Georgia falls at or near the bottom of the 50 states in a number of areas affecting the quality of life in the state including unemployment, poverty, crime, illness and mortality:
- 40th among states in percent of babies born at low birth weight.
- 43rd among states in infant mortality.
- A child is killed by gunfire in Georgia every three days.
- In 2007 there were 92,185 children involved in DFCS investigations of maltreatment in Georgia – 50% were children ages birth-7 years old.
(According to Protective Services Data System 2007 Annual Report, Georgia Department of Human Resources)
In addition, $1.25 million was cut from prevention funding in Georgia in 2002, a move that prompted state social service agencies to spend 99% of their government funding for intervention, treatment and care of abused and neglected children, leaving only 1% for prevention. Therefore, it is critical for agencies, such as Prevent Child Abuse Rockdale, to provide prevention education and services to the community. Prevention happens before abuse and violence.
Positive experiences as a result of a nurturing parent style build strong character and sense of self-worth in children. Nurturing parenting employs nurturing touch, empathy, empowerment and unconditional love to promote the overall health of a child. Conversely, abusive parenting processes such as hitting, belittling, and neglecting basic needs have a negative impact. Researchers have found that there are four common behaviors among abusive parents:
- Inappropriate developmental expectations of the child,
- Lack of empathy toward children’s needs,
- Strong belief in the value of physical punishment, and
- Expectation children should be sensitive to the parent’s needs and responsible for their happiness
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