Tom Arnold Sheds Light on the Pain of Sexual Abuse

HIAWATHA, Iowa, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ —

Tom Arnold, actor, comedian and television host carried a secret for more than four decades.

In 2008, the Ottumwa, Iowa native revealed he had been the victim of childhood sexual abuse. He shared details of his painful past during media interviews for the movie “Gardens of the Night.” In the movie, his role was that of a pedophile. Arnold drew on his personal experience for the role and modeled the character after his abuser — even dressing like him.

From age four to seven Arnold was sexually abused by a 19-year-old male babysitter. The sexual abuse occurred several times a week. In an effort to keep him quiet the babysitter gave Arnold a candy bar and told him he would hurt his father if he told anyone. Years later as an adult Arnold confronted his abuser.

Today, at the invitation of St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation, Arnold and his wife Ashley Groussman toured St. Luke’s Child Protection Center (CPC) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Arnold hopes his visit to St. Luke’s Child Protection Center and personal story will increase awareness of the high number of children who are abused in Iowa and across the country.

According to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study by the Centers for Disease Control one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. However, it’s believed most cases of abuse are never reported.

St. Luke’s Child Protection Center works with law enforcement and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to determine if child abuse has occurred, to develop a plan of action to protect the child from future abuse and get the child and family members counseling. They also work with law enforcement to hold the abuser accountable.

Before St. Luke’s CPC existed, families, teachers and other child care providers didn’t know where to get help for an abused child. Often, the child would be interviewed by multiple people in multiple places over the course of an investigation. It was very difficult to find a physician who felt comfortable doing an abuse examination. Today, the children are brought to St. Luke’s Child Protection Center where they tell their story to one person while the interview is recorded.

They also receive a medical examination by sensitive physicians and nurses who can assure them about the health of their bodies. In 2008, the CPC saw 1,162 children. Last year the CPC served 1,319 children. The CPC believes part of this increase is due to the consequences of the 2008 Cedar River flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which devastated a significant portion of the city and the downturn in the economy.

According to CPC Director Sue Tesdahl, more individuals are sharing housing, which elevates family stress. There has also been a rise in juvenile abusers. Tesdahl says this could be attributed to more unsupervised children while parents work extra hours.

Tesdahl says the CPC saw an increase in drug exposure testing last year. She attributes that to the fact that DHS orders a hair stat test on almost every foster care removal exam. Tesdahl says DHS rarely orders this test for sexual abuse investigations.

In 2008, St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation successfully raised $4.5 million for St. Luke’s Child Protection Center. The two-year fundraising effort was initiated to raise $2.2 million for the purchase and renovation of the current facility and $2 million to establish a permanent endowment. The new facility opened August 2008.

“We are extremely grateful to all the donors who have made the Child Protection Center the model program that it is,” said Shannon Duval, president of St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation. “Because no child or family is ever charged for the services they receive, the center is consistently short of funds.  It would take an endowment in excess of $10 million to completely fund operations and, as a result, we are constantly seeking additional funding to support the worthwhile work taking place at the CPC.”

SOURCE St. Luke’s Hospital

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http://www.stlukescr.org

Lawmakers consider bill allowing child abuse victims to sue after age 35

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Children who suffer from extreme cases of abuse can often be left with significant mental or physical damage that is difficult to heal even with long-term therapy, doctors and researchers at Seoul National University Hospital said Monday.

After tracking 24 victims over five years, the scholars found that over half developed serious mental disorders, while more than 40 percent suffered from extreme physical problems.

The study was included in the latest edition of Korean Pediatric Society Journal.

The hospital’s emergency medicine team studied the children ? who were an average of 8.3 years old when they checked into hospital ? to learn more about the effects of long-term child abuse.

The study was conducted through interviews with guardians and nurses.

It found that six of the subjects suffered from serious developmental disabilities while another three suffered from the physical effects of violence.

Dr. Kwan Young-ho said that one of the children, who checked into the hospital for a skull fracture, developed a case of cerebral hemorrhage. Another child, who had fractures of the face and head, died of related complications.

Thirteen of the victims were diagnosed as having difficulties in a variety of social situations.

According to Kwak’s data, 76 children were referred to the hospital for child abuse between 1987 and 2007.

About two-thirds of the victims were female, and about half of them were aged between three and 10. However, 7.9 percent were not even 12 months old.

The largest portion of offenders comprised of fathers, accounting for 33 percent. Mothers followed at 11 percent.

“Post-traumatic stress from abuse could have a more lasting effect on children than many people may expect. They need their parents, experts and the government for long-term support,” Hwang June-won, a researcher for the project said.

Doctors are expected to report suspected cases of child abuse to the authorities. “In some countries, the authorities do not revoke the licenses of physicians who have ignored the signs of possible abuse,” the doctors said in their report.

SOURCE: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/01/117_58838.html

New York (OPENPRESS) January 9, 2010 — Child abuse has reached epidemic proportions and child sexual abuse in schools throughout the nation has become an alarmingly frequent occurrence. The cases that are surfacing almost daily serve as a wake-up call to everyone in America to protect their children.

Child sexual abuse in schools is happening all over the country. Although the vast majority of educators and other school employees are not child abusers, the stories continue to unfold throughout the nation. Just this past week, there were two incidents in New York City where a principal and former teacher have been accused of improper sexual behavior

Any sexual contact between teacher and student is a crime. Sexual abuse is a child becoming a sexual partner for an adult. Anyone under the age of 18 who is used by an adult for sexual gratification is being Sexually Abused whether or not the child consents.

Children are taught to respect and honor parental authority figures such as teachers, guidance counselors, and principals and not to question their actions. People trust schools to protect their most vulnerable … yet children are being sexually molested by the very people who are supposed to protect them. Most abusers remain undetected and free to continue their abuse of power and violation of professional ethics.

Ross Ellis, Chief Executive Officer of Love Our Children USA said “To believe it can’t happen to us and our children – that no one we know would ever abuse our kids, and certainly not someone entrusted with their care or well-being — is to live in denial. Sexual abusers tend to choose occupations that put them in close contact with children. They can be found in every profession. They are heterosexual and homosexual — they don’t discriminate.”

What can be done?
Covering up abuse in schools sends a message to the abuser that it is acceptable behavior. People must report the abuser and get help for the children. School boards must send a message that they care and accept zero tolerance.

People must insist for and demand:
• Laws that mandate fingerprinting teachers and other school employees and conduct FBI checks on their criminal history
• Educate about child abuse prevention education beginning at the school board level … establishing strong, clear policies that warn teachers of inappropriate conduct, such as putting themselves in vulnerable positions where they are alone with students.
• Hold mandatory child abuse prevention training and educational seminars for all staff including teachers, bus drivers, cooks, etc. on a monthly basis. Training sessions can help educators understand their district’s policy, the warning signs of possible sexual abuse, and the procedures for reporting abuse when they see it.
• School leaders must make it clear to all staff that the district is serious about investigating any hint of child sexual abuse.
• District policies must stress all employees are mandated to report any suspicion of sexual misconduct and make clear that they will be disciplined if they fail to do so
• Stricter reference and background checks. Meticulously screening of new hires. School administrators must do criminal background checks on applicants and call their former employers and associates, including some who may not be listed on their resumes. Be leery of gaps and frequent changes in an applicant’s job history.
• Remove the accused teacher from contact with children, usually with a suspension, during the investigation
• Immediately notify police or community social service authorities.
• Train students about inappropriate behavior by adults and where to report it if they ever see it occur
• Organize a team of supervised peer counselors where students have a place to go

Ellis said “We must write to our legislators and demand Zero Tolerance.”

Contact your politicians and ask for stronger laws that protects children and for a stronger statute on mandated reporting of child abuse. All responsible citizens with knowledge of child abuse, which is a crime, should be required to report it, even if it’s only suspected. Write letters, e-mail, make phone calls … take action.

It’s time for America to wake-up. Knowledge is power. Learn all you can about child abuse. Educate yourself, your children, your family, your friends, neighbors — everyone you know. Please keep children safe.

Read Ellis’ article about two alleged sexual predator New York educators http://www.examiner.com/x-29163-NY-Parenting-Issues-Examiner~y2010m1d8-Two-New-Yorkers–a-principal-and-former-teacher-face-allegations-of-being-sexual-perverts

More information about bullying and how to help your children and students can be found at www.loveourchildrenusa.org

About Love Our Children USA
Love Our Children USA is the national nonprofit leader that honors, respects and protects children. Its mission is to break the cycle of violence against children. Love Our Children USA has become ‘the go-to’ prevention organization for all forms of violence and neglect against children in the U.S. Working to eliminate behaviors that keep children from reaching their potential, it redefines parenting and creates kid success by promoting prevention strategies and positive changes in parenting and family attitudes and behaviors through public education. Empowering and supporting children, teens, parents and families through information, resources, advocacy, and online youth mentoring. Its message is positive …one of prevention, empowerment and hope. Since 1999, Love Our Children USA has paved the way in the prevention of violence and neglect against children … keeping children safe and strengthening families.

Contact: Media Relations
Love Our Children USA
1.888.347.KIDS (5437) / 212.629.2099
media@loveourchildrenusa.org

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 –

Bureau of Justice Statistics study exposes epidemic of abuse in juvenile facilities, underscores call for new standards

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A long-awaited report from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) finds that youth in juvenile corrections facilities are sexually abused at alarming rates and are victimized significantly more often than adult inmates.

A shocking 12.1 percent – or almost one in eight – of the detained youth who participated in the survey reported sexual abuse at their current facility during the previous year. On any given day, there are approximately 93,000 youth confined in juvenile facilities, more than half of whom are 16 or younger.

“These figures are unconscionable, and even more so when you consider that the survey did not include youth locked up in adult facilities, where many are at even greater risk for abuse,” said Lovisa Stannow, Executive Director of Just Detention International.

The study – “Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09” – is based on a survey given to 9,198 youth detainees in 195 facilities from all fifty states and the District of Columbia. The BJS report also included these findings:

• 80 percent of the reported abuse was perpetrated by a member of the facility’s staff.
• 95 percent of youth who alleged abuse by staff reported at least one female perpetrator.
• Victimized youth usually endured repeated sexual abuse, often more than ten times, and frequently by multiple perpetrators.
• 65 percent of youth who had previously been sexually assaulted at another facility also reported having been sexually abused in their current facility.
• Youth with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual reported being sexually abused by another inmate at a rate more than ten times higher than that of youth who identified as heterosexual.

In June 2009, as mandated by Congress, the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission issued a comprehensive report on sexual violence in U.S. detention facilities. The bipartisan Commission, led by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton, found that many corrections facilities do a poor job preventing, identifying, and responding to the sexual abuse of those in their custody.

The Commission’s report emphasized that sexual abuse is an especially complex problem for younger inmates, explaining that “juveniles are not yet fully developed physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally and are ill-equipped to respond to sexual advances and protect themselves.”

“The BJS study confirms the Commission’s findings, underscoring the fact that young people are a particularly vulnerable population needing special protections,” said David Kaiser, chair of the board of Just Detention International. “Abused youth emerge from what ought to be a rehabilitative experience deeply traumatized, hindering their reintegration into society and limiting their development and future prospects.”

The Commission’s report includes proposed standards – which Just Detention International helped develop – for addressing and preventing the sexual abuse of inmates, including detained youth. By law, the Department of Justice has until June 2010 to codify final standards based on those recommendations.

“The Attorney General needs to issue comprehensive, zero-tolerance standards, and he can’t do so a moment too soon,” Stannow said. “Every day without them is another day in which incarcerated children are getting raped. No matter what crime a person may have committed, rape should never be part of the punishment.”

The BJS report, “Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09,” is available online at: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2113.

Just Detention International works to ensure government accountability for prisoner rape; to change ill-informed public attitudes about sexual violence in detention; and to promote access to resources for those who have survived such abuse.

SOURCE:   Just Detention International

Dreamcatchers for Abused Children Announce New BLOGTALK Radio Show

The Dreamcatchers for Abused Children organization is proud to announce “Dreamcatchers Talk Radio. The show is dedicated to speaking out against issues that have a major impact on our society.

Dreamcatchers Talk Radio is dedicated to speaking out against issues that have a major impact on our society: Child abuse, pedophiles, molestation, rape, incest, domestic violence, cyber safety, stalking and other hot topics surfacing in the news.

Abuse in Childhood Linked to Migraine and Other Pain Disorders

ScienceDaily (Jan. 6, 2010) — Researchers from the American Headache Society’s Women’s Issues Section Research Consortium found that incidence of childhood maltreatment, especially emotional abuse and neglect, are prevalent in migraine patients. The study also found that migraineurs reporting childhood emotional or physical abuse and/or neglect had a significantly higher number of comorbid pain conditions compared with those without a history of maltreatment.

Full findings of the study appear in the January issue of Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, published on behalf of the American Headache Society by Wiley-Blackwell.

According to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state and local child protective services (CPS) investigated 3.2 million reports of child abuse or neglect in 2007. CPS classified 794,000 of these children as victims with 59% classified as child neglect; 4% were emotional abuse; 8% as sexual abuse; and 11% were physical abuse cases. Both population- and clinic-based studies, including the current study, have demonstrated an association between childhood maltreatment and an increased risk of migraine chronification years later.

To conduct this study, Gretchen E. Tietjen, M.D, from the University of Toledo Medical Center, and colleagues, recruited a cross-sectional survey of headache clinic patients with physician-diagnosed migraine at 11 outpatient headache centers. Childhood maltreatment was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), a 28-item self-reported quantitative measure of childhood abuse (physical, sexual, and emotional) and neglect (physical and emotional). Self-reported physician-diagnosed history of comorbid pain conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), interstitial cystitis (IC), and arthritis was recorded on the survey.

A total of 1348 patients diagnosed with migraine completed the surveys. Researchers found migraineurs who reported childhood emotional abuse or physical neglect had a significantly higher incidence of comorbid pain conditions compared with those without a history of maltreatment. In the study population, 61% had at least 1 comorbid pain condition and 58% reported experiencing childhood trauma either by abuse or neglect. The number of different maltreatment types suffered in childhood correlated with the number of comorbid pain in adulthood.

Specifically, physical abuse was associated with a higher incidence of arthritis; emotional abuse was linked to a greater occurrence of IBS, CFS, FM, and arthritis; and physical neglect connected with more reports of IBS, CFS, IC, and arthritis. In women, physical abuse and physical neglect was associated with endometriosis (EM) and uterine fibroids, emotional abuse with EM, and emotional neglect with uterine fibroids.

“Our study found that while childhood maltreatment is associated with depression, the child abuse-adult pain relationship is not fully mediated by depression,” explained Dr. Tietjen. Results from this study, as well as three recent population-based studies, indicate that associations of maltreatment and pain were independent of depression and anxiety, both of which are highly prevalent in this population.

Researchers suggest that for persons presenting for migraine treatment, childhood maltreatment may be an important risk factor for development of comorbid pain disorders. “Since migraine onset preceded onset of the comorbid pain conditions in our population, treatment strategies such as cognitive behavioral therapy may be particularly well suited in these cases,” concluded Dr. Tietjen.

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