Our second interview we did was with the NY Center for Children Sarah McNamara, the senior social worker there. This organization works to provide therapy, medical, and recreational services to abused children. It is a non-for-profit organization, and a large amount of its budget comes from donations. When we arrived, we sat in a waiting room with pastel mint green walls and teddy bears in every other chair. Once Sarah was ready for us, we headed into a large meeting room, filled with holiday gifts for the children. Our interview had a large focus on corporate punishment vs abuse, discussing the types of child abuse, and how to diagnose it by the visible signs. I was very surprised about the corporal punishment (physical punishment by adults to children) laws for New York because I thought they wouldn’t be as lenient. Here is what they are: You are legally allowed to hit your child with your hand (OPEN HAND ONLY) and the leather tip of a belt as long as it doesn’t leave a mark. If it leaves an injury, it is then considered abuse. You cannot hit your child with closed hands or any other object, nor are allowed to commit any other kinds of abusive acts. If you use corporal punishment too often or unnecessarily, you can be charged with excessive corporal punishment. I found this very strange because I have always thought to hit your child with the tip of a belt is abusive, no matter how you do it. I feel that I want to take action against these laws because I don’t think it matters if physical abuse leaves a visible mark or not. Mental and emotional abuse, though not always visible, can be just as painful as physical injuries. Even though it is easier to overlook and write off, it is still important. We need to make sure that abuse is not verified by what it looks like, but what it feels like. Physical abuse can cause an excessive amount of physiological problems even if it doesn’t cause any physical injuries. I feel like this really impacts me because I have an idea of a change in the laws of child discipline I want to make. I am going to research more of the New York state laws of child discipline, and look up some of the court cases against child abuse as well. For our teach-in, I think we should share the New York state laws as one of the main points in our presentation, as well as the hotlines for child abuse as well. We learned in our visit that 1 in every 6 children will be abused before they turn 18, and so in case students in our school must’ve undergone it, we must provide help.
