COUNTYWIDE : Conference Focuses on Child Abuse

Pinpointing the physical and emotional signs of child abuse topped Tuesday’s agenda of the fifth annual California Conference on Injury Control for Children and Youth.

Authorities said that bumps, bruises and even burns, along with other usually common childhood physical ailments, could be warning signals that abuse may be occurring at home.

Estimating that at least 1 million children a year nationwide suffer from some sort of maltreatment, Dr. Elizabeth Gilles of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center stressed the need for earlier recognition of intentional injuries and for better understanding of the parents who inflict abuse on their children.

“Many times we want to lump these people into the category of mean, crazed and unfit people,” Gilles said. “It’s not always that simple, and the why behind these parents using abuse on their children is very important because many times whatever problems they face have to be resolved for the entire problem to work out.”

Mental, emotional and physical problems, along with lack of emotional support from a spouse or other family members, were suggested as contributing to parental stress and eventual abuse of children.

During a one-hour panel discussion, Gilles cited as an example teen-age parents who take their financial and social frustrations out on their infant.

“This family isn’t bad, (it’s) just in a bad situation,” she said. “And that situation is going to have to be dealt with for everything else to work smoothly.”

Panel members stressed the importance of such groups as Parents Anonymous, which is designed to give parents the support they need to prevent them from hurting their children.

The three-day conference, which is being held at the Red Lion Inn, is sponsored by North County Health Services in conjunction with the California Department of Health Services.