to the CRC after then, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeline Albright signs on behalf of our country. Yet, the United States Congress did not ratify the agreement. 189 countries ratified it except the United States and Somalia (Timeline of young people's rights in the United States, 2009).

I can’t understand how the United States would not ratify the CRC. I’d like to believe that our country as whole believes that everyone is entitled to human rights. I know that the political reasoning is deeper than my understanding but that was the biggest shock for me. Madeline Albright publicly signed the document but I question if it was only to keep up appearances.

Why would the United States not ratify the CRC? According to the Executive Summary, on average, more than 24,000 children under five still die every day from largely preventable causes. Between 500 million and 1.5 billion children are estimated to experience violence annually. Around 150 million children aged 5–14 are engaged in child labor, in excess of 140 million under five years old are underweight for their age, and around 100 million children of primary school age are not enrolled in primary school (Executive Summary, 2010).

Influential educator Abraham Flexner declared social work focused on children "hardly eligible" for professional status (Timeline of young people's rights in the United States, 2009). Was it this type of thought process that allowed the United States Congress to not ratify the CRC even until the present day? Children undeniably have a right to survival, development, protection and participation (Executive Summary, 2010). I’m appalled by the power of our nation and yet the bureaucracy that more than likely caused our Congress to not want to comply with such an agreement.

There are 54 articles in summary regarding the CRC, and what I found interesting as well was Article 26 regarding social security. The child has the right to benefit from social security, including social insurance (Executive Summary, 2010). One of the big issues that I see headlines regarding in our country is Social Security. We are threatened in our youth that with the increase of population and average age expectancy we may not have Social Security to depend on in our latter years.

It is possible that by definition article 26 is not what we know as Social Security. Perhaps our country did not submit to ratifying this treatise simply because of the financial obligations it would place on our government by having to be responsible in the international court of law of upholding a child’s rights.

Timeline of young people's rights in the United States. (2009, May 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:57, May 19, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_young_people%27s_rights_in_the_United_States&oldid=290549375

Executive Summary. (2010). The Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved June 14, 2011 from http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/sowc/pdfs/SOWC_SpecEd_CRC_ExecutiveSummary EN_091009.pdf

Week 2, Blog #3 School Violence and Social Capital

Discuss some of the main points of the research on violence in schools as well as the relationship between school violence, social capital, and possible future delinquent behavior in youth.

Triangle:
I was amazed by the background given by Dr. Cornell in regards to the statistics of the early nineties for violence in schools. During my time at ASU I’ve had it pointed out by statistic professors to be careful when reading research. We’ve been taught to look for peer reviewed articles and how if the method of research is not properly established the findings are not valid. Dr. Cornell established that the scientific basis of those studies were invalid. Yet the approach of zero tolerance was established based on those published statistics (Research Channel, 2008).

I like Dr. Cornell’s approach of establishing an almost metered reference when addressing school violence. It really should be based on the individual and not an all out witch hunt. The downside of this is that when students are dealt with on an individual basis a response of privileged circumstances can be used when a person feels that that were dealt with too harshly.

The article really surprised me when it brought to light that although it was expected that greater participation in school-sponsored activities would be associated with lower rates of violence, the results refuted that prediction (Wright, & Fitzpatrick, 2006). Although the research stated that the athletes may have included skirmishes during play thereby skewing the results, the researches indicated that it would still play a role in violent encounters. I’m so used reading or watching stories of athletes that overcame inner city violence, gangs and drug activities through participation in school sports.

Square:
According to the article, creation or restoration of safe sidewalks, parks and other public areas will enable adolescents and adults in neighborhoods to establish or reestablish social connections and ties with each other, creating new opportunities for the benefits of social capital as both an individual and group good (Wright, & Fitzpatrick, 2006). I can understand how a sense of community can help combat violence. When you know your neighbors you can understand them and have a greater sense of empathy. Having that empathy can be a preventive efficacy is helping those employ the golden rule.

Circle:
The results suggested that cooperative and supportive ties with significant others in these domains were a means of suppressing violent outcomes even in the face of objective disadvantage for adolescents. It appears that the importance of interpersonal trust and social control garnered from constructive and cohesive relationships overshadowed the more tangible resources available in family, school and neighborhood domains (Wright, & Fitzpatrick, 2006). When we speak of resilience and strength amongst our poorest population it is the familiar ties that bond and hold the constructs of the people. I love the fact that it’s not money, or outside resources that help improve a community’s violence rate but rather the people within the community coming together as a unit to take their neighborhoods back.

Research Channel (Producer) (2008, February 21). Student Threats of Violence. [Youtube video]. Retrieved July 14, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXiK0A43Xk4

Wright, & Fitzpatrick (2006). Social capital and adolescent violent behavior: Correlates of fighting and weapon use among secondary school students. Social Forces, 84(3), 1435-1453.

Week 2, Blog #4 Youth Poverty and Education

What are some similarities between poverty in the U.S. and Internationally in terms of youth experiences?  What are some of the major factors identified in the article and film contributing to poverty? What might be some relationships between poverty, access to and quality of schooling and youth experiences of violence and exposure to crime? Consider some of these relationships in your blog posts today.
  

Triangle:

Three contributing factors to youths growing up in poverty that are applicable between the film and article include education, death of the paternal parent, and lack of affordable housing. In the United States you can throw in factors of substance abuse and internationally generational poverty.

Square:

The article discussed education and how education was less likely to be part of an orphan’s life in Africa. One of the things that stood out for me was that within that article it discussed that having death in a community caused the investment in education to decrease (Case, Paxson, Ableidinger, 2004).  I related that to the United States Public School system. Our school infrastructure is dependent on property taxes to some extent.

If a large number of our heads of households died from an Aids epidemic in the same way they are dying in Africa the communities we lived in would see a marked decrease in maintaining schools.  If you add that to already stressed households it becomes incredibly difficult to ascertain taking in a child or children of a relative who has passed. The article posed that investment in a child may decrease as the relationship between the child and the decision-making adult in the child's household becomes more distant (Case, Paxson, Ableidinger, 2004).

Circle:

There are so many biological factors that play in the maternal bond of a mother to her child. It’s difficult to expect a non-relative or distant relative to care for a child to the degree of the biological parent; if the additional child causes financial hardship to the family than the child may soon represent a cause for resentment.

Interning at Child Protective Services you see cases where it seems as if you can’t get the biological parent to love and care for their own child, nevertheless a stranger in a licensed foster home. A kinship placement is always considered the best option when possible. Sometimes you luck out and placement occurs with a close relative who was already involved and loves and cares for the child. Unfortunately, in some cases no one steps up to take responsibility.

Case, A., Paxson, C., & Ableidinger, J. (2004). Orphans in africa: Parental death, poverty, and school enrollment. Demography, 41(3), 483-508.