Read Two Articles About a Specific Subject

           For this assignment I read two articles that had to do with child abuse. One of the articles was more based on what to do about child abuse, and how to report it and take care of it. The second one wasn’t just about abuse but neglect also. It was about a four year old girl who died because she wasn’t feed, and was badly abused. The two were very different. Although they both had a story that took place, the first one was more like a small anecdote, trying to say how to deal with a situation. The second one on the other hand, was a full on story. It didn’t talk about what you should do, just what happened. A heart-breaking story about a little girl that died to abuse and neglect.

The first article I read was How Best to Protect Children by Ilana Sherer. It was about a Pediatrician who was faced with the challenge of reporting a seventeen-year-old girl who was abused by her father. She had to report her because it was the law, although she wasn’t sure it was actually the right thing to do. The girl begged her not to report her father, because she was afraid not of what her father would do to her, like most people are when they report abuse, but that her father would never forgive her. In her culture, if you did something wrong you got hit, and that was how it worked. The doctor new and understood all of this, but at the same time was required by law to report her. Even though she did, nothing ever happened. The father was never punished, and someone only went to the house once, a month after the abuse was reported. Even though the doctor was hesitant about reporting this case, she thought it was horrible that it was not taken care of. They simply accepted the lie told, and moved on. She said how from them on she followed every case she reported, keeping in touch, and a close eye on who ever was handling the abuse. This article really makes you think about what you would do; especially if you didn’t have to report what you think could be abuse, especially if asked not to. Also how well caseworkers take the cases they’re assigned to.

The second article I read was called A Bleak Life, Cut Short at 4, Harrowing From the Start By N. R. Klienfield and Mosi Secret The girl in this article was continuously beaten, and was tied into bed at night. She was forced medication she didn’t need, to substitute for the medication she did need that she didn’t receive. She was also starved. This girl was eighteen pounds, and four years old, half of what she should be. I think this article really showed how terrible child abuse and neglect is, and how bad it can get. It shows this by proving that child abuse doesn’t just mean having to put up with some bruises now and then, in many cases it leads to death. Every day 4 people die of abuse and neglect. This girl was a contribution to those people. This really shows you child abuse is a serious matter, and has to be dealt with. In this story people did take percasiouns because child abuse was suspected. Child protective services were contacted, and someone was supposed to be going and checking up on the kids. That person failed to come, and said he did. He is also being charged with homicide, along with his supervisor. This shows how strongly people take child abuse and how strongly it should be taken. Although the person from child protective services, failed to complete his duty it is still taken strongly by everyone else. In his case, not doing his job lead to criminal charges, in almost every other profession, this wouldn’t happen, but just because child abuse is so serious it did.

First article: http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S44-4241-0-1593&artno=0000317641&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=Child%20abuse%2C%20Law%20and%20legislation&title=How%20Best%20to%20Protect%20Children%3F&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N


Second article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/nyregion/short-bleak-life-of-marchella-pierce-emaciated-4-year-old.html?pagewanted=1&ref=marchellapierce