Dramatic changes that happen to abused children explained clearly by Dr Felliti. This 9 minute interview explains why at risk youth are 46 times more likely to attempt suicide, live 20 years fewer, and much more likely to lead a dysfunctional life than children raised in loving homes. Read the article. Sign the petition to improve courts improve child protection procedures

Children At Risk

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Posted on Jan 24, 2014 in Feature, Safe Homes For Children

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The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study

In 1998, Dr. Vincent Felitti was the lead author in groundbreaking medical research working with Kaiser Permanente and the Center for Disease Control. They found that children exposed to domestic violence, child abuse and other trauma suffer far more illnesses and injuries throughout their lives and have a reduced life expectancy.

Follow-up and continuing studies have confirmed and expanded Dr. Felitti’s findings. This is the ACE(Adverse Childhood Experience) Study and it should have profound effect not only on medical treatment but also on societal responses that can be used for prevention.

In one way, the ACE Research is frightening because it demonstrates the enormous harm we are doing to our children by failing to protect them. At the same time it presents a tremendous opportunity to create needed reforms that can make our children healthier and happier and improve all aspects of society. Practices that make our children sicker and reduce their lives go to the essence of the best interests of children. The only responsible response is to make the health and safety of children our first priority and make sure our children are protected.

The Divorce Corp movie makes an important and valid point about the economic issues related to divorce. Divorces are far too expensive and many professionals deliberately prolong divorce disputes to increase their income. Too often the outcome is decided by who controls the family resources rather than the merits of the case. We applaud the producers for raising this issue. Unfortunately, they failed to look at the research about domestic violence and other traumas and instead repeated popular misconceptions that could undermine the work to protect children.

Barry Goldstein is one of the leading national and international experts regarding domestic violence. He has a unique range of experiences that include service as a board member to a local battered women’s shelter, attorney for domestic violence survivors, instructor in a NY Model Batterer Program and writer of some of the leading books and articles in the field. He has a strong grasp of the most current and important research concerning domestic violence and innovative ideas for using the research to create the needed reforms. Barry blogs for the Stop Abuse Campaign.

Some of the statements repeat the myth that women frequently make false allegations of abuse and claim that there is a problem when domestic violence can be defined to include many types of abuse and not just physical assaults. A recent US Department of Justice Study found that inadequately trained court professionals tend to believe the myth that women frequently make false abuse allegations and this leads to outcomes that hurt children. The movie gives voice to these unqualified “experts.” The ACE study demonstrates that the health risks to children are triggered by a wide variety of coercive and controlling tactics that are designed to engender fear in the victim which inevitably impacts the children. Limiting the investigation of abuse complaints to physical assaults will make things simpler for the court but will not protect our children from life threatening health risks. The Divorce Corp movie performs a service by exposing a broken system and the problem of economic abuse. They are wrong to deny and minimize the risk to children from abusers who are good at manipulating the system. In many cases they are dead wrong.

We need Congressional Oversight Hearings to review the enormous waste of federal funds that are often used to help dangerous abusers gain custody. We agree the hearings should consider the fraud, corruption and ignorance that waste large sums of money and bankrupt so many litigants. Most important we need oversight about the failure of the courts to protect our most important asset—OUR CHILDREN

We hope everybody will join together in seeking Congressional Oversight Hearings. Sign the Petition and tell your friends about it. Let’s give our children a chance for a safe and healthy life.

Click here to sign our petition to demand congress hold oversight hearings into the state of our family and divorce courts.

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Growing Up In An Abusive Home (the ACE study) Dr Felitti

Children At Risk

The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study

Click here to sign our petition to demand congress hold oversight hearings into the state of our family and divorce courts.

Author: Mike Tikkanen

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