Re: Human rights perspective on child abuse

["Edward Adrian Lentz" <ealent@xxxxxxxx>]

Prof. Binggeli has speculated on the paradigm shift that could be affected
if the relationship between child abuse and violent criminality were to
become a human rights issue.

Actually, international human rights legislation does speak to the child's
right to be free from conditions which put the child **at risk** for abuse.
The U.S. is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
(UNCRC) & therefore it is legitimate for treatment providers, analysts,
researchers, jurists, advocates etc to apply interpretations of the UNCRC
when advising on policy or designing interventions.

Article 19 of the Convention gives the child the right to expect that "all
appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures
[are taken] to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental
violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or
exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal
guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child."   This
article of the Convention goes on to guarantee the child the right to social
programs which support families at risk of maltreatment, as well as programs
which address prevention along with the traditional child welfare
infrastructure.

The UNCRC is worded in such a way as to be applied broadly & points to
prevention & strategies to support children & families at risk as the best
way to avoid adverse developmental outcomes.
____________________________________________________

Edward Adrian Lentz, MLS, MPA
Analyst, Child/Youth/Family Policy
Member, Research Unit on Youth & Society
University of Victoria (BC)

Home contact:
#8 - 50 Montreal St.               1 (250) 381-5563
Victoria, British Columbia             Fax 381-5564
Canada  V8V 1Y5                     ealent@home.com

  "There is always one moment in childhood when the
           door opens and lets the future in."
       Graham Greene, The Power and the Glory (1941)

  "We're just the hammer that drives the nail in."
     Frankie Goes to Hollywood guitarist Nash (1984)

----- Original Message -----
From: <Hermetica@aol.com>
To: Child Maltreatment Researchers
<CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 26, 1999 9:12 AM
Subject: Re: CASA report


>
> I also believe that we need to devote substantial attention to working to
> effect a paradigm shift in professional and societal attitudes toward
child
> abuse-  a shift that relocates child abuse from its current status as a
> peripheral side-issue to its likely position of the central cause of not
only
> violent criminality, but also a central causal factor in a majority of
> individual and societal dysfunction.
>
> Imagine if violent criminality were to become regarded as a children's
rights
> issue.  As in:  children have the right to not be born into situations
that
> damage them so badly that they later become destructive towards themselves
and
> towards others.
>
> Nelson Binggeli, M. S.
> Georgia State University
>
>