Research Korner: Violence Essay Samples

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN

RESEARCH PROPOSAL     RESEARCH TITLE:               A retrospective study on the presence of mental disorders diagnosed on the sexually abused clients referred to the Women and Child Protection Unit at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH).     RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:   1.      To determine the incidence and comorbidity of mental illness found in the sexually abused clients referred at the NCMH from January – December 2001.     METHODOLOGY               A statistical study from representative data gathered from 100 clients with complete court reports referred to the NCMH from January to December 31, 2001.      PROPOSED BY:      M.D. Medical Office III     DISCUSSION            A total of 100 documented cases of family violence, obtained from the files of the NCMH covering the period from 2001-2002, were analyzed statistically, based on the list of factors that could provide a comprehensive profile of these clients.  The following general findings of the study show the extent and the kind of abusive and violent environment the clients were in and the circumstances which have triggered such events to happen.   1.  Violence in the family consists of several forms of abuses - physical, verbal, economic, emotional and sexual. Due to their vulnerability in the family structure, it is often the women and the children who are the recipients of such acts of violence. Figure 1 shows a graph of the different forms of abuse. For this study, the most common form of abuse is sexual assault (66%), followed by physical abuse (18%) and then by verbal abuse (10%).  There was also an incidence of economic abuse (1%), plus an incidence wherein verbal, physical and economic abuse occurred simultaneously (1%).  Other forms of abuse (3%) consisted mostly of varying degrees of emotional abuse with combinations of any of the aforementioned types.                    Some of these abuses occur in different combinations.  Sexual abuse is often accompanied by physical and verbal abuse .A typical example would be a case of a male neighbor molesting a young girl after which he menaces the girl with pernicious words and promises of retaliation if the victim seeks help. Another would be a case of a young girl being raped by a distant family relative and then being taunted by a series of physical and verbal threats.   Figure 1.  Forms of Abuse   2.         Victims experience violence repeatedly at varying periods of time (worst case was one victim who was raped every Sundays), in the hands of the same or different household members from brother to father or uncle to a male neighbor (the most frequent abuser) to the stepfather, in-laws, foster parents, siblings and employers (in the case of domestic helpers).  The cycle of violence usually starts with one form of violence that leads to another.  There have been cases wherein such abuses led to sexual molestation and rape.           Figure 2.  Progression of Violence     Figure 2 shows the graph of the progression of violence.  Typical progressions are: a) physical abuse to sexual abuse to rape (71%); and b) sexual molestation to rape and economic abuse to physical abuse (15%).  There were also cases of verbal abuse that led to physical assault (7%) and verbal abuse that led to physical abuse, sexual molestation and finally, to rape (5%). In some cases, rape was also preceded by verbal abuse and physical assault (2%).   Rarely is one abuse exclusive of another.   3.  Figure 3 shows the age range of the clients.  The average age of the victims is 15.27 years old.   The most dominant group, comprising sixty-two percent (62%) of the clients, were between the ages eleven to seventeen.  Twenty- two percent (22%) were young adult females, with ages between 18-24 years old.  Twelve percent (12%) were of children’s age, between 4-10 years old.   The youngest victims were a 5-year old boy and girl, while the oldest was a 48-year old widow.    Figure 4 shows the civil status of the clients, with ninety-nine percent (99%) of the respondents being single.  Only one was a widow.    On the other hand, figure 5 shows the gender of the clients.  Almost all victims were female (95%) and only 5% were male.    Figure 7 shows the educational attainment if the clients.  Almost all of the victims have been educated, half of which reached elementary education (58%), 1/3 reaching high school (31%), and 2% of them reaching college.  Nine percent (9%) were still of pre-school age and even then, did not still go to school.    Figure 9 shows the employment background of the victims. About 82 % of the victims (8 out of 10) are not gainfully employed, since most of them are minors.  The rest, who are of working age, toil in menial types of jobs.               Minors (aged 0-17) comprise an overwhelming 84% of the total victims of abuse. More than half of the cases of domestic violence against children and minors involve some form of sexual abuse. Figure 10 shows the most common abuses against minors.  Rape is the most common form of assault against minors (46%).  This is followed by sexual molestation (17%), physical abuse (12%), incestual rape (9%) and pregnancy out of wedlock (8%).    Figure 3. Age of Victim (in Years Old)                   Figure 4.   Civil Status           Figure 5.  Gender                     Figure 6.  Address / Area     Figure 7.  Educational Attainment               4.  Figure 6 shows that most of the clients came from Quezon City (20%), with Pasig City and Nueva Ecija next (11%) followed by Mandaluyong City (7%).  The clients came from as far as San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Batangas and most of the cities and municipalities in Metro Manila   Figure 8.  Person Who Brought Patient to Hospital             5.  Figure 8 shows the graph of the persons who brought the patient to the hospital.  The mother of the patient was the most common helper (42%), followed by the grandmother (26%), the auntie (13%).  Nonrelatives accounted for 19% of the people who helped the patient.   Figure 9.  Employment of Victim   Figure 10. Forms of Violence Against Minors               4.  Forty-one cases of mental illness were found.  Figure 11 shows a graph of the figures.  The most common mental illnesses were major depression and mild mental retardation (32%).  Both accounted for more than half of the cases.  Another common form of mental illness was moderate mental retardation (20%).  There were also cases of bipolar affective disorder (10%), severe mental retardation (5%) and schizophrenia (2%).   Figure 11.  Presence of Mental Illness                       Figure 12.  Number of Episodes of Sexual Abuse   5.  Figure 12 shows the number of episodes of sexual abuse.  The frequency of sexual abuse ranged from once to more than five times.  The most common number of episodes of sexual abuse ranged from once (32%) and more than five times (36%).  A repeat of the first sexual abuse was also fairly common (27%).  More than half of the number of episodes (68%) occurred more than once, showing that the perpetrator has easy access and has more power economically, physically and emotionally than the victim, that’s why the perpetrator can repeatedly abuse the victim.   6.  Figure 13 shows the profile of the perpetrator.  The most common perpetrator of assaults on women (young and adult) is their male neighbors, who account for 30% of the abuses. The average age of the perpetrator is 32 yrs. old, more than double that of their victims (15 yrs. old).    Figure 14 shows the educational attainment of the perpetrator.  Generally, he is more educated than his victim. Only 31% of the victims reached high school as compared to the 45% of the perpetrators.  Only two percent (2%) of the victims were able to reach tertiary education compared to the 11% of the perpetrators.  One-fourth of the perpetrators finished elementary.               The child molester or abuser is significantly older than his victim.  Two out of five men who victimized children and minors are in their 30’s or 40’s.  The abuser’s average age is 32 yrs. old, more than twice that of their victims, whose average age is 15 yrs. old.   Figure 15 shows a graph of the abusers of minors.  The most frequent abuser of minors is their male neighbors (30%), followed by their uncles (12 %), and their fathers (8%).   Figure 13.   The Perpetrator   Figure 14. Educational Attainment of Abuser       Figure 15. Abusers of Minors                    7.  Figure 16 shows the aggravating circumstances of the abuse.  Most child abuses took place at home while the victim is alone (42%).  Victims are often easy prey even at their own homes since this is where they usually feel safe.  And often, their mothers also have the same mindset.  As this study shows, they are often wrong.  One-fourth of the victims are usually young, trusting and vulnerable.   One half of the cases involve absentee parents, meaning some belong to broken families and the other cases happened while the parents are away or working. This underscores the need for supervised childcare (as most of the perpetrators are male neighbors). Also, the majority of the sexual abuses occurred at night. There were even cases wherein the perpetrator shared rooms with the victim.  This shows that the separation of sleeping quarters or rooms and the presence of household members seemed to be no assurance against sexual abuse.               The influence of alcohol or drugs on the abusers is a major exacerbating factor in domestic violence (14%). Aside from that, influences like the presence of pornographic materials, magazines, videotapes, and VCD are potential aggravating factors in child molestation, accounts for a smaller number of cases (1%).  Poor quality of family life and relationships is also an aggravating circumstance.  There have been cases wherein the spouses fight (3%) and when the husband is unfaithful (1%).     Figure 16 . Aggravating Circumstances   Figure 17 shows the family background of the perpetrator.  The graph shows that harsh economic conditions and poor family relationships that prevail in the perpetrator’s family are the major reasons that could have led to the behavior of abuse.  The foremost background of the perpetrator is strained family relations (19%), usually that involving the spouse.  This is followed by extreme poverty (10%), and a history of abuse (23%) in the perpetrator’s family.  This history of abuse can also stem from the fact that twenty-three (23%) percent of the cases involve an abuser who has a history of intoxication before abuse.   Figure 17. Family Background   8.  Figure 18 shows the major reasons why the patients don’t report to the authorities.  Majority of the victims were minors and often were trusting of their much older perpetrators.  Some clients showed resistance, while the much younger ones may not have known that the actions done on them were already a form of abuse.  Fear of their own personal safety is the major reason for the victim not reporting their abuse to authorities (37%).  Often, they are too young to know that they are already being abused and this ignorance and naivete is a major drawback in resolving these cases, unless an adult intervenes (22%).  Another common reason for not reporting is ambivalence or the indecision of the client to report the abuse (20%).  Since majority of the clients are minors, they would often not take the initiative to report the abuse without any willing help from their older relatives.  Alarmingly, eighteen percent (18%) of the clients feared reporting their ordeal since it would cause embarrassment to their families.               Figure 18. Reasons for not Reporting the Abuse   9.  Figure 19 shows the effects of the abuse on the clients.  It is interesting to note that the effect of the abuse on the children is met by a palliative, instead of something more concrete.  This palliative was done by sixty four (64%) of the clients, who decided to move residences, to stay as far away from the perpetrator.  Twenty percent (20%) of the clients  had to face an even stiffer penalty for reporting their case, and that is ostracism from their own family.  These clients are usually the ones who were raped by a family member.  Due to the emotional strain caused by the abuse, thirteen percent (13%) of the clients decided to stop schooling for lack of concentration.    This study did not dwell extensively on the true extent of the psychological damage inflicted on the victims and can be the subject of a future follow-up to the study.    Figure 19. Effects of Abuse                                               Conclusion   Family violence can appear in different forms; physical, verbal, economic, emotional and sexual. However, such incidences are precursors to even more disturbing abuse, which is usually sexual in nature.  In this study, such abuse starts with sexual molestation and finally, rape.  The majority of the clients in this study are minors, making them easy prey to their much older perpetrators.  Their ages ranged from 5–17 years old.  These clients often experience violence at varying periods of time, with the perpetrator, being a close relative like their own brother, father, uncle or, their male neighbors.  The victims’ average age for this study is only 15 years old, while that for the perpetrator is 32 years old.  Most of the patients are female and there were five male patients, all minors.  Most of the patients finished either high school or elementary.  There were even some who have only started school.    The abuse is often aggravated by the following circumstances: the most common is when the victim is alone.  Victims are often easy prey even at their own homes since this is where they usually feel safe.  One-fourth of the victims are very young (5-10 years old), trusting and vulnerable.   Also, one-half of the cases involve absentee parents, which either means, they belong to broken families or the parents are either away or working.  Also, the majority of the sexual abuses occurred at night. Only about a third of the victims experienced abuse only once.  The rest had to endure it twice, thrice and even more than five times before the victim had the courage to report to an adult who eventually accompanied the victim to the authorities.  There were even cases wherein the perpetrator shared rooms with the victim.  The intake of alcohol or the use of drugs is another major aggravating factor, aside from the presence of pornographic materials, magazines, videotapes, and VCD.  Other aggravating factors include poor quality of family life and relationships, spousal conflict and when the husband is unfaithful.               For this study, the minors (aged 5-17 years old) comprised an overwhelming majority of the total victims of abuse. More than half of the cases of domestic violence against children and minors involve some form of sexual abuse. The most common abuses against minors are rape, sexual molestation, physical abuse, and to a lesser degree, incestual rape and pregnancy out of wedlock.    Majority of the patients came from the Metro Manila area, but there were cases from as far as San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Laguna, Batangas and Nueva Ecija.  Most of the patients are not of working age yet, but those who are, worked in menial jobs.  The victims were minors and often were trusting of their much older perpetrators.  Some clients showed resistance, while the much younger ones may not have known that the actions done on them were already a form of abuse.  The mother of the victim is the one who usually accompanies the victim to the authorities.  The grandmother, the auntie as well as friends and neighbors have also helped the victim.         The perpetrator is usually male, the most common, being the victims’ neighbors.   It may also include direct relatives like the father and the uncle.  The perpetrator, is generally, more educated than his victim. The child molester or abuser is significantly older than his victim.  Two out of five men who victimized children and minors are in their 30’s or 40’s.    Mental illness among the victims is not uncommon.  These are often direct results of the abuse.  The most common mental illnesses among the victims are major depression and mild mental retardation.  Another common form of mental illness was moderate mental retardation.  There were also cases of bipolar affective disorder, severe mental retardation and schizophrenia.   The following are the main reasons for not reporting to the authorities: fear of their own personal safety, ignorance and naivete, ambivalence or the indecision, and embarrassment to their respective families.  The effects of abuse ranged from ostracism from the immediate family, having to transfer residences to avoid retribution and shame from the neighbors, stopping school and some were even institutionalized.               This study shows a general picture of the profiles of the victims as well as that of the perpetrators.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN

RESEARCH PROPOSAL RESEARCH TITLE: A retrospective study on the presence of mental disorders diagnosed on the sex...

Gang Violence Leads to Juvenile Delinquency

Gang Violence Leads to Juvenile Delinquency               One of the most relevant social issues in every society, most especially in the United States society is the issue on gang violence and juvenile delinquency. It has been reported that although progress has been made in past decades, the plight of youths in the contemporary American society is still one of the country’s most ominous dilemmas, conspicuously different from the decadence that their predecessors faced a century ago. In today’s society, American youths experience violence, both as victims and doers, at alarming rates (2004). One would be curious to ask the benefits or advantages of being a member of a gang, which inflict damages to themselves, their families, their peers, and the society. In this sense, this essay aims to express the statement that juveniles adhere to gang violence in order to gain recognition.             Many authorities wonder what attracts young people to these criminal organizations. Conditions in inner cities and some suburbs may be one factor. Many gang members have surfaced from neighborhoods plagued with overcrowding and unemployment, filled with high school dropouts and dysfunctional families, and lacking recreation and productive distraction. Unfortunately, gangs may offer young people some necessities that their families cannot. The gang and its members become truly a surrogate family. Leaders are quite skilled in drawing in new members by promising money or drugs to, by intimidating, or by acknowledging vulnerable and impressionable teenagers. In the end, a gang produces loyal gang members, having not long-term aspirations, and do not consider the consequences of their gang-related behavior ( 2000). Several reasons may be attributed to juveniles joining gangs. However, one of the primary reasons of young people why they join gangs and commit violence is to gain recognition in the community. Some gang members are the children of gang members themselves and are following in their parents’ footsteps (2000). In this sense, gang members commit different forms of violence, as being influenced by the violence being committed also by their parents. A child or young individual become who they are depending on the rearing patterns of his or her parents, and the environment from he or she is exposed to. If they perceive that violence enable their parents to gain recognition from the community, then chances are, their perception of recognition and prestige from the community would also be through violent acts. In addition, more often than not, gang recruits and gang members often have poor self-images, low self-esteem, and no adult to provide counseling and support (2000). In this regard, because of low self-esteem and self-images, a new recruit would be persuaded to join gangs easily, in the perception that gangs would be able to help them find their identity in the community. In relation to this, many young individuals join gangs in order to reward one’s masculinity, as means with which to solve the gender problem of accountability (1993). If a young man is able to join a gang and be able to do the activities the rest of the members do, then he would be able to be recognized as a “real man”, capable of inflicting harm and becoming powerful and superior in the community. A young recruit would be driven to perform violent acts in order to prove his masculinity in the gang, and in order to prove to them that he also deserves to belong to the group. In this regard, the process of initiation, which often involves stealing, drugs, rape, killing, and other forms of violent acts, would entitle the gang member recognition if he or she is able to perform such acts, and such recognition may either be in the form of money, position in the group, or rewards. Furthermore, gang members often gain recognition from other gang members and from a society that fears them, thus, making them obtain attention and respect ( 2000). In terms of participating in a gang encounter, one can gain honor by acting bravely, thus, establishing character for oneself and possibly robbing it from an opponent. The praise for heart and bravery from other gang members provide another high in the aftermath of a gang encounter, most especially after inflicting damage or resorting to violence (1994). In addition, committing violence by gang members result from being threatened from being dominated by other gangs. Because of this, they commit violence in their aim to protect their territory or to protect their peers. If a particular member is able to exhibit an extraordinary strategy to protect their territory, such as through killing or damaging their enemy, then recognition would be provided. In this sense, the recognition that one gets from other members of the gang involves one’s ability to become violent towards the gang’s opponents. From this, it can be perceived that gang members commit violence due to their aim to become recognized in a group, in order to uplift their self-esteem and self-image personally and in the community. If this perception would not be changed by the community and their family, then juvenile and gang violence would continue to increase and be regarded as one of the most alarming issues in the society.

Gang Violence Leads to Juvenile Delinquency

Gang Violence Leads to Juvenile Delinquency One of the most relevant social issues in every society, most especially in...

VICTIMOLOGY

VICTIMOLOGY   UNIT 1- Targets of Predators Professor: May 3, 2007 A. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects a person's employment or education, unreasonably interferes with a person's work or educational performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working or learning environment. In the interest of preventing sexual harassment, the University will respond to reports of any such conduct (, 1992). Sexual harassment may include incidents between any members of the University community, including faculty and other academic appointees, staff, coaches, house staff, students, and non-student or non-employee participants in University programs, such as vendors, contractors, visitors, and patients. Sexual harassment may occur in hierarchical relationships or between peers, or between persons of the same sex or opposite sex (, 1992).     B. Child Molestation In determining whether the reported conduct constitutes child molestation, consideration shall be given to the record of the conduct as a whole and to the totality of the circumstances, including the context in which the conduct occurred. While romantic relationships between members of the family and the children may begin as consensual and they may evolve into situations that lead to charges of child molestation, subject to this policy. Child molestation that is not sexual in nature but is based on gender, sex-stereotyping, or sexual orientation also is prohibited by the government's nondiscrimination policies if it is sufficiently severe to deny a person's ability to participate in the creation of a hostile environment. Thus, in determining whether a hostile environment due to child molestation exists, the government may take into account acts of child molestation based on gender. C. Drug-related Crime It is often recognized that drug-related crime are triggered by the violence that is brought about by the altered state of mind that illicit drugs induce. In attempting to comprehend the manners in which alcohol and drug utilization may have a say to violent actions, it is similarly imperative to deem the manner in which substance abuse is about human actions generally. A number of attempts have been carried out in the study of psychological expectancies in relation to alcohol's consequence on actions ( 1994), the connection involving alcohol and cognitive functioning, and the dynamic developmental consequences of untimely introduction to alcohol and aggression among young individuals and among women who have been wronged as kids and as grown-ups. Comparable work has tried to recognize the connection involving illicit drugs and behavior, even though as a result of the interest centered on the indiscretion of these substances; this organization of work have the tendency be most caught up with unlawful behaviors that may well be connected with drugs. Instances from this literature takes account of assessments of the connections involving drug use and criminal behavior amongst juvenilesn( 1993); associations involving substance use and domestic aggression ( 1995); the manners in which the employment and circulation of illicit drugs are connected to all kinds of crime, principally nonviolent property misdemeanors ( 1994); and the effects of drug employment on the capability to sustain interpersonal relationships (1996).             REFERENCES   DISCUSSION BOARD – Victim Precipitation Professor: May 3, 2007 In my opinion, the Victim Precipitation Theory first introduced by  in the 1940s, which states that the victim shapes and molds the criminals, has not yet been applied effectively to redress the disadvantages and injustices experienced by victims by reason only of their genders or statuses in life. In this sense, respect for human rights fails to be "universal." I think the reasons for this general failure to enforce the Victim Precipitation Theory are complex and vary from country to country (, 1999).   They include lack of understanding of the systemic nature of the subordination of victims, failure to recognize the need to characterize the subordination of victims as a human rights violation, and lack of state practice to condemn discrimination against the victims of crimes. Moreover, there has been unwillingness by traditional human rights groups to focus on violations of victim's rights, and a lack of understanding by organizations of the potential of international human rights law to vindicate the Victim Precipitation Theory.   Although perhaps, the Victim Precipitation Theory gradually evolved in the early 20th century and was fuelled by victim movements in the 21st century; the mild, moderate and radical feminist groups mustered their organizing influence to slowly inflict change in the society. For instance, the barrier that significantly defined the fate of every victim in molding the character of criminals has been increasingly downgraded by the emphasis on competitiveness and productiveness (, 1986). Still it is imperative and highly relevant for the society to be vigilant particularly when the most important institution in the community – which is the family – is threatened. Recognizing the social damage of increased cases and incidents of violence should be realized as detrimental not just to the victims of the abuse but also the overall well being of the entire community. REFERENCES               UNIT 2: Victims of Political or Identity Status: Part I Professor: May 3, 2007 The family as a social institution and its basic unit will remain the basis for any society’s concerns regarding happiness, liberty, equality, and prosperity for all its members and the community it belongs to. But historically, the problems regarding domestic violence still exists up to this day. According to  (2004) domestic violence is defined as any hurtful or unwanted behavior perpetrated upon an individual by an intimate or prior intimate which normally is characterized by physical, psychological and emotional abuse. Domestic violence is based on the victim-offender relationship in the form of marriage, family ties, romantic relationships or a former marriage. It includes violence and abuse within same-sex relationships, violence by women against men as well as violence and abuse perpetrated by one family member against another (, 2004). However, studies show that most cases of domestic violence which occurred have been on women as well as children ( & , 1992; ., 2000).  argued that despite being weakened and embattled, the family will survive as a fundamental social institution having been the cradle of the modern social order for quite a long time. However it is imperative to distinguish the impact of violence among women and children in order to help the victims cope with the short-term and long-term consequences of the suffering they have experienced. Since every case of abuse leads to permanent damage and great long-term suffering, domestic violence may also lead to psychological trauma. Shipway defined psychological trauma as the unique individual experience of an event or enduring conditions, in which the individual's ability to integrate emotional experience is overwhelmed, or the individual experiences (subjectively) a threat to life, bodily integrity, or sanity. Domestic violence not only affects the women. The study conducted by  (1990) indicated that 40 to 60% of parents who abuse their partners also abuse their children. Thus, children who are exposed from such violence may have nightmares, insomnia, bed-wetting, anxiety and depression while others perform poorly or behave aggressively in school due to developmental and social problems (, 1990).  (1996) indicated that the impact of domestic violence to children includes emotional, behavioral, and developmental impairments simply from witnessing while ,  and  (2003) claimed that children are affected by domestic violence in various ways and their recovery is likewise influenced by a range of factors. There have been studies which indicated that severely battered women are usually isolated and lack individuals in their social network who can provide them with support ( 2001; , , & , 1996).  These women victims are usually in need of friends and relatives who can help them overcome the trauma of being battered and abused by their partners. Psychological help are also made available to victims of domestic violence through the support of different social organizations and the government. Normally there are shelters appropriated for families who have experienced domestic violence. These support systems are made available from the moment of the victims of the concerned individuals’ report of such incident. The available support systems and resources for victims of domestic violence include people who are knowledgeable of how to best help the victims overcome their bad experiences in their homes. They make it a point to hear out and empathize with the victims. Both government and private organizations have been active in changing and improving the domestic lives of the victims who called and asked for help. Among the battered women who were recruited from domestic violence shelters,  (1995) found out that positive support has been directly associated with great well-being while negative support constitutes poorer mental health functioning ( & , 1983). According to  (2002) funding for domestic violence programs used different means and ways to build support since the enactment of the Violence Against women Act of (VAWA) 1994 which included $1.3 billion financial support in order to “(1) improve the criminal justice response to violent crimes against women, (2) expand services and community support for domestic violence victims, (3) improve safety for women in public transit and public parks and assistance to victims of sexual assault, and (4) provide support for a variety of educational, health and database services” (). Aside from the support systems available to victims of domestic violence, community volunteers and social workers have been active in several social campaigns which includes educating the youth about domestic violence, recommendations regarding health care strategies, as well as improving the incorporation of data regarding stalking, and domestic violence into local, state and national crime information (, 2002). REFERENCES     DISCUSSION BOARD – Domestic Violence Victims Professor: May 3, 2007 I believe that social workers have an important role in the social resolve of domestic violence victims. However, the discussions in this part of the paper will be on account of the resolve of the social workers in dealing with victims of domestic violence. One issue is the participation of social workers in treatment schemes for domestic violence. Increasing the contribution of social workers in domestic violence would perk up the success of this very important service area. The underlying principle for such extended contribution takes account of development in direct services to victims, assessment and accountability of schemes, assessment on practice concerns, and growth of new treatment paradigms (, 1997).   Social workers are skilled in and accustomed to positive therapeutic methods that present the best possibility of productively employing and assisting chemically dependent consumers. The notions of self-evaluation and examinations for practice development acquire comparatively diminutive attention in domestic violence schemes (, 1997). This lack of evaluation is partially due to the diverse origins and historical separation of domestic violence treatment from the conventional medical and mental health care arrangements. Social workers can carve up the development of domestic violence treatment by launching higher norms of professional accountability and by scheming and performing research on key programmatic concerns. For instance, social workers are well prepared to break through in generating instruments to track clients' treatment development and effects for their programs. REFERENCES                   UNIT 3: Victims of Political or Identity Status: Part II Professor: May 3, 2007 Terrorism is the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear for bringing about political change. All terrorist acts involve violence or equally important the threat of violence. These violent acts are committed by nongovernmental groups or individuals that is, by those who are neither part of nor officially serving in the military forces, law enforcement agencies, intelligence services, or other governmental agencies of an established nation-state (,  & , 1978). Terrorists attempt not only to sow panic but also to undermine confidence in the government and political leadership of their target country. Terrorism is therefore designed to have psychological effects that reach far beyond its impact on the immediate victims or object of an attack.    Terrorists mean to frighten and thereby intimidate a wider audience, such as a rival ethnic or religious group, an entire country and its political leadership, or the international community as a whole. Terrorist groups generally have few members, limited firepower, and comparatively few organizational resources. For this reason they rely on dramatic, often spectacular, bloody and destructive acts of hit-and-run violence to attract attention to themselves and their cause. Through the publicity generated by their violence, terrorists seek to obtain the leverage, influence, and power they otherwise lack (,  & , 1978). Terrorism has existed for at least 2,000 years and is likely to remain a fixture on political agendas, both domestic and international, for years to come. Terrorism provides a means by which the weak can confront much stronger opponents. It therefore has an enduring appeal to the alienated and the disenfranchised, the aggrieved and vengeful, the powerless and the would-be powerful. In addition, it is relatively inexpensive to conduct while offering a vast potential payoff: the ability to evoke fear and alarm and inflict pain and suffering in the hope of compelling agreement to demands made. Terrorism, moreover, is evolving constantly to overcome governmental countermeasures designed to defeat it. Terrorism thus involves an ongoing search for new targets and unidentified vulnerabilities in its opponents. This quest also raises the possibility that terrorists may pursue unconventional means of attack, such as chemical, biological, or radiological weapons, or nuclear weapons. Future terrorist tactics could include cyber-terrorism or electronic warfare that targets critical infrastructure, such as communications and power facilities, or societies in general (,  &  1978). Throughout the world, terrorism reinvents itself in new and more dangerous forms. As older groups are defeated or exhausted, more radical and more violent successors often take their place. Although terrorism likely can never be completely eradicated, countering its threat requires continuing vigilance. The highly individual nature of terrorism’s causes, the diversity of its perpetrators, and the complexity of its fundamental characteristics present enormous challenges to those who must effectively counter this menace (,  & , , 2004). Stereotyping is a thing if given to a person or a group of person becomes hard to remove. Having given stereotypes makes a person or a group of people prone to violence, hate, and discrimination. In reading and understanding the global war on terror, terrorism and civil wars we, can see a direct relationship between global war against terrorism and the civil wars that is happening in many countries of the world. In short we can see that the global war on terror provides a valid and applicable framework that encompasses civil wars in different parts of the globe. This framework is evident because the idea of global war on terror tends to simplistically brand military actions and offensives as events that are perpetrated by terrorists. The global war on terror provides capacity and the rationalization to governments that deals with civil wars. The global war on terror therefore is a situation and a framework where all events and actions made by a group fighting in a civil war are grouped and labeled together. The global war on terror provides easy classification and categorization of acts that are labeled as terrorism just because the group is labeled as a terrorist. REFERENCES         DISCUSSION BOARD – Hate Crime Professor: May 3, 2007 I think that hate crime may take many forms, often combining physical, emotional sexual, psychological and financial abuse.  The level of abuse and violence varies within each partnership, often occurring on a continuum of severity and effect. For some the violence and abuse are periodic with minimal long-term effects. However, countless victims are so controlled and inhibited that they are unable to make even simplest decision or act without permission, responding with complete obedience to every order given and every rule imposed by their partners and this mostly happened to those women/wife living away from their own nation (, 1995).  The violence becomes insidious, permeating every action, every thought that deed until eventually, for some women, suicide remain the only escape.  Other victims express their self-disgust and powerlessness through alcohol or drug abuse or self-mutilation, exhibiting signs of severe depression and total dependency on the abuser.  Intimate partners, may demand and achieve, through physical and emotional violence, complete obedience to every order, using humiliation as an important strategy in obedience training in their women.             Nowadays, I think the issue of hate crime has become more and more prominent. The issue is no longer of concern only from non-government organizations but to government and other members of the society as well. In England for instance, there exist 150 multi-agency for a in which social services, police, legal professionals, probation, housing services, health services and voluntary agencies are working hand in hand in local communities to deal with hate-crimes specifically for those people who came from different nations. International human rights law has not yet been applied effectively to redress the disadvantages and injustices experienced by victims of hate-crimes. In this sense, respect for human rights fails to be "universal." The reasons for this general failure to enforce human rights are complex and vary from country to country (, 1995). Moreover, there has been unwillingness by traditional human rights groups to focus on hate-crimes, and a lack of understanding by groups of the potential of international human rights law to eliminate hate-crimes. REFERENCES                 UNIT 4: Victims in Organizational Contexts Professor: May 3, 2007 Prison Violence Prison violence has been defined as a continuum of behavior ranging from verbal abuse, physical and sexual assault, to rape and even homicide in prisons.  The vast majority of such incidents and the most severe and chronic events are perpetrated by prisoners against prisoners School Violence It is undeniable the students in contemporary society are in crisis as they are facing a lot of difficulties and conflicts.  This crisis is of great scope and magnitude. The crisis of this generation of students includes, too, younger children.  The character and detail of this crisis is social and derives its characteristics from two basis properties: a high risk environment and negative justice system. One of the problems encountered by the students today, especially those who are considered as young offenders is about the context of custody.  In this manner, the authorities, specifically the justice system and other concern citizens are trying to provide a comprehensive system to protect the youth and to prevent youth problems. School violence commonly accompanies social disorder. A survey in Britain of thirteen thousand young teenage students revealed that more than half had committed at least one crime. Since many young students are engaged in delinquencies, criminal behavior and wrongdoings, the issue of young offenders’ custody is in the limelight.  In addition, justice system for youth is also in the list of the issue. Davis adheres to the notion that school offenders must be able to have a well managed custody and security.  There must be an implementation of a strategy for the secure estate, which will provide dedicated and child-focuses units for students who are sentenced to custody, a main independent review of physical restraint and the specification of advocacy services in order for the students in custody to voice out their concerns and perceptions. In addition, the achievement also include the establishment of Juvenile Awareness Staff Programme (JASP), this aims to trains all staff in Young Offender Institutions to ensure protection and as well as to tackle safeguarding issues and concerns. Workplace Violence The aftermath of most resistance to change cases among organizations and companies often leads to workplace violence. Because of the adjustments that the newly combined workforce would have to endure, it is not surprising that at first the new management would hold so much power and decision-making authority.  The management would have the tendency to seldom consult its employees especially in making crucial decisions. As a precautionary measure, the change management would include having a perfectionist type of management to make sure that the new reporting system would remain consistently efficient. The motivation environment is often characterized through the establishment of a new structured set of rewards and punishments (. 2001). However, as time goes by the workforce and the new management gets to jive with each other. Along with this is the changing of leadership type from autocratic to a democratic type. This way, the participation of all key stakeholders especially the workers will be more encouraged. If they feel something is right or wrong, or if they want to tell something important to the management, they can now be free do so without any worries. Also, a democratic leadership approach allows the management to have a feedback regarding the policies and regulations being implemented. They will immediately know if there is any tension going on between or among the stakeholders involved. Thus, immediate action can be planned and implemented by the management to keep matters from getting worse. It is normal that when the new management starts to assume its post, it will have to implement stricter rights and privileges for its workers. There is a possibility that the once strong and transparent relationship that existed between the management and workers prior to the acquisition or merger would be replaced by frustration and hatred. When this happens, the performance of the new workforce will surely be severely affected and their efficiency will decline. This is because of concentrating on their work, they will now be more concerned about the diminished benefits they would be possibly be getting. These worries and anxieties will pave the way for them to inhibit frustration and anger towards their new supervisors and the management as a whole, feeling they are already taken for granted (Baumol, 2002). REFERENCES                                   DISCUSSION BOARD –Violence Professor: May 3, 2007 We must agree that violence as of today’s generation is considered to be as one of the controversial issue as of today’s generation involving ordinary people that will have a sense of substantial impact to the lives of individuals and how the society is responding to the issue according to legal procedures as well as the principles of law in giving importance to the issue for the betterment of such country and its territory and the people that governs the law within the embodiment of truth and justice to all mankind involved (, 1997). Therefore, when studying the different forms of violence the focus must involve a matter of taking legal actions against the supposed alleged individuals as handled by the law of the state that committed those acts of violence and invasions of privacy against others (, 1970). Thus, in speaking of violence as it implies an informal complaint and formal grievance procedure, both of which merit action by any institution and that the implemented policy regarding the issue could adhere to the failure to communicate with the people claiming they've been violated. Moreover, the government must be dedicated in generating and upholding a community wherein persons participating in the programs and activities can work and learn together in an atmosphere free of violence and exploitation as they will respond effectively to certain reports of violence and will take appropriate action in order to prevent and correct that violates such policy. REFERENCES                               UNIT 5: Victimless Crimes and Responses to Victimization Professor: May 3, 2007 The Victims Rights Amendment bars unreasonable explorations and arrests by the government. Arrest of an individual takes place when, considering all of the situation surrounding the event, an individual sensibly deems he or she is not free to leave a meeting with a government officer. The Victims Rights Amendment confirms that no individual shall be obliged in any criminal proceeding to be a witness in opposition to himself. This passage is an unsettled conundrum of huge degree for the reason that courts and academics have not been capable to describe the appropriate range of the privilege. This is so for the reason that the historical origins of the Victims Rights Amendment have been polished by the progress of the law and the truths of contemporary law enforcement to the degree that courts vaguely relate the opportunity in opposition to self-incrimination () The Victims Rights Amendment was intended to defend the defendant from this dilemma. Therefore, a lot of Victims Rights Amendment academics and judges suppose that the passage concentrated on inappropriate schemes of acquiring data from criminal suspects instead of providing defendants an entitlement to remain silent; the battle not to be obliged did not imply the real right to remain silent, but the entitlement not to be required to talk. The amendments to the Victims Rights Amendment promise victims the entitlement of due process of law, which is frequently labeled merely as due process. The Victims Rights Amendment clauses offer that the government has to perform reasonably in proportion to recognized legal processes, with reference to an individual's rights to life, liberty, and property. Based on the discussions above, due process implies that a person charged of an offence is assured specific legal procedural rights, like the right to be acquainted with the accusations in opposition to him, to face up to his complainants in court, to have legal representation, and to have a trial. These and other entitlements of the victim are indicated in the Victims Rights Amendment. REFERENCE                   DISCUSSION BOARD – Victimless Crime Professor: May 3, 2007 Due to its complexity, the problem of violence and crime requires diversified solutions depending on various causal factors – individual, academic, cultural and social – which could be at its root and have to be recognized beforehand.  There is no typical answer nor is there an easy solution for dealing with “victimless crimes”, as is the case with other problems within a society.  Thus, the whole community is challenged, politicians at various levels, parents, and the youth themselves (, 1996).   However, we know that the answer does not only lie in the pedagogical aspect nor does it lie solely in the society itself, but we do recognize, that families have an important role in implementing preventive measures, considering the impact that they have on the day-to-day life of today's youth.  In fact, this impact is not always positive and rewarding, which also turns the family environment into one of the most frequent scenarios of child and adolescent violence directed at both peers and adults.   It is therefore important and urgent that parents and all people responsible for the individual and collective life are equipped with the necessary ability and competence to be able to prevent and solve the problems that arise in societies (, 1999).  They need to be able to decide, in collaboration with other sources (either family or community), on the course of action to take against the causes and manifestations of violence in their surrounding social and cultural environment. REFERENCES

VICTIMOLOGY

VICTIMOLOGY UNIT 1- Targets of Predators Professor: May 3, 2007 A. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual adv...

Violence on Television

The National Institute of Mental Health revealed in its 1982 report that violent programs on television lead to aggressive behavior by children and teenagers who watch those programs.  The said report was confirmed and agitated the General Surgeon to conduct and extended and earlier study. As a result of these and other research findings, the American Psychological Association passed a resolution in February 1985 informing broadcasters and the public of the potential dangers that viewing violence on television can have for children. Psychological research has shown that the children seeing violence on television may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, more fearful of the world around them, and more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others. Studies show that children who watch a lot of TV are less aroused by violent scenes than are those who only watch a little; in other words, they're less bothered by violence in general, and less likely to see anything wrong with it. For instance, in several studies, those who watched a violent program instead of a nonviolent one were slower to intervene or to call for help when, a little later, they saw younger children fighting or playing destructively. George Gerbner, Ph.D of the University of Pennsylvania has shown in his studies that children's TV shows contain about 20 violent acts each hour and also that children who too much exposed to television are more likely to think that the world is a mean and dangerous place. It was noted that children often behave differently after they've been watching violent programs on TV. A study conducted at the Pennsylvania State University a included 100 preschool children who were observed both before and after watching television.  Some watched cartoons that contained aggressive and violent acts in them, and others watched shows that didn't have any kind of violence. The researchers observed that real differences between the kids who watched the violent shows and those who watched nonviolent ones. Aletha Huston, Ph,D. of the University of Kansas revealed that 'children who watch the violent shows, even 'just funny' cartoons, were more likely to hit out at their playmates, argue, disobey class rules, leave tasks unfinished, and were less willing to wait for things than those who watched the nonviolent programs.' Laboratory findings are further supported by field studies showing the long-range effects of televised violence. Leonard Eron, Ph.D., and his associates at the University of Illinois, discovered that children who spent many hours watching TV violence when they were in elementary school were likely to show a higher level of aggressive behavior when they became teenagers. By observing these youngsters until they were 30 years old, Dr. Eron found that the ones who'd watched a lot of TV when they were eight years old were more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts as adults. In the United States, violent crime is at its peak again, especially among the teenagers and it is noted that this trend is likely to continue. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reports that between 1985 and 1994, there was a 40 percent increase in murders, rapes, robberies, and assaults reported to law enforcement agencies across the nation. What is even more alarming is the fact that despite their relatively low numbers in the population, the juveniles were responsible for 26 percent of this growth in violence. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reveals that in the years between 1985 and 1995 there had been a 249 percent increase in gun-related murders committed by juveniles.  Furthermore, the year 1992 had in its record that three-quarters of the killings already involved guns when murder became the second leading cause of death among males 15-24 in the United States.  It is worth noting that the rapid increase of death for black and white older adolescents are firearm murders. In 1994 alone, for example, juveniles were responsible for 14 percent of all violent crimes solved by authorities. The records show that they committed 20 percent of robberies, 14 percent of rapes, 13 percent of assaults, and 10 percent of murders.  With these numbers, taking of course the consideration of the fact that arrest rates recorded in 1992 remain constant, it is predicted that there will be a 22 percent increase in violence arrests for youth age 10-17 until the year 2010. What is even worse is that the National Center for Juvenile Justice foresees that the number of youth age 10-17, who are arrested for violent crimes is more likely to double by the year 2010 if arrest rates continue to increase as they did between 1983 and 1992.  This projected growth between 1992 and 2010 is expected to vary among categories such as murders + 142 percent; rapes + 66 percent; robberies + 58 percent; and assault + 129 percent.    Statistics shows that victims of violent crimes more likely involve youth age between 12 and 17 than any other age group except young adults age 18-24.  However, senior citizens, by contrast, are the least likely group to be victims of violent crime.  It is very disturbing that youth victimization is rapidly increasing but it is even more alarming to find out that the experience of being victimized by crime increases certain people’s inclination for perpetrating violence, juvenile crime, adult criminality, and adult violence toward family members.  Thus, if youth victimization is reduced youth violence will also be reduced as well.  It also has been found out that black youth, along with recent Asian immigrants and gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are also likely to become victims of violence stemming from 'hate crimes.'  Rates of victimization for young Hispanics are slightly lower than those for black and higher than those for white youth. “In some areas of the country, it is now more likely for a black male between 15 and 25 to die from homicide than it was for a United States soldier to be killed on a tour of duty in Vietnam. ” New York Times, December 7, 1990. The American Psychology Association also says that “regardless of race or cultural group, violence is most prevalent among the poor. Thus, although violence in nonurban areas is increasing, children in poor, unstable neighborhoods are more likely to be assaulted than their counterparts in affluent or stable suburbs. The ultimate violence is murder. Homicide has been the leading cause of death among African Americans age 15-34 since 1978. The lifetime risk of violent death for young black males is 1 in 27 and for black females, 1 in 17. By contrast, 1 in 205 young white males and 1 in 496 white females are murdered.” In another angle, gang violence is important to be discussed, as juveniles are involved here.  Still in he United States, only a small percentage of youth join delinquent gangs, and relatively few gang members engage in violence. However, it is noted that in 3 out of 4 cases of murder and assault committed by juveniles, the perpetrators are likely to be gang members. Studies indicate that in the 70s and 80s, cases of gang violence had significantly increased in both level and type of violence in the United States. Gangs now operate in all 50 states and in suburbia as well as the inner city. A survey of 35 cities in 1989 revealed a total of 1,439 gangs but the estimate today has escalated to about 2,000 gangs, with as many as 200,000 members. Until the 1970s, most gang members were 12-21 years old.  Today they can be anywhere as young as 9 or as old as 30. The younger and older gang members are mere reflections of the increasing involvement of gangs in drugs. Male gang members outnumber females 15 to 1, but the gender gap is slowly narrowing. Today's gang violence is deadlier than in the 1950s, when 'turf tiffs' were usually settled with switchblades or chains. Today, weapons of choice are AK-47s or Uzis, and drive-by shootings have replaced schoolyard rumbles. Research findings show that three major national studies, The Surgeon General’s Commission Report (1972), The National Institute of Mental Health Ten-Year Follow-up (1982), The report of the American Psychological Association’s Task Force on Television in Society (1992), concluded that too much exposure on television violence is one of the most significant causes leading to social violence. The three studies assert that watching violence in the televised form of media bring about negative effects.  According to the studies, watching television violence increases the viewer’s fear of becoming a victim of violence, with a resultant increase in self-protective behaviors and increased mistrust of others, desensitizes the viewer to violence, resulting in a calloused attitude toward violence directed at others and a decreased likelihood of taking action to help a victim of violence, increases the viewer’s appetite for becoming involved with violence, often demonstrates how desirable commodities can be obtained through the use of aggression and violence. Sexual violence in X- and R-rated videotapes widely available to teenagers has also been shown to cause an increase male aggression against females. (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also, the studies show that these effects are both short term and long lasting. A longitudinal study of boys found a significant relation between exposure to TV violence at 8 years of age and antisocial acts--including serious violent criminal offenses and spouse abuse--22 years later.  (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) In the article of Jean Tepperman that was published in the January-February 1997 edition of the Children’s Advocate newsmagazine, Tepperman  said that as an American child turns 18, he will have viewed about 200,000 violent acts on television alone.  She also added that the level of violence during Saturday morning cartoons is higher than during prime time. Prime time includes between three and five violent acts per hour, while Saturday morning cartoons show between 20 and 25 per hour.  Tepperman goes further by emphasizing the assertion of media-violence expert Ron Slaby that the violence in media is really damaging to children below eight years because "they don't have enough real-world experience to have a good sense of what's realistic. When we see a guy's head blown off, older people know this doesn't happen often. But younger kids don't know that. They may assume it's probable."  The article also reveals that television rarely shows negative consequences of violence. Children's programs are the least likely to depict long-term negative consequences of violence. They frequently portray violence as humorous.  Moreover, Tepperman explains that the programming on the television news contributes to media violence. News shows in the U.S., for instance, spend more than twice as much time on violent stories as Canadian news shows and are much more likely to open with a violent story. The U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher recently released a report on youth violence which found that: "Exposure to violent media plays an important causal role in this societal problem" of youth violence, the draft report states. "From a public-health perspective, today's (media) consumption patterns are far from optimal. And for many children they are clearly harmful." According to the Liberal Journal, college students who played the violent video game "Marathon 2" generated 43% more aggressive responses in later tests than those who played a nonviolent game. And in another study, researchers found that young black men who watched a violent rap music video were more likely to endorse the use of violence in a hypothetical conflict situation than those who watched a nonviolent rap video." Maggie Fox, a Health and Science correspondent reported that adolescents who are exposed to television for more than hour are more likely to become violent than those who are not too exposed. In the report, it was found that only 5.7% of the adolescents who watched less than one hour of television committed aggressive acts against other people in later years, as compared to 22.5% of those who watched between one and three hours a day, and 28.8% (45% male - 12.7% female) who watched more than three hours daily. Male teenagers are the ones who are most influenced by it.             Jeffrey Johnson of Columbia University in New York claimed that there is a "tendency to imitate behavior that people see on TV. We are social beings and we tend to want to try out things that we see other people doing, especially if we see the person rewarded for what they did or portrayed as a hero for it." Johnson added that “viewing media violence leads to a desensitization effect. The more violence that they see, the less negative, the more normal, it seems to them."  (Science, March 2002) The National Television Violence Study, in its release on April 16, 1998, discovers that TV violence continues bring about risks of harm to children. The findings were able to come up with a conclusion that there was no change in the overall level of violence in reality programming across the three seasons. In the 1996-97 season, 39 percent of reality programs contained visually depicted violence compared with 37 percent in the 1995-96 season and 39 percent in the 1994-95 season.  Ratings based on age—like those used for movies and not television shows—actually increased children’s interest in restricted programs, but none of the content-based systems had this effect. Physical aggression is frequently condoned. Over 37% of violent programs feature "bad" characters who are never or rarely punished anywhere in the plot, and good characters are hardly ever criticized for violence. Seventy-five percent of violent scenes contain no form of punishment for the aggression. This glamorization of violence poses risks for the audience. Children will imitate violent characters who are heroic or attractive. Plots that can encourage aggression in young children are concentrated in programs and channels targeted to young viewers. In a typical week, there are over 800 violent portrayals that qualify as high risk for children below 7. Cartoons are primarily responsible.  Also, plots that can encourage aggression in older children and teens are concentrated in movies and dramas. Unlike younger children, adolescents are capable of discounting portrayals of violence that are highly fantastic, such as cartoons. Older viewers are susceptible primarily to more realistic portrayals of violence. In a typical week, there are nearly 400 episodes of violence that are considered high risk for teens. Most violence on television remains sanitized. Violence is typically shown with little or no harm to the victim. In fact, more than half of the violent incidents on television depict no physical injury or pain to the victim. (Liberation Journal) Dr. Jane Ledingham says that children begin to notice and react to TV very early. By the age of three, children will willingly watch a show designed for them 95% of the time and will imitate someone on television as readily as they will imitate a live person (Parke and Kavanaugh, 1977). The average time children spend watching television rises from about two and a half hours per day at the age of five to about four hours a day at age twelve. During adolescence, average viewing time drops off to two to three hours a day (Liebert and Sprafkin, 1988). Young children do not process information in the same way as adults. Nor do they have the experience or judgment to evaluate what they see. For example, children between the ages of six and ten may believe that most of what they see on TV is true to life. Since they watch a lot of TV, this makes them particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of television. The results of studies on the effects of televised violence are consistent. By watching aggression, children learn how to be aggressive in new ways and they also draw conclusions about whether being aggressive to others will bring them rewards (Huesmann and Eron, 1986). Those children who see TV characters getting what they want by hitting are more likely to strike out themselves in imitation. Even if the TV character has a so-called good reason for acting violently (as when a police officer is shown shooting down a criminal to protect others), this does not make young children less likely to imitate the aggressive act than when there is no good reason for the violence (Liss, Reinhart and Fredrikson, 1983). In an important study carried out in Canada, children were found to have become significantly more aggressive two years after television was introduced to their town for the first time (Kimball and Zabrack, 1986). Children who prefer violent television shows when they are young have been found to be more aggressive later on, and this may be associated with trouble with the law in adulthood (Huesmann, 1986). Strong identification with a violent TV character and believing that the TV situation is realistic are both associated with greater aggressiveness (Huesmann and Eron,1986). In general, boys are more affected by violent shows that girls are (Lefkowitz, Eron, Walder and Huesmann, 1977). Besides making children more likely to act aggressively, violence on television may have other harmful effects. First, it may lead children to accept more aggressive behavior in others (Drabman and Thomas, 1974). Second, it may make children more fearful as they come to believe that violence is as common in the real world as it is on television (Bryant, Careth and Brown, 1981). But television is not always a negative influence. There is strong evidence that children's shows that were developed to teach academic and social skills can help children to learn effectively. In fact, research suggests that the positive effects of educational children's shows probably outweigh the negative effects of exposure to TV violence (Hearold, 1986). If violence on television helps to make children more aggressive, it is still only a small part of the overall problem. Other factors in a child's life may be far more influential than TV. For example, pre-schoolers who were given guns and other "violent" toys to play with were found to commit more aggressive acts than pre-schoolers who had merely watched a television program with violent content (Potts, Huston and Wright, 1986). Another major factor that determines how aggressive a child will be is how his or her parents behave. If parents ignore or approve of their child's aggressive behavior, or if they lose control too easily themselves, a TV control plan will not help. Similarly, if parents themselves exhibit violent behavior, they serve as role models for their children. On the other hand, parents who show their children how to solve problems nonviolently and who consistently notice and praise their children for finding peaceful solutions to conflicts will have children who are less aggressive (Singer and Singer, 1986).  Television violence does have a direct link in the violence exhibited by young children as well as teenagers. The more TV watched in the lifetime of the individual will only reinforce the wrong (or right) in that person’s life.  Television is a great means for communication as long as it communicates good principles and ideas. But when television gets violent, it looses its communication and educational appeal and becomes a tool for all that is evil in our society. Parents should know when to say "When" when it comes to the amount of time children spend in front of the television. Works Cited American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Children and TV Violence. The Youth Violence Epidemic. April 1999. Bryant, J., R.A. Carveth and D. Brown. 1981. Television viewing and anxiety: An  experimental examination. Journal of Communication 31, 106-119. Children's Advocate newsmagazine, published by Action Alliance for Children. January- February 1997. Comstock, G. (1991). Television in America. Newbury Park, CA; Sage Publications. Dr. Jane Ledingham.  The Effects of Media Violence on Children. A Paper for The National Clearinghouse on Family Violence Hearold, S. 1986. A synthesis of 1043 effects of television on social behavior. In G. Comstock (Ed.), Public Communications and Behavior: Volume I. New York: Academic Press. Huesmann, L.R. Violence in the mass media, paper presented at the Third International Conference on Film Regulation, London, England, 1992. Huesmann, L.R. 1986. Psychological processes promoting the relation between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior by the viewer. Journal of Social Issues 42, 125-139. Huesmann, L.R. and L.D. Eron. 1986. Television and the Aggressive Child: A Cross National Comparison. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Huston, A.C., et al. Big world, small screen: The role of television in american society. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1992. Jean Tepperman. TV: The Violence Teacher. Just Hour of TV a Day Leads to Violence, Study Says - Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent;     Reuters: March 28, 2002. The study, led by Jeffrey Johnson of Columbia University, was published in the journal "Science" during the last week of March, 2002. Lefkowitz, M.M., L.D. Eron, L.D. Walder and L.R. Huesmann. 1977. Growing Up to be  Violent. New York: Pergamon Press. Liebert, Robert, and Joyce Sprafkin. 1988. The Early Window. New York: Pergamon Press. Liss, M.B., L.C. Rienhardt and S. Fredrikson. 1983. TV heroes: The impact of rhetoric      and deeds. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 4, 175-187. McCall, R.B., R.D. Parke and R.D. Kavanaugh. 1977. Imitation of live and televised models by children one to three years of age. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 42, Serial No. 173. National Institute of Mental Health (1982). Television and Behavior: Ten Years of Scientific Progress and Implications for the Eighties, Volume 1. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Palmer, E.L. (1988). Television and America's Children: A Crisis of Neglect. New York: Oxford University Press. Potts, R., A.C. Huston and J.C. Wright. 1986. The effectsof television for and violent          content on boys' attention and social behavior. Journal of Experimental Child     Psychology 41, 1-17. St. Peters, M., M. Fitch, A.C. Huston, J.C. Wright and D.J. Eakins. 1991. Television and families: What do young children watch with their parents? Child Development 63, 1409-1423. Singer, D. and J. Singer. 1986 Family experiences and television viewing as predictors of children's imagination, restlessness, and aggression. Journal of Social Issues 42, 107-124.

Violence on Television

The National Institute of Mental Health revealed in its 1982 report that violent programs on television lead to aggressive behavior by ch...