Child Maltreatment Laws - Research Paper Example

Ultimately, as a more definitive society has emerged and a greater and greater emphasis has been engaged with regards to the role that the state and federal governments play in helping to assure the needs and security of the individual child, there has been a prolific increase in the overall number of laws created and enforced concerning child safety and welfare (Dickens, 2007). One such law that his raised the higher of many individuals since it has been passed is with regards to laws concerning child negligence and whether or not a parent is legally allowed to leave their child at home unattended below a certain age.

Prior to the creation of such a law, it was generally assumed that parental discretion would be the sole determinant in deciding whether or not the child was ultimately ready and able to fend for itself during the hours in which a parent or guardian would not be there to assist them in a variety of different tasks. It should be noted however that currently only two states within the United States have such laws on their books; however, the creation and application of these laws in both Illinois and Maryland portend a level and degree of strain on the remaining states to at least mirror such laws by enforcing varying degrees of child negligence laws for parents that leave children unattended during the formative/early years of adolescence (Hill, 2011).

Current situation and position: Currently, in both Maryland and Illinois, it is considered child neglect to leave any child unattended, either at home or elsewhere, who is under the age of 12 (Weaver, 2011). Although there are many interpreationts of why the age of 12 has seemingly been arbitrarily chosen, this can be understood to mark the transitional time in which a child moves from being considered a “child” to being considered an “adolescent” (Hill, 2011). A necessary drawback to such an across-the-board legal restriction is that it reduces the ability of the individual parent to decide based upon the needs and realities of their child.

Such a law makes a broad level of assumptions with regards to uniformity of cultures in the United States (McCoy & Keen, 2009). It must be noted that elsewhere throughout the world no such law exists with regards to the time in which the parent can be allowed to determine whether or not their child is capable of sustainment during the few hours that they may not be home (Struck, 1999). In such a way, if an individual from another culture moves to the United States and has a child/brings a child with them, they would likely be shocked with regards to the level of state/government control as it exists within the spectrum of child neglect laws.

Alternate Approach and Conclusion In fairness, the existence of such child neglect laws are ultimately result of the fact that numerous children within the United States have suffered from child neglect as a result of parents and guardians behaving in unethical and unfair ways in seeking to provide for their general welfare (Struck, 1999). However, regardless of the shortcomings that have been exhibited within the past several years with regards to child negligence, it is the belief of this