Men were 82% of fatal child abuse perpetrators between July 2009 - June 2010 (Indiana)

Once again, we see how the real stats on child fatalities break down in reality, apart from the fathers rights propaganda.

Moms tend to be found guilty in "neglect" cases, which often involve issues of income and access to medical services. In other words, cases which don't necessarily reflect malice at all, but are a reflection of poverty.

So who's doing the actual deliberate physical abuse leading to the death of children? 82% WERE MEN. Half of the killers were "mother's partner" (not biological father?). Notice they fudge on how many were biological fathers by burying the data under "parents" or other categories that disguise the facts.

Notice that while one murder was done by a boyfriend, the other was done by a father (and his gal pal) who clearly had custody/visitation with a child after the father's break from the child's mother. No comment here, of course, on who awarded this father access to this child.

http://batesvilleheraldtribune.com/local/x1940327316/Report-probes-child-fatalities

April 3, 2012

Report probes child fatalities
Debbie Blank
The Herald-Tribune The Batesville Herald Tribune Tue Apr 03, 2012, 09:20 AM EDT

BATESVILLE — Twenty-five Hoosier children died from abuse or neglect from July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010, according to a report released a month ago that was prepared for the Indiana Department of Child Services by the National MCH Center for Child Death Review Database Office of Data Management, Reports and Analysis, Okemos, Mich.

How did kids living in southeast Indiana fare? No fatalities were reported in Franklin or Ripley counties, but one abuse case occurred in Shelby County and one neglect case in Decatur County, the report stated.

Just four of the affected families had prior contact with IDCS, though in two cases, the contact was with siblings of the children who died.

IDCS director James Payne noted during a Feb. 28 news conference about the findings, “Any child death is devastating and the agency continues to review these tragic fatalities to develop programs that educate communities about the danger to our most vulnerable children – those 2 years old and younger.”

The report’s narratives of how kids died are horrific.

Two cases of deaths from abuse:

“Five- and 8-year-old siblings were found in the remains of their house after a fire. Mother’s live-in boyfriend eventually admitted to setting the fire. One child was restrained while the other child was unable to escape. Both children died of soot inhalation.”

“A 5-year-old child was tied up and beaten by father and father’s girlfriend. The child was found to have ligature marks to the neck, wrists and ankle, as well as bruises, burns and abrasions over the entire body. The child ultimately died as a result of a fracture of the cervical spine due to strangulation. The girlfriend’s children reported seeing the child beaten and begging for help, but they indicated they were afraid to intervene.”

This was one of six neglect cases detailed: “A 4-year-old child was at an apartment complex pool with mother. Mother was present at poolside, but was not providing adequate supervision. Security video shows the child struggled in the water for approximately five minutes, and then floated unresponsive for five minutes before a bystander pulled the child from the pool ... the cause of death was drowning.”

Of the 19 abuse deaths, 84 percent were ruled homicides. The other categories: accidents, 8 percent; undetermined and unknown, 4 percent each.

Seventy-two percent of the time, a weapon, including a body part, was declared the primary cause of death.

Eighty-two percent of abuse perpetrators were male that year. These were the relationships to the victims: mother's partner, 50 percent; biological parent, 36 percent; father's partner, 9 percent; stepparent, 5 percent.

Stress factors in abuse cases were listed: insufficient income (seven cases), caregiver has history of intimate partner violence (four), caregiver has history of substance abuse (three), caregiver has history of child maltreatment (two) and caregiver has disability or chronic illness, or new residence in past 30 days (one each).

In neglect cases, the relationships of perpetrators to victims also were categorized: biological parent, 63 percent; stepparent, 25 percent; father's partner, 13 percent.

The type of neglect also was explored (a victim may have had more than one). From most to least common: failure to protect from hazards; failure to seek/follow treatment; failure to provide necessities, including food and water; caregiver impaired and child unrestrained in a vehicle; lack of supervision around water; mother did not take child for medical care after birth; no medical care.

After 54 Indiana youth died from abuse and neglect in fiscal year 2005, state leaders became critical of IDCS and changes were made. Since then, the number of deaths has declined.

According to a news release, the agency “continues to incorporate evidence-based practices to produce better outcomes for children. Adding more than 800 caseworkers, for example, reduced individual caseloads dramatically. The result is much more caseworker interaction with families and children in crisis. In addition to other services provided in the home, monthly visits to children by caseworkers have increased from only 23 percent in 2007 to nearly 96 percent percent in 2011.”

Payne noted, “This improvement is significant in light of the fact the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline assigned for review 94,526 reports last year, more than double the 46,655 reports in 2004.”

He pointed out, “Indiana ranks second in the nation in permanency for its children. This is a testament to not only our family case managers, but also our partners in the local counties, including family court judges, guardians-ad-litem/ CASAs and community-based partners who work with our children.”

Last year, IDCS completed a record 1,787 adoptions, 71 percent more than in 2004.

“Relatives have played a vital role in helping DCS achieve stability for children when safety requires children to be removed from home. Over the last five years, the number of children placed temporarily with relatives has increased 160 percent,” the release said.

The report observed, “The role of mandatory reporters is vital to protecting children from abuse and neglect. Certain professionals, such as doctors, teachers and counselors, have a legal obligation to report any suspected child abuse or neglect. Indiana law, however, mandates anyone who believes a child may be the victim of abuse and/or neglect must make a report to the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556 or to the police ...

“Family, friends and neighbors often share suspicions and ongoing concerns after the child fatality has occurred. Pro-active, timely and consistent reporting of these concerns to the hotline will promote child safety interests within Indiana communities. DCS recognizes the value of community involvement and urges the public to partner with the agency to protect all Hoosier children.”