Blog 6
1) I see child abuse as any type of physical, sexual, or emotional harm done to a child.
2) I don't think that spanking is child abuse. A lot of parents spank their children as punishment for misbehaving. However, there is a line that can be crossed. I think that spanking your child should be allowed, however actually harming your child is wrong and spanking shouldn't be a relied upon method of punishing a child.
3) Obviously, if excessive punishment is occurring, it should be a public concern. A stern talking to or even a light smack are acceptable forms of punishing a child in public. However, there's always a fine line between acceptable punishment and abuse that should be appreciated. Any kind of actions that could lead to actual physical harm or emotional harm would count as unacceptable forms of child punishment.
1) Illinois state law regarding child pornography dates back to 1961 with the creation of: Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5 Criminal Code of 1961. Section 11-20.1
-depicts or portrays by means of any similar visual medium or
reproduction or depicts by computer any child whom he or she knows or
reasonably should know to be under the age of 18 and at least 13 years
of age or any severely or profoundly mentally retarded person where such
child or severely or profoundly mentally retarded person is:
(i) actually or by simulation engaged in any act
of sexual penetration or sexual conduct with any person or animal; or
(ii) actually or by simulation engaged in any act
- It's also notable that the law includes computer depictions of anyone under the age of 18.
- Violation of this law is a class 1 felony, punishable by a mandatory minimum fine of $2,000 and a maximum fine of
$100,000. A prison sentence of up to 10 years may also be levied.
-Illinois state law compares sexting to child pornography laws. Anyone found guilty of sexting may be charged with production, possession, or distribution of child pornography. Illinois defines sexting as sharing nude pictures over cell phone or other electronic means.
- With regards to sexting, I'm not sure where I stand on the issue. It can obviously be a form of child pornography and severely damaging to all parties involved. However, it's often times between two underage consenting teens. Having to register as a sex offender can destroy someone's life. Sexting when you're underage is pretty irresponsible behavior... But I'm not really sure where I stand. I think it should be addressed on a case-by-case manner.
-Recently, Illinois passed a bill addressing sexting- "Under the Illinois proposal, teens who send racy images to just each
other would not be punished—only those who decide to widely distribute
those images (usually as part of an attempt to blackmail or embarrass
the sender). Those found guilty of sending the texts would be subject to
juvenile court supervision, but wouldn't get labeled a sex offender for
possessing an image of a minor, as would be appropriate under current
Illinois law." http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2010/04/illinois-moving-forward-with-kinder-gentler-teen-sexting-bill/
In the news:
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/boy-scouts-release-sex-abuse-files-many-illinois-children-victimized-311454.php
I think that this article affected me the most because it's about child victimization that occurred in a boy scout troop in Chicago. The boy scouts are an organization that a lot of children are a part of and it's seen as a safe environment for children to be in. The article also mentions that Illinois has the 6th highest rate of abuse cases that occurred in Boy Scout troops.
Media
Eminem- My Mom
The song addresses how his mom was messed up on drugs and would drug her kid up by slipping Valium into his food. The song also talks about how Eminem's teachers were verbally abusive towards him.
The book A Child Called It is a pretty famous book about an extreme case of child abuse. The author Dave Pelzer recounts the events leading up to him being placed in foster care. It's a pretty controversial book and many people claim the events are exaggerated because they seem so insane. However, the book is a fantastic read and really brought the issue of child abuse into the public's eye.
