The Children of New Zealand

943 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Review related literature on the impact of poverty on children

The Children of New Zealand

You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your relatives. Neither can you choose your parents or your place of birth. If you could any sensible foetus would choose at least twenty other countries to be born in rather then New Zealand. New Zealand's children's needs are being seriously neglected. This essay will challenge New Zealand's performance in child health and welfare. Looking at the widespread abuse of children, the growing rate of violent youth crime, and the effects of a damaged cultural environment.

New Zealand children are born with grossly unequal opportunities for health. Professor Gluckman (Prof. Of paediatrics at the Auckland University School of Medicine) said,

“The state of our children's health is not what it should be. Relative to other comparable countries our children are sicker and get poorly treated. About 200 children die in their first year of life in New Zealand who would not if they live in Australia or elsewhere in the Western world... We admit children with diseases that should not exist – rheumatic fever is rite; TB still occurs.”

Were New Zealand's children equal to the rest of the world we would not see such a high understaffing of paediatric services. For example, in New Zealand there is one paediatrician for every 3,400 children, whereas in the U.S.A., even with its much larger population, there is one for every 1,300. The simple truth behind this, is that there is not an appropriate share of funds being assigned to child health. Dr Liz Segedin, a Paediatric Intensivist, believes the limitations of the endlessly awaited children's hospital in Auckland reflect the low status of children's health in New Zealand.

“They’ll be no spec...

... middle of paper ...

...through this traumatic experience remember it forever. Looking at the pictures and poems done by victims brings tears to the eyes to realise the tragic memories they hold. It is so disturbing that such vulnerable persons are put through such a horrendous situation. This and other elements of a child's life are what increase the numbers of young offenders who continue the cycle of abuse.

“Children are the only group in New Zealand society who can be locked up without a court order....

Who are removed from their homes for the crimes of others...

Who can be beaten without it being an assault.”

(Advertisement in the Listener)

Questioning the readiness with which New Zealand society permits children, despite our affluence to... suffer neglect and ill-health. The children of New Zealand do not deserve the suffering nor the ignorance of the nation.

Show More
Related

  • Child Abuse And Neglect In The Brandon's Case Study

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Obviously, working with survivors of child sexual abuse, neglect, and trauma: The approach taken by the social worker in the Brandon’s case shall begin with “assessment and beginning treatment of the family because child abuse is one of a wide range practice situation in which systems concepts can be applied to help to understand the dynamics involved” in the road for healing and recovery from the physical and psychological effect of the trauma by providing adequate resources available for counseling and therapy due to the devastating impacts of child sexual abuse can be heartbreaking for the victim and the family. However, social worker approach to understanding and responds efficiently by being empathetic to the complex situation as a result; the perpetrator is the father such as in the case of Brandon (Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2014).

    Read More

  • Hamzah Khan Essay

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    I am going to critically review a newspaper article on the death of Hamzah Khan from Bradford. I will discuss the main findings the research methodology and the way in which it may or may not be useful in the contribution to our understanding of child welfare. I will also include information on child abuse and on the different agencies. The newspaper article is called Hamzah Khan: the harrowing story of an 'invisible' child. (Pidd, 2013)

    Read More

  • Sherman Alexie's This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

    1559 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... Joyce Dorado. "Who Are We, But For The Stories We Tell: Family Stories And Healing." Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, And Policy 2.3 (2010): 243-249. PsycARTICLES. Web. 2 May 2014.

    Read More

  • Book Review: Spirit Unbroken: Abby's Story

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    “We aren’t the weeds in the crack of life. We’re the strong, amazing flowers that found a way to grow in the challenging conditions.” (McElvaney, 1057) The book entitled “Spirit Unbroken: Abby’s Story,” offers a perspective on child abuse providing a positive outlook on a tragic situation. Even in the best of circumstances, however, victims of abuse can see the effects of the trauma for the rest of their life. For each individual person affected by this form of trauma, the reactions can vary. The same type of abuse in two different people can have very different outcomes – one could be that of coping, and the other a life of brokenness. Especially at impressionable ages, any form of abuse can be a hindrance in living a normal life. Children

    Read More

  • Outgrowing the Pain: A Book For and About Adults Abused as Children

    1851 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...g and filled with detailed solutions for each act of child abuse. The book allows the reader to visual themselves in each situation and knows how to react towards such each incident. It helped me understand why adults abused as children act the way they do when it comes to social interaction. Personally, I have attained new information that I was unaware of. In the beginning, I have always believed that child abuse only involved physical or sexual abuse. I did not know that emotional abuse actually existed. I was unaware of the fact that emotional abuse gravely affects children as they grow up. This book may open up the minds of people who are unaware of or refuse to believe that child abuse is occurring daily in our society because it is so informative and persuasive at the same time. If one needs to educate themselves concerning child abuse, consider this book.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Movie Babies

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the documentary Babies, babies from across the world were filmed interacting with their mothers and the new world. One of the babies was from Namibia. This baby was given little guidance and attention while parents seemed absent at times. At one point, the viewers see the infant smashing rocks together, by himself, which isn’t exactly the safest activity for a toddler (4). The children raised by this type of passive parenting with “few rules, expectations, and demands, tend to struggle with self-regulation and self-control” (5). Without someone teaching children morals and with no form of structure in a child's life, they will have trouble depicting right and wrong decisions. The under the involved parenting style may often seem neglectful, however, there is a fine line between the two. In the memoir The Glass Castle, Rex and Rose are the parents of four kids. Throughout the book, Jeanette is the victim of several sexual misconducts. When confronting her mom about her Uncle Stanley groping her, Rose says “"Poor Stanley," she said. "He's so lonely.”.... “sexual assault was a crime of perception. If you don't think you're hurt, then you aren't,"” (6). Normally a mother, even a passive parenting mother, would immediately stick up for their child and recognize the inappropriate behavior. The walls parents failed to provide their

    Read More

  • Poverty, Neglect, and Trauma from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

    2098 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...o grow up in home where there is neglect, abuse and trauma often miss out on a normal development with attachment and trust. Without that attachment and trust, neglected children are at risk and vulnerable to suffer consequences and risk physically, emotionally, psychologically, educationally, interpersonally that can have a damaging effect on the child’s life and development and can develop into PTSD. However, under certain circumstances, given an opportunity to attach to healthy adults in a positive way, children can overcome even brutal childhoods and injuries. Lastly, it shows how an adult or parent who is willing to attach, trust, help and work with a child, can radically change the course of that child’s life by acting as an advisor, detecting and solving problems, and being there even in the middle of conflict and eventually helping the child succeed in life.

    Read More

  • Indian Child Welfare Act Analysis

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his article “The Blood-Stained Indian Child Welfare Act,” Will successfully brings to light the horrors that accompany the ICWA. However, the ICWA is only one act in one nation. Given the existence of nearly two hundred countries in the world, more acts similar to the ICWA must exist, meaning that thousands of children are in danger. How many of these children could be saved if people simply became more

    Read More

  • Intergenerational Trauma Essay

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    When faced with a life altering situation although Molly’s characteristics and personality aid her in courageously defying them, the effects of facing this traumatic event will lead to long term psychological repercussions. When severe harm is inflicted on a person’s psyche, it is viewed as an emotional trauma (Levers, 2012). The emotional harm inflicted on Molly’s psyche originates from different dimensions; like her upbringing, her trauma is multidimensional too. As a child of the Indigenous community, whose ancestors and elders were killed violently in inter-group conflicts, and whose children were forcefully removed from families, Molly is would experience intergenerational trauma (Atkinson, 2002). Intergenerational trauma is trauma passed down from one generation to another; as a close knitted community group, the grief experienced by family members of losing their loved ones, would have been transferred across generations (Atkinson,

    Read More

  • The Daniel Pelka Serious Case Review

    1723 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jasmine Beckford’s case is the oldest out of the three; in 1984 Jasmine died as a result of long-term abuse aged 4. In 1981 her and her younger sister suffered serious injuries and were paced with foster carers for six months. After this they were allowed back home with their mother on a trial basis as social services were meant to support them. During the last ten months of Jasmine’s life she was only seen once by social workers (Corby, 2006).

    Read More

  • The Psychological Damage of Sexual Trauma

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    Approximately 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today (Bull,2001). This figure continues to grow daily as perpetrators of this crime continue in this destructive path. To get a better understanding of what sexual trauma can do to a child the website all about counseling asked us to imagine “ a 6 year old being abused by a family member, say Uncle Joe. Uncle Joe has been very nice to the child up until the other day. He then steps across sexual boundaries, or even becomes physically hurtful to the child. The child may have a hard time holding onto that experience and still function as a young child, playing and enjoying life (www.allaboutcounseling.com).

    Read More

  • Nixmary Brown Case Study

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    Children suffer and endure torture in the hands of the people that are close to them. Conferring to Arthur (2012) for instance, Nixmary’s stepmother molested and denied her the fundamental rights of protection from harm and danger. Instead of providing moral support to Brown, her stepmother abused her sexually at a tender age. Parents and guardians must offer protection and psychosocial support to their children to empower them to be safe. The seven-year-old girl suffered silently in the hands of her stepmother without telling her story to anyone. The case reveals

    Read More

  • The Biomedical Model And Social Model Of Health

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    Current research suggests the countries with the smallest income differences have the best health status rather than the richest countries. Where income differences remain great, as in this country, health inequalities will persist. For example: Children in the lowest social class are five times more likely to die from an accident than those in the top social class, Infant mortality rates are highest among the lowest social

    Read More

  • Reason For Child Poverty

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyday children’s’ needs are not met, and they are forced to suffer because they are living under the poverty line. “The United States, with the world’s largest economy, has the shameful distinction of having the second highest relative child poverty rate among 35 industrialized nations “; this is something that is affecting 1 in 5 children being born (Children’s Defense Fund, 2015). Children are not in a place that they can stand up for themselves and fight for the rights that they do not currently have. The adults that are in a position to defend them are also at a disadvantage because, statistically speaking, they probably grew up in the same environment and do not have the assistance to rise above the adversity themselves. With the governments help in passing new laws and providing resources children can be given a better chance in order to succeed as successful adults.

    Read More

  • Dental Caries Essay

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sherman, C. (2011). Dental health of children from a low socio-economic background: socio-political nursing in the New Zealand context. Whitireia Nursing Journal, 18, 15-24. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/957056713?accountid=14700

    Read More

More about The Children of New Zealand

Open Document