单选题
Children in highly developed countries suffer abuse and neglect much more often than is reported by official child protective agencies, according to the findings of the first in a comprehensive series of reports on child maltreatment, published Dec. 2 in the British medical journal The Lancet.
The issue lies in the delicate nature of the crimes—and the consequences of intervention. Many cases of abuse have the potential for long-term harm of the child, whether or not the assault is reported. The decision to report is rarely clear-cut, says Theresa Costello, "Professionals want to advocate for their clients, but they also know the reality of the public child-welfare system," she says. "There is a natural professional dilemma. When you see a kid and you think, "I should make a report," but you"re not sure you want to subject that child to the system."
The new research underscores the fact that the most common type of child abuse in developed countries—simple neglect—is often the" least publicized. The Lancet analysis finds that neglect is the number one category of maltreatment reported by child protective services. "We have paid much more attention to physical and sexual abuse. Even though neglect is the largest portion of cases, it"s under everybody"s radar," says Widom, a psychology professor and a lead author on one of the Lancet studies. Widom points to years of past research linking early childhood abuse to an increased risk of long-term behavioral and psychological problems, ranging from low educational achievement to criminal behavior, risky sexual practices and even increased risk of obesity.
Yet there is no completely objective test for the presence of abuse. Identifying victimized children is often a subjective process, and caregivers may be wary of wielding false accusations. Self-reports of abuse are frequently flawed and inaccurate as well, says Widom; they often produce the largest estimates of abuse incidence, but their definitions of maltreatment are overly broad. Even when children of abuse are correctly identified, not all caregivers know how to ensure their proper treatment.
There is an effort in operation to rectify that problem. Jenny is one of roughly 250 pediatricians across the U.S. whose specialty is the identification and prevention of child abuse, and the field is gaining momentum—and standardization. By 9,012, a three-year post-residency fellowship will be required of all new pediatricians who wish to specialize in child abuse. And the National Association of Children"s Hospitals has advocated for requiring all children"s medical institutions to have a child-abuse specialist on staff.
Says Widom, the ultimate goal is to prevent abuse in the first place, and to protect the well-being of children who have been victimized: "It would be wrong to assume that all maltreated children are going to turn out to have all of these problems," she says.
单选题
Most child abuse goes unreported because ______