Issues of Race and Culture in Child Abuse (Violence and Gender Relations: Theories and Interventions, P 171-177, 1996, Barbara Fawcett, Brid Featherstone, et al., eds. -- See NCJ-162754)

• NCJ Number: 162766
• Author(s): M Mtezuka
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications Ltd
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This article focuses on the sexual abuse of black female children, recognizing that girls are more likely than boys to be sexually abused within black families.

Abstract

While black children appear frequently before professionals such as social workers and teachers for what are termed behavioral difficulties, these professionals are more likely to consider sexual abuse as a possible underlying cause with white children than with black children. In the case of black children, behavior tends to be judged against a distorted white view of family and social relationships within the black culture. Black families are stereotyped as having unpleasant characteristics, and stereotypical views of women in black families compound the problem. Because black children experience racism from an early age and their perceptions of contacts with the police are shaped by the black community's experiences with the police, cultural background needs to be considered in designing appropriate intervention strategies for black children who have been sexually abused. Cultural differences should be explored within the context of socialization, with black family strengths given greater attention, and social work as a profession should engage in a critical analysis of theory and practice in child abuse issues as they affect black families. 19 references