features
Worst after holidays, experts say
Child abuse at its peak
United Press International
TRENTON, N.J. — January
and February are the crudest
months for children, child care
experts say.
“It’s the post-holiday syn-
drome,” says Julia Douglass,
assistant director of the Chil
dren and Youth Agency in Phi
ladelphia. “We advise our per-
PAC MAN
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Symptoms include sweaty
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‘PAG MAN”
GAMES
cfatote-
NORTHGATE
&
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sonnel to expect an onslaught of
(child abuse) cases — those they
are handling are likely to erupt,
and you always get a lot of new
cases.”
The syndrome has diverse
roots. People suffer a mental let
down after t he excitement of the
holidays. Christmas bills pile in
on top of winter fuel charges.
So parents vent their frustra
tions on their children. More are
beaten and abandoned at this
time of the year than any other,
experts say.
For example, a parent may
see the Christmas toys destroyed
or no longer functioning, Doug
lass said.
“You juggled money to pay
for those toys, not the monies
you thought you had coming in,
but from somewhere else, such
as the rent,” Douglass said. “It
just builds up, and the parent
feels he can no longer cope.”
Norman Chickachop, super
visor of the New Jersey state
Office for Child Abuse and Neg
lect Control, said: “The last
weekend in January was a re
cord weekend for us. We had
almost double the number of
normal calls for a weekend.”
The agency, a branch of the
state Division of Youth and
Family Services, fields weekend,
night and holiday calls state
wide. It does everything from
giving advice to sending a work
er to visit a family in crisis.
Experts say parents vent their
anger on children just because
the children are handy.
“Child abuse occurs any
where a parent feels under
stress,” DYFS spokeswoman Syl-
va Burd said. “A bill collector, or
maybe a husband who’s left the
family.”
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The problem is more preva
lent among the poor because
their frustrations are greater
and their options more limited,
the experts said.
Susan Larson, spokeswoman
for the Governor’s Commission
on Child Abuse and Neglect,
said post-holiday child abuse can
stem from a parent’s feeling he
has failed his child.
“From my experience, pa
rents are often depressed be
cause they can’t provide their
children with what they thought
they should be giving them,”
Larson said.
“You have the parent who is
struggling, and has maybe gone
out and bought things and gone .
over his head. You (the parent)
get through the holidays and
then you have to face reality.
“Money makes a lot of things
easier. When you don’t have the
resources, emotional or physic
al, to make a change in your life,
what that means is the only thing
you are going to recirculate are
your frustrations.”
Except in the most severe
cases, agencies try to keep
abused children with their fami
lies. They offer counseling,
financial advice and family plan
ning information. They will
even hire a homeworker to help
through a rough time.
Ron Gerring, head of Catho
lic Welfare Service’s Family
Growth Program in Trenton,
said his private agency gets more
crisis calls during the post
holiday season — “Parents call
ing up saying, ‘I’m about to lose
my cool with myself, I need to
come in and talk to someone.’”
The agency receives referrals
from DYFS. Gerring said case
workers deal with one family for
extended periods. They visit the
abused child’s school and the
family’s home at least once a
week and bring the entire family
in for therapy.
Often, a parent just needs to
know that someone cares, Doug
lass said.
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Look Ma, no legs
staff photo by l
PRESENTS
Ruth Saenz, a sophomore computer
science major from Houston, keeps
her legs warm underneath her
while studying in the Rudder Fort! ;
THE NATIONAL
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COMPANY
Albuquerque woman takes
some lip -from her attacker
United Press International
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A
woman saved herself from a
rape attempt by biting off the lip
of one of the attackers, police
say
The man was later arrested at
a local hospital.
Capt. John Sands of the Ber
nalillo County sheriff’s office
said three men were taken into
custody and charged with
attempted rape after the
woman, 26, identified her
alleged assailants’ car at the hos
pital.
— about hall
quarter.
the si:!
Sands said the attacker who
sought medical attention was
missing a portion of his lower lip
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The men were arrfi
Friday after LoVelace SB
Center authorities
police.
The woman told |)«« |
was hitchhiking in
last Friday when llmt l
offered her a ride. Shea*
took her east of the city,
near a cafe and forced
begin disrobing at knife
“A scuffle started and
off the bottom lip ofon(
men,” Sands said. “Sheyt
part of her clothes,
of the car and h
bushes. The men panic®
left.”
Martin Alderete,23,d |
with the injured lip;
Jaramillo, 27, andjetc
26, all of Albuquerf
charged with attempted-1
van.
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