Child Abuse: A Study of Fifty Cases of Child Sex Victims, Six Years and Under, Known to the Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 1965-1967
Abstract
Childhood is the foundation period of life. It is that stage of life characterized by extreme vulnerability to all and any influences. The child’s attitudes, habits, and patterns of behavior are established during these early years and will, to a great extent, determine how successfully he will be able to adjust to life as he grows older. The Elasticity of his personality makes him an easy target for both internal and external manipulation. The problem of child abuse, in itself, is not a new , one. Indeed, as Serapio Richard Zalba, in his study on the abused child, pointed out: "It is only comparatively recently in recorded history that there has been community consensus and sanction for recognizing and protecting the rights of children. In much of recorded history infanticide, child abandonment, maiming as an aid in begging, and the selling of children has been common rather than exceptional. It was common to flog children without provocation in colonial times in America in order to "break them of their willfulness," and make them tractable, ostensibly for the good of their souls. It was not until the last half of the nineteenth century, precipitated by the infamous Mary Ellen case in New York City, that the first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was organized in the United States. Further discussion will be given in regard to this case as we relate the history of child protective services in Chapter II.
Subject Area
Mental health|Social work
Recommended Citation
Thompson, Mary Edna, "Child Abuse: A Study of Fifty Cases of Child Sex Victims, Six Years and Under, Known to the Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 1965-1967" (1968). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30308710.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30308710
