Citation

Bross DC. J. Soc. Iss. 1979; 35(2): 72-81.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1979, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1540-4560.1979.tb00802.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Violence to children has been common throughout history, yet society's response to child abuse and neglect has developed quite slowly. The delay in recognizing and responding to child maltreatment, and the problems of structuring protection for children, are related strongly to the fact that children cannot exercise adult powers. Changes in the "status" of children will be enduring only as adults continue exercising their powers wisely on behalf of children. Under the law, status is a concept both used and misused on behalf of children. There seems to be no coherent view of childhood providing a consistent influence on legal decisions. Rather than ignoring many of the complexities of children's status, children's law should be better related to the degree of protection required by the child's or youth's developmental stage.

Language: en