Wounded Innocents: The Real Victims of the War Against Child Abuse

Argues that the problem of child abuse has actually worsened because of misguided policies designed to protect the child, and discusses actual cases, including false reports and severe cases that were ignored by the system

"The war against child abuse has become a war against children," charges Wexler, a reporter for the Albany, N.Y., Times Union , in a well-argued, in-depth study of the "child protection system" in the U.S. and the politics that enmesh it. He maintains that even more alarming than the alleged abuses suffered by children at the hands of their parents are the disruption of home life and the long-lasting trauma of minors assigned to institutions and foster homes that are either as bad as or worse than their own families. He asserts also that "witch-hunts" of foster parents suspected of improper conduct and harried supporting care system administrators, at times involving false accusations of sexual abuse, are all too common. While crediting competent, dedicated caseworkers who struggle in an overloaded welfare system, Wexler deplores what he considers misleading statistics and the presumption of parental guilt that underlie much child protection work. Preventive programs, legal measures and financial incentives meant to preserve original families figure in his detailed recommendations for reform.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The author, a journalist for the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.), charges that Americans have surrendered their most fundamental liberties to a too-powerful child-protective system that turns everyone dealing with children into an informer and encourages the public to do the same. As a result, Wexler reports, each year one out of every 30 children nationwide is reported to Child Protective Services as allegedly abused; most cases are dismissed as unsubstantiated, but not before the accusations have wreaked emotional havoc with a million innocent families. Meanwhile, some abused children are overlooked by a system whose resources are wasted on unfounded cases. Wexler substantiates his charges with numerous print sources and personal interviews; he offers 35 recommendations for the overhaul of the system. This extensively researched volume deserves to be read by anyone concerned with child abuse. Recommended for all academic, public, and institutional libraries.
- Christy Zlatos, Northeastern Univ. Libs., Boston
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.