Stop child abuse


 

Child Abuse: History, Laws and the A.S.P.C.A

From a historical perspective, child abuse1930, more than 8000 children were taken from
has plagued society since the beginning ofthe streets of Dublin and London, then
time. Two rights have been at the core ofshipped overseas to Canadian homes where they
child abuse: the right to own property, andwere beaten, demeaned and forced to labour on
the right to own children.In ancient Rome,farms and in factories, all in the name of
fathers had absolute authority over their'shaping' their young charges. In fact, these
children. They alone decided which of theiryoung people were nothing more than slaves.In
children lived or died. Children bornthe late 1800s, a church worker named Etta
deformed, disabled, or in any way outside ofWheeler forever changed the face of parental
what was considered normal, children born ofauthority in North America.During a family
the 'wrong' gender, namely girls when boysvisit, Mrs. Wheeler discovered 11-year-old
were far more desirable, would be killed.Mary-Ellen, the step-daughter of the woman
Fathers had the right to maim and brutalizecasually entertaining Mrs. Wheeler, shackled
their children without fear of retribution.to her bed and badly beaten. Too tiny and
Harsh discipline was deemed necessary to moldill-formed for her 11 years, it was quite
the child into mindful, contributing humanevident Mary-Ellen was also grossly
beings.In England, children as young as 5malnourished. Some of her scars were visibly
years old were shackled and forced to workhealed over, giving a clear picture of
16-hour-days in inhumane conditions of mineslong-term and sustained child abuse.Appalled
and factories. Cruel overseers frequentlyby what she saw, Mrs. Wheeler reported the
goaded these little children with whips andsevere and obvious abuse and neglect to the
prods.Canada must also be accountable for itsauthorities.
part in child abuse history. From 1870 to



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