>>CORLEY PEEL: A NEW STUDY SHOWS PHYSICAL ABUSE OF SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN HAS
TRIPLED DURING THE PANDEMIC.
AND THAT MEANS AT LEAST ONE IN
7 CHILDREN HAVE EXPERIENCED
CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT IN THE
PAST YEAR IN THE U.S. OFTEN
TIMES THERE ARE WARNING SIGNS
WE WANT TO HELP YOU SPOT THEM
AS WE MARK CHILD ABUSE
PREVENTION MONTH. DOCTOR
KATHLEEN DOLLY WITH THE FIRST
CODE STEPCHILD PREVENTION TEAM
WITH U.S. HOUSE HAS JOINING US
NOW VIA ZOOM. GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>>CORLEY PEEL: CAN YOU TELL US
WHAT ARE SOME WARNING SIGNS
THAT PEOPLE SHOULD LIVE LOOK
OUT FOR IF YOUNGER CHILDREN
AND OLDER CHILDREN, IF THERE’S
ANY SIGNS OF ABUSE, WHAT ARE
THEIR SIGNS?
>> IF YOU’RE SEEING INJURIES
THAT DON’T MAKE SENSE TO YOU,
IF THERE ARE UNEXPLAINED OR
THE STORY THAT YOU’RE GIVEN
DOESN’T ADD IF THE CHILD LOOKS
THIN AND EVERY TIME YOU VISIT
THEM, THEY’RE HUNGRY AND THEY
EAT LIKE THAT MAKES YOU WONDER
IF THEY’RE GETTING GOOD CARE
WHEN YOU’RE NOT AROUND. AND
SOMETIMES IT’S CROSSING THE
LINE INTO ABUSE.
>>CORLEY PEEL: AND WHAT WOULD
YOU SAY ARE THE MOST COMMON
INJURIES?
>> THE EASY THINGS ARE
HANDPRINT BREEZES AND OTHER
IMPLEMENTS LIKE VILKS
SWITCHES, WOODEN SPOONS, HAIR
BRUSHES. SO ANYTHING THAT
GIVES THE OUTLINE OF AN OBJECT
MAKES, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT A
RANDOM EVENT. HE DIDN’T THINK
INTO THE CORNER SOMETHING IF
YOU CAN IDENTIFY THE IMPLEMENT
THAT LEFT A STRAIGHT INJURY OR
AN ANKLE INJURY ON THE SKIN
AND HANDPRINTS LOOK LIKE I
KNOW YOU WOULD HAVE TURNED THE
LIGHTS ON AND YOU ACTUALLY
HAVE TO LOOK. YOU MIGHT SEE
SOMETHING ON THE CASE, BUT NOT
NECESSARILY SO BETH TIME IN
SWIMMING TIME. AND JOHN, THE
TIME TOOTHBRUSH TIME WHEN KIDS
ARE CHANGING THEIR CLOTHES,
IT’S A CHANCE FOR YOU TO PEEK
AND SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING
WHEN YOU’RE NOT AROUND AND TO
BE A LITTLE BIT, NOT OBVIOUS
ABOUT IT. SO THAT KIDS DON’T
FEEL LIKE THEY’RE BEING STARED
AT.
>>CORLEY PEEL: AND OBVIOUSLY A
LOT OF PARENTS AND KIDS ARE
SPENDING A LOT MORE TIME
TOGETHER IN THE HOME WITH THE
PANDEMIC. NOT AS MANY
FAMILIES, YOU KNOW, OVER THE
PAST COUPLE YEARS HAVE BEEN
GETTING OUT AS MUCH CAUSING
TENSIONS AT HOME AND LEADING
TO MORE AN INCREASE IN CHILD
ABUSE. WHAT CAN FAMILIES DO TO
PREVENT THIS KIND OF THING
FROM HAPPENING AND MAKE SURE
CHILDREN ARE SAFE.
>> WELL, WE THE ADULTS NEED TO
BE DOING SELF CARE ON
STEROIDS. WE NEED TO BE
GETTING REST. WE NEED TO BE
TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO
DECREASE OUR SCHEDULING AND
OUR STRESS AND BE MORE
AVAILABLE AND CONNECTED TO THE
KIDS. KIDS CAN TELL WHEN
YOU’RE TOO BUSY TO LISTEN. AND
THEN THEY DON’T TELL YOU
ANYTHING. SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO
TRY TO SLOW DOWN. IT TURNS OUT
DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE MAY
HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB WITH
THE BABIES AND THE OLDER
CHILDREN. THE BABIES DID NOT
AN INCREASE BASED ON THIS LAKE
LATEST STUDY IN A COUPLE OF
OTHERS IN FRACTURES OR IN HEAD
TERM DURING THE PANDEMIC.
WHICH SURPRISES US ALL BECAUSE
WE ARE ALSO WARY CHILD ABUSE
WAS GOING TO INCREASE. BUT FOR
OLDER CHILDREN AND CHILDREN
OVER 5 WHO ARE NOT IN SCHOOL
AND NOT IN DAYCARE, THEY WERE
GETTING PUT INTO AD HOC CHILD
CARE SITUATIONS. SOMETIMES
LAST-MINUTE ARRANGEMENTS. THIS
WAS NECESSARY, THEY WERE
GETTING HURT MORE AND THEY
WERE GETTING MISTREATED MORE.
I’M STILL OLDER. CHILDREN HAD
MORE FRACTURES, MORE SERIOUS
TERM. MORE OF THEM DIED IN
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. DID NOT
EVEN MAKE IT UPSTAIRS INTO THE
HOSPITAL. AND THEY ALSO HAD
MORE ACCIDENTS, I THINK IS
SOMETHING WE PARENTS,
GRANDPARENTS AND CHILD MINDERS
REALLY CAN HELP WITH. WE SAW
MORE CHILDREN INJURED BY
WEAPONS IN A HOME IN A HOME,
NOT THEIR OWN MORE CHILDREN IN
VEHICLE ACCIDENTS WHO ARE
MAYBE IN A BOOSTER SEAT. BUT
THE SHOULDER HARNESS WAS
BEHIND THEM, NOT ACROSS THE
CHEST, MORE CHILDREN ON A TV
IS LIKE ON THE HANDLEBARS WITH
THE TEENAGER DRIVING MORE GOLF
CAR ACCIDENTS AND MORE DOG
BITES. BECAUSE MORE FAMILIES
GOT DOGS. AND WE’RE NOT ALL
DOG PEOPLE WERE DIDN’T GROW UP
WITH DOGS. OURSELVES DEALS.
ALL HERE AND I’M SORRY TO CUT
YOU, ROB. BUT BEFORE WE GO, I
WANT I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE
KNOW WHAT RESOURCES ARE
AVAILABLE FOR FAMILIES WHO
NEED HELP AN ESPECIALLY IF YOU
SEE A CHILD WHO MIGHT BE
SUFFERING, HOW CAN YOU MAKE
SURE THEY GET HELP?
>> AND MORE TIME.
>> NOW THE CHILDREN ARE BACK
IN SCHOOL. THE SCHOOLS ALSO
HAVE RESOURCES THAT MAY NOT
REQUIRE EXTRA DRIVING FOR
EXTRA TIME AND STRESS FOR THE
CAREGIVERS. TALK TO THE
CHILD’S PEDIATRICIAN, BRING
THEM TO THE ER. IF YOU REALLY
THINK YOU’RE SEEING SOMETHING
QUITE WORRISOME, WE WANT TO
HELP GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
THINGS. WE ASKED DCF TO HELP
US. DON’T BE AFRAID OF THEM,
WHICH THEY JUST WANT US TO
ACCEPT HELP AND ACCEPT CHANGE
AND NOT RAISE OUR CHILDREN THE
WAY WE WERE RAISED NEGLECT IS
NOT SO BENIGN, ESPECIALLY
DURING THE PANDEMIC I WOULD
KEEP IN MIND THAT US GROWN UPS
NEED TO BEHAVE AS AS BEST AS
POSSIBLE AND HELP EACH OTHER
BEHAVE. SO IF YOU SEE SOMEONE
WHO NEEDS HELP JUMP IN AND
HELP AND IF THEIR KIDS ARE OUT
ON BIKES NO HELMET SPRING, THE
HELMET OUT OF YOUR GARAGE.
>> THAT YOUR KID USE TO USE
WONDERFUL INFORMATION. I’M SO
SORRY WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF
TIME. DOCTOR KATHY IN DELHI,
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US THIS MORNING. WE
TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
AND IF YOU ARE ANYONE THAT,
YOU KNOW, SOMEONE THAT MIGHT
BE BEING ABUSED TO CALL THE
NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE