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RE: Dear list members:
On Thu, 18 Jul 2002, Scott Linder wrote:
> This email brings up many insightful questions. For example, how do
> differences in cultures' perceptions of gender roles and collectivism affect
> the reporting of sexual abuse and family abuse internationally?
Or, for that matter, even the classification of various behaviors as
abuse.
And how do
> these differences affect the response by the local communities and
> authorities?
>
> Scott Linder
>
>
> >From: "Ron Kokish" <ron@delko.net>
> >Reply-To: CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu
> >To: Child Maltreatment Researchers
> ><CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu>
> >Subject: RE: Dear list members:
> >Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 08:47:43 -0700
> >
> >Fred,
> >
> >I just wanted to let you know that your post about Alaskan Natives is one
> >of
> >the most concise, relevant and interesting things I have ever read on this
> >list or, for that matter, anywhere. The conditions you are working with
> >call for social work in its most essential form and I'm almost (but not
> >quite) inspired enough to go to Alaska and try to help. Any research
> >involved in this work would probably not be very scientific, but definitely
> >fascinating.
> >
> >I would have sent this back-channel, but there was no email address in your
> >signature line.
> >***************************************************************************
> > Ron Kokish at Delson-Kokish Associates, P.O. Box 476, Trinidad, CA 95570
> > Clinical and Forensic Evaluations, Consultation & Training
> > (707)677-3181-voice (707)677-0187-fax
> > ron@delko.net-email www.northcoast.com/~dka
> >***************************************************************************
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu
> >[mailto:owner-CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu]On Behalf Of Fred
> >Kopacz
> > Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 11:15 AM
> > To: Child Maltreatment Researchers
> > Subject: RE: Dear list members:
> >
> >
> > I believe our colleague statement about never treating American
> >Indians/Alaska Natives differentially is an overgeneralization and fails to
> >recognize the actual conditions under which many AIAN people live. Since I
> >am most familiar with Alaska, my remarks are applicable only within this
> >state; although, some may be more broadly applicable to life on lower 48
> >reservations as well.
> >
> >
> >
> > First, we all recognize that the number one goal in the situation is to
> >protect the child from harm. The reality is doing so typically means police
> >and judiciary action. Those resources are not available in most Alaska
> >villages. Let me cite a few statistics from a recent DOJ proposal. Alaska
> >Natives comprise 16% of the state's total population. I believe this
> >constitutes the highest proportion of Natives of any state. The last data I
> >had indicated that Alaska Natives represent 51% of the substantiated
> >reports
> >of harm and 54% of children taken into custody by CPS. While Alaska has 325
> >communities identified by the U.S, Census, Alaska State Troopers are
> >located
> >in only 42 of them. (I believe the state child protection agency has even
> >fewer field offices.) The Dept. of Public Safety has attempts a broader
> >presence through the Village Public Safety Officer program that operates in
> >conjunction with the Native Corporations; however, VPSO's experience an
> >annual turn-over of 55%. Many positions remain vacant and some Native
> >Corporations want nothing to do with the program that places minimally
> >trained personnel in villages to provide law enforcement. Overlaying this
> >is
> >the fact that although Alaska's land area is almost 1/3 that of the
> >contiguous 48 states, it is has fewer road miles than Vermont. Getting from
> >one village to another requires travel by boat, small aircraft, or snow
> >machine. All highly dependent on the weather and inherently dangerous (just
> >review the state's accident data). Enforcing (or even getting) a
> >restraining
> >or protection order is not a reality under these circumstances. In addition
> >to the lack of access to courts and police protection, the other reality of
> >village life is that most villages consist of a few families. Thus, a
> >victim
> >can not avoid daily contact with the perpetrator and his/her family. If a
> >complaint results in incarceration, most victims can expect ostracism and
> >retribution from the perpetrator's (and sometimes own) family. Often, the
> >victim's only real choice is to try to flee the community and even that is
> >not easy because of cost and the fact that the airstrip is the center of
> >town and many people go out to greet each arriving flight. I have seen
> >cases
> >where disclosure of incest has split families as most of the family became
> >angry at the victim revealing the incident caused because it resulted in an
> >elder being sent to jail. Coupled with the fact that many Alaska Natives
> >are highly suspicious of the courts and child protection agency anyway
> >because they perceive that all these institutions ever do send the men and
> >children out of town to jail or foster care after which they always seem to
> >come back with more problems than they started.
> >
> >
> >
> > Further complicating the issues is the fact that the rate of FAS and the
> >spectrum of prenatal alcohol exposure conditions disproportionately affects
> >Alaska Natives. While typically we view this as a problem of children, it
> >should be viewed as a problem of adults. While not necessary to recite the
> >clinical issues involved in the condition, most would agree that
> >impulsivity, poor judgment, inability to predict consequences, and having
> >no
> >concept of time are not attributes of good parenting.
> >
> >
> >
> > There are no easy, straight forward solutions to this highly complex
> >issue
> >and, I believe, that, at least in Alaska, we need to develop an entirely
> >different approach that is rooted in Native cultural and not Western
> >thinking. The Hollow Waters experience in Canada offers the basis for such
> >an approach and I am hoping to adapt it as part of a grass roots community
> >development initiative being put forth in this state.
> >
> >
> >
> > Fred Kopacz
> >
> > Southcentral Foundation
> >
> > Anchorage, Alaska
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Freya Schultz [mailto:freya@co.santa-barbara.ca.us]
> > Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 12:46 PM
> > To: Child Maltreatment Researchers
> > Subject: Re: Dear list members:
> >
> >
> >
> > Look at the Family to Family Initiative at the Annie E. Casey site, at
> >
> > http://www.aecf.org/familytofamily/ in the tools section.
> >
> >
> >
> > To treat Native Americans differently from best practice for other
> >ethnic
> >groups is unconscionable.
> >
> >
> >
> > I used to do the domestic violence program for our local District
> >Attorney, and we would NEVER consider removing a child from a mother
> >involved in domestic violence who separated from the perpetrator and could
> >protect her children. We worked to strengthen and protect her, and help
> >the
> >children in the process. Many ethnic groups respond well to the focus on
> >enlisting the mother in protecting her children from repeating the cycle,
> >when other reasons to protect herself are not culturally acceptable
> >(women's
> >rights, etc.)..
> >
> >
> >
> > We were the first LEA grant in the country to do this type of program ,
> >with published success rates (starting in 1978). The only thing that works
> >is to get the perpetrator under the control of the courts, remove the
> >decision to prosecute from the victims, and lodge it with the prosecuting
> >agency, where it belongs. The victim is only a witness, in this paradigm.
> >I will try to dig up the research here at UCSB on this issue. Removing the
> >children from the nonabusing spouse compounds the harm to the children.
> >Our
> >district attorney designed the National College of District Attorneys
> >curriculum on how to use victim services to accomplish the goal of
> >prosecution AND helping the victims at the same time.
> >
> >
> >
> > Freya Schultz
> >
> > Santa Barbara, CA
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Freya Schultz
> > Staff Analyst
> > Santa Barbara County Social Services
> > 234 Camino del Remedio
> > Santa Barbara, CA 93110
> > (805) 681-4626
> > <freya@co.santa-barbara.ca.us>
> >
> > >>> AHAGEMEI@che.umn.edu 07/16/02 09:14AM >>>
> > Dear list members:
> > I received a local request for information that I am hoping you can help
> >with. An advocacy organization that is working with some Indian Child
> >Welfare Act (ICWA) lawyers called looking for research to support best
> >practice regarding Indian children, removal from families, placements, and
> >services. The three best practice positions they are working on are:
> > 1. Whenever possible, it is beneficial to keep a child with a
> >parent/mother in situations where there is domestic violence and she is
> >able
> >to gain resources to keep herself and her children safe.
> > 2. Removal of children from their family/mother/parent is detrimental
> >and
> >should be avoided unless all other options have been exhausted.
> > 3. Services and interventions that are culturally specific and
> >culturally
> >senstive to Native American/American Indian families will yield better
> >results than those which are not.
> > Can you please point me is some directions about such research? I am
> >going
> >to search the NCCAN database, too.
> > Thanks,
> > Anna
> >
> >
> >
> > Annelies Hagemeister, PhD, MSW
> > Link Project Coordinator, MINCAVA
> > www.mincava.umn.edu/link
> > School of Social Work
> > University of Minnesota
> > St. Paul, MN 55108
> > PH: 612-625-2216
> > FX: 612-625-4288
> > 612-625-2216
> >
>
>
>
>
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--
John M. Price, PhD jmprice@calweb.com
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Comoderator: sci.psychology.psychotherapy.moderated Atheist# 683