Alleged child abuse deaths in Beaufort county skyrocket in 2009
Alleged child abuse deaths in county skyrocket in 2009
The year 2009 has been a terrible year for children in Beaufort county, Susan Cato, executive director of the Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA), and Jan Stewart-Rhoden, president of Exchange Club of Beaufort, announced in a joint press release today. According to data they obtained from the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), from 1999 to 2007 there were a total of three child homicide victims in Beaufort county. So far in 2009, five children have died of unnatural causes.
According to the coroner’s office, two of the 2009 deaths were ruled accidental. One was crushed while sleeping in a bed with his/her parents and a second suffocated in a crib that was loaded with too many toys, pillows, etc. Three deaths are still being investigated by local law enforcement officers.
One death of a small child occurred this past Sunday when a four-year-old little girl succumbed to injuries allegedly inflicted by her stepmother, Naticia Laurent, 24, of 2013 Stone Martin Drive, Beaufort. The child was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital in an ambulance, where Laurent was reported to police on suspicion of causing the injuries. Police arrested Laurent at the hospital on a charge of inflicting great bodily harm on a juvenile. The charges were raised to homicide by child abuse due to the child’s death.
“Child deaths and serious trauma cases are at an all time high in Beaufort County,” stated Susan Cato. “Children are most vulnerable from birth to age five, and we are seeing a staggering rise locally in deaths from suspected child abuse and neglect in this age range. We are also seeing several cases of trauma involving very young children with broken bones, healed unattended breaks, infants and children living in homes where there is illegal drug activity and other very dangerous situations.”
According to Cato and Stewart-Rhoden, factors that lead to child abuse and neglect include lack of parenting skills, unrealistic expectations about a child’s capabilities, ignorance of ways to manage a child’s behavior, and ignorance of normal child development patterns. Poor education, unemployment, poverty, lack of available health care and drug abuse are also factors.
Why are some families more at risk than others? Research has proven that the presence of five protective factors greatly reduce the likelihood of abuse and neglect occurring in families under stress. They are:
- Nurturing and attachment – The importance of early bonding, as well as nurturing throughout childhood helps parents build a close bond with their children and better understand, respond to, and communicate with their children.
- Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development – Information about what to anticipate as children develop and strategies for effective parenting will help parents learn what to look for at each age and how to help their children reach their full potential.
- Parental resilience – How parents cope and problem solve affects their ability to deal effectively with everyday stress or a major crisis. Recognizing the signs of stress and knowing what to do about it can help parents build their capacity to cope.
- Social connections – Identifying ways to help parents expand their social networks and build a broader base of parenting support is very important. Parents with an extensive network of family, friends and neighbors have better support in times of need.
- Concrete supports for parents – Finding out what basic resources are available in the community and how to access them to address family-specific needs such as financial, housing, etc., will help families meet their basic needs and allow parents to attend to their role as parents. Caregivers with access to financial, housing, and other concrete resources can help them meet their basic needs and better attend to their role as parents.
To help parents increase protective factors, CAPA offers an eight-week parenting education course based on the Triple P Curriculum, a 25-year program that has shown excellent outcomes in participants. Additionally, CAPA offers the P.S.* We Love You * Parent Support Group which meets weekly at its outreach facility in Port Royal.
“CAPA will not tolerate child abuse in any form. It is a sad statement to our society when we see that any child has been harmed, neglected or has died from child abuse. CAPA provides services and resources that educate and support breaking the cycle of child abuse,” stated Robin Boozer, CAPA board president.
CAPA is a local 28 year old agency that is designated as a charitable organization under IRS code 501(c)3. A United Way member agency, CAPA provides free and low-cost programs for parents who want to have a better relationship with their children. Additionally, CAPA has operated the Open Arms Shelter for Abused and Neglected Children for the past 24 years and sends staff members and consultants into schools and youth serving organizations to provide child abuse and neglect education, bullying prevention, effective communication and life skills, and adolescent pregnancy prevention deterrents.
“The community’s current economic and violence problems are greatly impacting the well-being of our most vulnerable citizens, our children,” said Exchange Club of Beaufort President Jan Stewart-Rhoden. The Exchange Club shares CAPA’s passion by its adoption of the prevention of child abuse and neglect as its national focus. “We can prevent child abuse by each one of us stepping up to the plate to make sure that CAPA services are available and that families know who to call for help,” Stewart-Rhoden continued.
Related posts:
- Police arrest woman for alleged child abuse
- Child abuse charge against Beaufort woman raised to homicide of little girl, her stepdaughter
- CAPA pulls out of providing meals at Beaufort Water Festival
- Exchange Club hosts 17th annual ghost tours
- Beaufort County spends $15,240 to educate each public school child, highest spending level in state
