Child victimization assignment

Child victimization is something that has not always been in the public’s eye. Recently, we have seen a lot of publicity on different forms of child victimization. Children are seen as priceless innocent human beings that are fully dependent upon others. We protect our children and try to help those who are troubled. This has not always been the case..

1. First questions are dealing with abuse.
1. What do you consider child abuse?
   I consider child abuse to be any treatment towards a child that is violent, manipulative, or excessive. This includes physical altercations that result in lasting injury to the child, unwanted sexual encounters with a child, and and emotional or psychological confrontations.
2. Do you think spanking is child abuse? Why/why not?
   I think that spanking has the potential to be an abusive behavior, depending on the frequency and the motivation for this punishment. A parent who reserves spanking for a serious offense, or whose spankings are light enough that they don't cause lasting injury to the child, is not the same as a parent who severely beats their child under the guise of spanking to punish.
   
1. Do you think spanking should be allowed? Why/why not?
   I think that spanking should be allowed, but that child abuse in general should be monitored and treated much more than it is currently.
3. When should punishment become a public concern (ex: should a parent be allowed to punish her/his child in public and not be chastised for it)?
   I think that punishment of a child becomes a public concern whenever that child is in public. That being said, punishment does not always need to be doled out in the form of physical violence.
1. What is an acceptable form of public punishment?A child who acts out in public should be corralled by their parent immediately, and shown that this behavior is not acceptable by choosing a punishment that fits the crime - for example, disruptive behavior can be corrected by removing the child from the location and isolating them from the enjoyable activity.
2. What is unacceptable?
   An unacceptable punishment would be something that is escalated compared to the child's transgression - beating a child for excitedly jumping around in public, for example.

2. Second set of questions are dealing with sexual victimization.
1. Pornography: Pornography is a huge industry and we can find almost any type we can think of now that the internet is so broad. This, unfortunately, includes child pornography.
1. What does your state’s legislation say about child pornography? (Is it a misdemeanor/felony? What could possible sentencing look like? Will the offender be put on the sex offender registry? Etc. Note: these are example questions, you do not need to find the answers to all. Just give a general overview).
   In Alaska, possession of child pornography is a class C felony, while distribution of child pornography (which includes playing it for audience viewing) is a class B felony, or class A if the offender has a previous conviction for a similar crime (http://touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/Statutes/Title11/Chapter61/Section125.htm).
2. Sexting: Think teenagers. Sexting is a “newer craze” among youth.
1. Does your state have any legislation about sexting?
   Yes, and according to current legislature Alaska can prosecute individuals of any age who are caught engaging in sexting with a minor, even if they are underage themselves. A new law has been proposed to lessen the sentence for minors who are at least 16; minors under 16 who distribute explicit images of themselves in sexting will not be punished (http://mobilemediaguard.com/states/sexting_laws_alaska.html).
2. What is sexting?
   Sexting is a term that encompasses sexually explicit pictures and messages, usually sent through text messages.
3. Do you think sexting should be punished? How severly?
1. For the offender?
   I don't think that a sexting situation involving consensual contact should be punished as a crime, even if it is between minors. However, if the interaction is between a minor and an older adult, then the offender should be prosecuted in the same fashion as other pedophilia crimes.
2. For the victim?
   I think that the victim of a sexting situation would be either a minor who knew what they were doing, and doesn't feel victimized, or a minor who was preyed upon by an older adult. In either case, punishment would not be as appropriate as education and/or rehabilitation.

3. I would like you to find at least one article/news story from your state. (You can find your state by logging on to webcourses.) This can be about any type of child victimization. Give an overview of this case (including outcomes/convictions).
   According to the article I found, Alaska is known as the "rape capital" of the United States, and the child sexual victimization rate there is almost six times the national average (http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130407/why-alaska-rape-capital-us-because-we-allow-it). A lot of this can be contributed to high rates of gender inequality - men in Alaska earn, on average, about $12,000 more per year than women, which leads to a view of women and children as property with no rights.

1. Did reading/writing about this type of victimization affect you differently than the others I have had you look up? How so? Why?
   I find all forms of violence and predation towards a vulnerable class of people to be equally heinous, and interrelated - crimes based on racial disparity can easily translate into crimes against children, for example.

3. Media aspect
1. Find two media documentations (this does not need to come from your state) and should not include manuals.
1. Tell us what they are (including links)…this means give some information about it, not just the links.
   The movie "Precious" follows a teen who has been violently abused by her mother and sexually abused by her father (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929632/synopsis).
   "An American Crime" is a movie about the imprisonment of two young girls in the basement of a 1960s housewife. The movie recounts their horrifying tale and what ended up happening to all involved (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0802948/).