Persuasive Essay On Child Abuse

Words: 1188
Pages: 5

Child abuse has been something that people just do not like to talk about but, due to the increase of child abuse related deaths, it is something that can no longer be ignored. Almost every day there is some type of child abuse related story on the news or on social media, which has people questioning: should child service agents and the general public be held more accountable for instances of child abuse? There are mandatory reporting laws, but some say these laws do not do enough; that there are not enough people included in these laws. They believe that everyone that could possibly encounter a child should be held to the same standards as those already included in the reporting laws. Children come into contact with a variety of people and even a stranger has the power to report any strange bruises or marks that cause concern. In fact, …show more content…
As of this moment, the only people that are required by the law to report suspected child abuse are those that work around, or come into close contact with groups of children; while there are currently only eighteen states that require the general public to report suspected child abuse (“Issues and Controversies” 2). Also, some say the laws regarding punishments for the failures of social workers are not nearly enough and that child service agents should face charges, along with the abusers, when a child dies because of neglect or abuse. Not only should child service agents be held accountable, they go further to state that anyone who suspects child abuse, but fails to report it, should be held accountable as well. One such supporter, Marian Edelman, president of the Children’s defense fund, stated that “Too many