NCJ Number
117157
Date Published
1987
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This chapter traces the emergence of child abuse as a significant medical and social problem in the early 1960's through medical research, publications, and subsequent legislative and medical responses.
Abstract
In 1962, Henry Kempe's landmark article, 'The Battered-Child Syndrome,' resulted from his collaboration with a psychiatrist, an obstetrician, and two radiologists. This and subsequent articles asserted the frequency of child abuse and its seriousness. Subsequent studies established child abuse as a nationwide problem affecting all socioeconomic classes. Between 1963 and 1967, every State passed a child abuse reporting bill, usually after lobbying by pediatricians. These laws compelled unwilling professionals to notify the police about suspected child abuse. In 1973 the U.S. Congress passed the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, which authorized $85 million to be spent over 4 years for demonstration programs in handling child abuse cases. It also established a National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. More public attention to child abuse led to more reporting and more investigations of suspected abuse that proved to be unfounded. The substantiated cases overwhelmed the protective agencies, which were unable to provide the required services. Choices also had to be made between treatment or punishment for abusers, too much intervention or not enough, and between ensuring parental liberties or protecting children.