Parental Factors that Contribute to Child Abuse and Neglect

Parental Factors that Contribute to Child Abuse and Neglect

BY JANET HOWARD

Reports of crimes against children are featured in every newspaper, in every country, on a regular basis. Understanding the parental factors that contribute to the crimes of child abuse and neglect can help focus services. And, properly focused services could reduce many of the contributing factors.

Isolation While no event happens in isolation, isolation itself can be a strong parental factor that contributes to child abuse. Parents that lack a connection to other people, or who have had their connections to others severed, lack a basic support system. Without this important support system, the adult has no one that will listen to their concerns, fears, or allow them to vent about their anxieties. Feelings of isolation can lead to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Isolated from society’s support structure, the individual is also isolated from society’s behavioral expectations. With no support and no imposed limits, the isolated parent can find it easy to physically or emotionally victimize their children. Drug or Alcohol Abuse It is no longer easy to assume that drug and alcohol abuse only happens within low socio-economic families. Alcohol and drugs, even over-used prescription medication, can lower inhibitions. Chronic abuse leads to withdrawal symptoms which often increase aggressive behaviors. Eventually, the desire the medication, the drug, or the alcohol becomes the focus of the addicted adult. Once the focus shifts from the needs of the family, neglect and abuse can quickly occur.

Domestic Violence Violence in the home takes a drastic toll on the abused spouse and the children in the home. Often, the child may not be the direct target of the abuse. However, the emotional toll and chaotic home life damages the child’s emotional growth and development. The abused and the abuser play an equal role in the harm done to children living in a home filled with domestic violence. In addition to the emotional damage, children living in the home are often unintended victims and are hurt “just by accident.” Economic Stressors Not every child in a low-income family is abused. But, the current state of the economy has had a negative impact on many families. Homes, jobs, and dreams have been lost. The underlying emotion during difficult economic times is fear and fear often leads to aggression. While socio-economic status is not an automatic indicator of abuse or neglect, how a family copes with economic stressors is a clear indicator. A family that focuses on hope instead of loss is less likely to abuse or neglect their children and more likely to manage the economic stressors successfully.

Physical Health Fewer people have access to medical care than in the past. Physical pain and trauma can become a considerable factor, especially when the family has no resources to obtain the medical care necessary to meet their needs. The adult’s inability to accept or provide for their child’s physical disabilities can lead to abuse. The parent grieves for the future the disable child will not have and sometimes resents the child for the loss of those dreams. Cranky, colicky children or children that cry excessively make it harder for the parental bond to develop. And, without that bond, becoming abusive is easier.

Parental Age Very young parents often lack the reasoning skills and experience that comes with maturity. That same lack of experience may lead a young parent to have unreasonable expectations of their child’s developmental skills. Aging parents, or grandparents serving the role of parents, have less energy and may be living on a fixed income. Their expectations of young children may be out-dated and can lead to conflict with younger adolescents—conflicts that can quickly escalate into abuse.

History of Abuse “We parent the way we were parented” is a scary thought if the parental history includes abuse or neglect. Children that were abused too frequently grow to become abusive. While none of these factors taken individually guarantee that abuse will occur, these factors seldom appear as a single contributor to abuse or neglect.l

IMMIGRATION

12 The Needlessly Deadly Journey to the U.S. Claims More Victims

BY AMERICA’S VOICE

Washington D.C.: A boat enroute to Miami from Haiti capsized off the Bahamas on Sunday and 17 people died, including 15 women and a little girl. An additional 815 could be missing, according to news reports. This is the latest – but by no means the only – tragedy facing migrants seeking safety in the United States. Whether it is at sea or on the arduous journey across land to the U.S. border from South or Central America and beyond, migrants continue to come and die in the attempt. Last month, 53 migrants, mostly from Central America, were found dead in an unventilated truck in San Antonio. These tragedies are emblematic of the larger reality of forced migration in the western hemisphere and the United States’ unwillingness to create accessible, orderly, and safe legal pathways for migration and asylum seekers. Reuters reports that, according to the U.N., “Last year was the deadliest for migrants crossing the border, with 728 fatalities recorded by the United Nations, which started counting in 2014. The U.N. has counted 340 more this year, apace with 2021’s grim record.” As Eleanor Acer, Senior Director, Refugee Protection at Human Rights First, noted on Twitter about the 17 Haitian migrants who died off the Bahamas: “People at risk of persecution & violence need fast, safe routes to seek refuge. Policies that deny visas or prevent people from crossing borders to seek asylum are the opposite of orderly & safe. They spur dangerous journeys & endanger lives.” The United States has relied over multiple decades on deterrence as its main hemispheric immigration policy. Also over decades, Congress, led by Republicans, has failed to open legal channels for migration or legalize those already living here who could then utilize the legal immigration system to reunite their families. This feeds migrants into ever more dangerous attempts to enter or seek asylum, while also creating a lucrative market for human smugglers. As New York Times reporter Miriam Jordan points out in her article, “Smuggling Migrants at the Border Now a Billion-Dollar Business,” this has been made worse by recent changes to border policies. “Title 42, the public health order introduced by the Trump administration at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, has authorized the immediate expulsion of those caught crossing the border illegally, allowing migrants to cross repeatedly in the hope of eventually succeeding. This has led to a substantial escalation in the number of migrant encounters on the border — 1.7 million in fiscal 2021 — and brisk business for smugglers.” In an article today in the Texas Observer, ‘Migrant Deaths are a Feature – Not a Bug – Of U.S. Immigration Policy’, reporter Jason Buch explores how Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s policies have added to the deadliness. He also identifies the deterrence-only approach as one of the culprits driving smuggling and deaths. “Researchers say the cumulative impact of deterrence policies is that they push people into more dangerous routes to the U.S. This country’s immigration laws became more restrictive throughout the 20th century, and the resources devoted to border security have increased into the 2000s. In his 2015 “ethnography of death” in Arizona, the anthropologist Jason De León described “a security apparatus that transparently seeks to deter them through pain, suffering, and death.” “Those policies are trying to deter people fleeing pain, suffering, and death in continued on page 13

Editorial credit: Vic Hinterlang / Shutterstock.com

Parolees Can Now File Form I-765 Online

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that certain parolees can now file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online. Most individuals paroled into the United States for urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit purposes under INA 212(d)(5) are eligible to seek employment authorization under category (c)(11). Please see the Form I-765 instructions (PDF, 810.34 KB) for more information. Effective immediately, applicants for employment authorization under category (c)(11) may file Form I-765 online, with limited exceptions. Applicants seeking a waiver of the filing fee or those eligible for a fee exemption, such as Afghan nationals paroled through Operation Allies Welcome and filing an initial Form I-765, must continue to submit Form I-765 by mail. Whether applications are submitted by mail or electronically, USCIS is committed to employing technological solutions and efficiencies to reduce processing times. To file Form I-765 online, eligible applicants must first visit my.uscis.gov to create a USCIS online account. There is no cost to create an account, which offers a variety of features, including the ability to communicate with USCIS about your application through a secure inbox. The option to file Form I-765 online is only available to certain categories of I765 applicants – now including parolees. If an applicant submits Form I-765 online to request employment authorization, but is not filing under an eligible employment authorization category, USCIS may deny the application and retain the fee. By offering the option to file Form I765 online, USCIS continues to make the process of applying for immigration benefits efficient, secure, and convenient for more applicants and to increase operational efficiencies for our agency.l — USCIS The Needlessly Deadly Journey/ continued from page 12 their home countries”, said Guerline Jozef, the director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit that provides support to Haitian immigrants in the U.S. Jozef had recently returned to her home in California from the funerals of 11 Haitians in Puerto Rico who drowned trying to reach the U.S. when she learned about the San Antonio tragedy. In a phone interview, Jozef borrowed from the British-Somali poet Warsan Shire, who once wrote, “no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.” “When home is the mouth of the shark, you have to leave, you have to flee, to the unknown, because you have no other choice,” Jozef said. “So there is no deterrent practice you will find to stop people from searching for safety. And for the U.S. to create those policies is inhumane and unacceptable.” According to Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for America’s Voice: “These human tragedies are avoidable; a fact that indicts our array of cruel and failed deterrence-only policies – from the border wall to Title 42 to ‘Remain in Mexico’ – and others based on the wrongheaded notion that if we are cruel enough, we can keep people from migrating in the first place. Instead, our current broken system empowers reckless human smugglers and traffickers and incentivizes dangerous treks to our southern border and on makeshift ocean vessels. We have long needed a new approach: to put smugglers and traffickers out of business, to expand legal channels for safe and orderly migration, to address and alleviate the root causes of forced migration, and to approach this through cooperation on a hemispheric basis rather than pretending these issues are mostly about our southern border. Where Trump cut investments in Latin America and the Caribbean, we need to increase investments that give people a reasonable chance of surviving in their home countries Unfortunately, Republicans’ politicization, obstruction, and legal challenges combine to block needed legislative solutions and undermine efforts to get Democrats and the Biden administration to stand strong and forge progress. The American economy and American families demand a level of migration that Congress has been unwilling to sanction, so a great deal of imigration is controlled by smugglers and remains in the black market. It’s migrants like those fleeing Haiti, like those killed in San Antonio, like those languishing in squalid Mexican camps, and those dying in the desert or killed en route who suffer from this fundamental mismatch between the demand for legal immigration and the supply.”l

JOBS & RECESSION

14 Being a Paralegal Is a Great Career Choice!

BY THE CHAMBER COALITION

Acareer as a paralegal (also known as a legal assistant) can be a wonderfully fulfilling profession. Paralegals perform legal , regulatory , and business -related research for lawyers working at their organization. Most of the time, paralegals work for law offices, non-profits, corporations' legal departments, or courts. These professionals also provide legal support services to attorneys. They assist lawyers in filing motions, memoranda, pleadings, and briefs in various court systems and accompany lawyers to see clients and go to court. Here are five great things about being a paralegal:

1. Rise in Pay Paralegal compensation has risen steadily in the past decade. As paralegals perform a broader and more complex range of tasks (paralegals even represent clients in court in certain countries and administrative tribunals), their earnings continue to rise. The average paralegal salary hovers at around $50,000 per year, but paralegals often make more through bonuses. Overtime hours can also add significant cash to a paralegal's paycheck. 2. Explosive Employment Outlook The paralegal field is one of the fastestgrowing professions on the globe. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, predicts the employment of paralegals and legal assistants by over 25 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations. Among the factors driving this growth is client demand for cheaper, more efficient delivery of legal services. Since hourly rates charged by attorneys are typically double or triple the rates of paralegals for the same task, law firm economics mandates the increased use of paralegals to minimize costs. As a result, a paralegal career is one of the hottest non-lawyer jobs in the legal industry. 3. Easy Career Entry Unlike lawyers who must complete seven years of formal education and pass the bar exam to practice law, you can become a paralegal in as little as a few months of study.

4. Intellectual Challenge Paralegal work is intellectually challenging and involves a range of high-level skills. The most successful paralegals are problem-solvers and innovative thinkers. Paralegals must become subject matter experts in their specialty areas and master legal procedure, research, drafting, and other skills. They must stay on top of ever-changing laws and new legal trends and developments while interfacing with attorneys, opposing counsel, vendors, staff members, clients, and others. The work is varied, and each day brings new challenges.

5. Rising Prestige As paralegals perform more complex and challenging work, paralegal prestige is rising. Paralegals are no longer simply lawyer's assistants; they assume corporate management roles, leadership roles in law firms, and entrepreneurial roles in independent paralegal businesses. Over the years, paralegals have transcended the image of glorified legal secretaries to become respected legal team members.

Ready to Take the Leap? A career as a paralegal can be rewarding professionally and personally and offers a unique opportunity to help others; options vary, depending on the paralegal's practice area. Paralegals in the public interest sector help poor and disadvantaged segments of the population with legal issues ranging from protection from domestic abuse to assistance preparing wills. Ready to take the leap, the next step? Call us at 718-722-9217 or visit www.freeparalegal.org to complete your registration which includes payment.l

Orientation is Monday, August 8, 2022

Join us via Zoom at 6pm

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Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” Featured in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Movie

Editorial credit:Marvel

BY STEPHANIE KORNEY JAMAICANS.COM

The Marvel panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con event released the official trailer for the upcoming sequel to the franchise’s blockbuster film “Black Panther.” The trailer for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” features a mashup of a cover of the iconic Bob Marley song “No Woman No Cry” by multiple-award-winning Nigerian singer and songwriter Tems, and influential American rapper Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is scheduled for release on November 11, 2022, and represents the final film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The visuals displayed in the trailer have been described as “stunning,” but one of its most impressive elements is its emotional content related to the untimely death from cancer of Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa in the original “Black Panther” film, which was based on the character created by Marvel Comics. As a result of Chadwick’s death, Marvel decided not to recast his role in the sequel, and the trailer acknowledges the loss of King T’Challa in a very emotional way. The sequel was discussed soon after the release of the original film in 2018, with Ryan Coogler returning as director. Its plot revolves around the fight by the Kingdom of Wakanda to protect the nation from world powers who seek to intervene after the death of King T’Challa. The studio officially announced the development of the sequel in 2019. l Step 4 Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and allow to get hot. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the hot oil, add shrimp, and cook until shrimp are bright pink on the outside and the meat is opaque, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a pan lined with a drip rack and keep warm.

Step 5 Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same skillet and stir in reserved flour mixture. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, but be careful so it doesn't burn. Add chicken broth and white wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, and add cream and lemon juice. Stir and cook until sauce has slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until melted.

Step 6 Divide pasta into serving bowls, top with lemon sauce, and 4 to 5 shrimp per serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 705 calories; protein 30.8g; carbohydrates 66g; fat 34.3g; cholesterol 225.4mg; sodium 1322.9mg.l

Kitchen Corner Date Night Shrimp Francese over Angel Hair Pasta

This elegant dinner comes together in less than 30 minutes, and is a fabulous dinner to serve for date night at home, or for a dinner party, and even if you're doing dinner solo it's still an awesome meal to enjoy — just adjust the ingredient quantities.

—Thedailygourmet, AllRecipes.com

Ingredients 1 (12 ounce) package angel hair pasta 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined ¾ cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon granulated garlic 1 pinch ground black pepper ¼ cup grapeseed oil, divided ¼ cup unsalted butter, divided 1¼ cups chicken broth ¼ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio ¼ cup whipping cream 1½ tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions Step 1 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook angel hair pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain.

Step 2 Meanwhile, butterfly shrimp, and lightly press open.

Step 3 Mix flour, salt, garlic, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Reserve 2 tablespoons flour mixture and set aside. Dredge shrimp in flour mixture until well coated, shaking off excess flour.