We Are Adult Survivors of Child Abuse and Neglect

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services declared violence the number one health problem for women over a decade ago, and recent studies show that the problem is not diminishing. One contributing factor may be the way women are portrayed in the media.[1] Women are often depicted as

I have consistently written about how the media glamorizes sex and violence—a practice which is harmful for the healthy growth of children. When I wrote to media CEOs in my article titled Child Abuse Survivors Disserved By Media, their responses centered around their high standards and providing what their audiences

In 2001 the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a Policy Statement addressing media violence and its risk to the health of children and adolescents. That was 9 years ago, and the situation just continues to get worse. It seems that the media CEO’s would rather sacrifice the health and wellbeing

Anyone that says the media has no role in sex education, that it is just “reflecting everyday life,” is either blind or doesn’t care how powerful its messages of “anything goes” are to young children. To the tens of millions of American citizens like me who were raped and forced to live

On February 2, 2010, the New York Times accurately quoted experts who put together the fourth installment of the National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect. But, since the New York Times reporter is not an expert on these issues, and since there is a lack of journalistic investigation

I wanted to bring to people’s attention a recent news story sent to me by Gregg Milligan. He, like the rest of us, went through horrific abuse. It is important that more of our stories are told so that the reality that so many of us have lived through is brought to light.

On the front page of the New York Times on October 27, 2009 was a story about how runaways turn to sex to survive on the streets. It was a full-length article talking about the actions of pimps and the misfortunes of runways. I wrote a blog

Studies conducted for over 30 years all point to the same conclusion:  exposure to media portrayals of violence increases aggressive behavior in children. The National Institute of Mental Health has reported, “In magnitude, exposure to television violence is as strongly correlated with aggressive behavior as any other behavioral variable that has been measured.”[1]

Television, movies, music and interactive games are powerful learning tools and highly influential media. The average American child spends as much as 28 hours a week watching television and typically at least an hour a day playing video games or surfing the Internet. Several more hours each week are spent watching movies and listening to music.

One of the most powerful methods of communicating with Americans is the media. It can be used to inform, enlighten, encourage, and educate the millions of us who tune in everyday. And yet, advertisers and producers, particularly in cable TV, have chosen to focus on the lowest common denominator in human behavior.