Child Abuse Economics

 Ever since I diverged from sociology as an undergraduate and established my worldview through Biological Anthropology instead, I´ve paid attention to interdisciplinary issues.  Moreover, as any of us who have liked music from Santana, Tori Amos, or Pete Townsend to Creed, movies like Antwone Fisher or Precious, or even professional athletes like Mark McGwire, Theo Fleury, or Laveraneus Coles, sexual abuse of various kinds is a real issue in the real world. The Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence has framed this in economic terms.

Child abuse and neglect cost our society, not only in terms of the trauma caused to the maltreated individuals, but also in economic terms. Economic costs include the funds spent each year on child welfare services for abused and neglected children (direct costs) as well as the large sums dedicated to addressing the short- and long-term consequences of abuse and neglect (indirect costs).

see more on the economics question at: http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/res/costs.html

see more on personal accounts of child sexual abuse at:

http://www.aswaterspassingby.org/laveraneuscoles.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/sports/hockey/16fleury.html?_r=1&ref=theofleury

Ozzy Osbourne: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,552210,00.html

Mark McGwire´s Foundation´s work: http://www.mcgwire.com/news/news55.html

Tori Amos: http://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/escaping-hades/tori-amos-on-being-a-rape-survivor/menu-id-806/

Oprah Winfrey: http://oprah.about.com/od/oprahbiography/p/oprahchildhood.htm

Male Survivors of Abuse: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Male-Sexual-Abuse-Survivors-Stand-Together