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News : Bahamas Information Services Updates Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


Bahamas Attends Int'l Conference on Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
By Matt Maura, BIS
Aug 31, 2016 - 4:51:14 PM

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Officials of the National Child Protection Council (NCPC) and the Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, comprise the Bahamian contingent to the 21st International Congress for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect underway in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Pictured (from left) are: Mrs. Lorraine Duvalier (NCPC), Dr. Novia Carter (Deputy Chair, NCPC); Dr. Ravindranath Madhu (Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect [SCAN] Unit, DPH); and Nurse Vestra P. Forbes, SCAN Unit, Department of Public Health. (BIS Photo/Matt Maura)

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada – Leading child protection officials from around the globe, including representatives from The Bahamas, at the 21st International Congress for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect underway in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, are pushing for further research on the negative effects of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), also known as Abusive Head Trauma (AHT), and the role it plays in child abuse.

Abusive head trauma goes by many other names, including inflicted traumatic brain injury and shaken impact syndrome and can be caused by direct blows to the head, dropping or throwing a child, or shaking a child. Head trauma is the leading cause of death in child abuse cases in some Developed Countries. Because the anatomy of infants puts them at particular risk for injury from this kind of action, the majority of victims are infants younger than one year old.

Global Child Protection officials say AHT can happen in children up to 5 years old, and the average age of victims is between 3 and 8 months. However, the highest rates of cases occur among infants just 6 to 8 weeks old, which is when babies tend to cry the most.

According to research conducted by Kids Health, an Online Publication, abusive head trauma results from injuries caused by someone (most often a parent or other caregiver) vigorously shaking a child or striking the child's head against a surface. In many cases, the caregiver cannot get the baby to stop crying and, out of frustration or anger, will shake the baby.

Unfortunately, the shaking may have the desired effect: Although at first the baby cries more, he or she may stop crying as the brain is damaged.

Children with special needs or with multiple siblings, or conditions like colic, have an increased risk of AHT. Boys are more likely to be victims of AHT than girls, and children of families who live at or below the poverty level are at an increased risk for these injuries and other types of child abuse.

Research shows that perpetrators in about 70% of cases are males — usually either the baby's father or the mother's boyfriend, often someone in his early twenties. But anyone has the potential to shake a baby if he or she isn't able to handle stressful situations well, has poor impulse control, or has a tendency toward aggressive behavior. Substance abuse often plays a role in AHT.

Research further shows that when someone forcefully shakes a baby, the child's head rotates uncontrollably. This is because infants' neck muscles aren't well developed and provide little support for their heads. This violent movement pitches the infant's brain back and forth within the skull, sometimes rupturing blood vessels and nerves throughout the brain and tearing the brain tissue. The brain may strike the inside of the skull, causing bruising and bleeding to the brain.

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National Child Protection Council (NCPC) Chairman Pastor Gil Maycock with Dr. Nicole Sherren, PhD., Scientific Director and Programme Officer of Palix Foundation, Canada, at the conclusion of Dr. Sherren's presentation on the Effects of Early Adversity on Brain Development, Learning and Health at the 21st International Congress for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect currently underway in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (BIS Photo/Matt Maura)

The damage can be even greater when a shaking episode ends with an impact (hitting a wall or a crib mattress, for example), because the forces of acceleration and deceleration associated with an impact are so strong. After the shaking, swelling in the brain can cause enormous pressure within the skull, compressing blood vessels and increasing overall injury to the brain's delicate structure.

National Child Protection Council Chairman, Pastor Gil Maycock, said ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ “hits home” because many Bahamians have a propensity to shake their babies – many times in fun – without realizing the major negative impacts that violently shaking their babies can have on a child’s early development or lack thereof.

Pastor Maycock said the Council will conduct its own research locally to determine whether ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ or Abusive Head Trauma is negatively impacting children in The Bahamas which would make it a child abuse issue.

“The whole presentation on Shaken Baby Syndrome was so intriguing that I went on my cell phone while the presentation was ongoing and was ‘Wats Apping’ people back home and just giving out initial information about the dangers of doing what we consider simple little things like tossing babies under six months of age into the air and catching them, which can be very dangerous as it can lead to brain damage; can cause delays in emotional and educational development; and can lead to anti-social acts further on in life in some cases,” Pastor Maycock said.

“Shaking babies is cultural in The Bahamas and I firmly believe that some of the educational delays; some of the emotional delays that Bahamian children experience; some of the anti-social behaviour they exhibit, may be a result of being violently shaken while they were babies. Not in every case, but in some cases. What struck me is that some people are doing these things not out of anger or out of violence, but playfully, and these things are causing damage and in many cases – not all – has resulted in death globally.”

Pastor Maycock said the NCPC will work with local officials to ensure that the necessary research, and the proper amount of education and awareness, are done to determine ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ that may be occurring in The Bahamas.

“Going forward we will definitely utilize our resources to ensure that we talk with the medical community such as pediatricians, nurses, midwives and other key stakeholders to ensure that we are in sync in getting more of this information on Shaken Baby Syndrome out to their clients,” Pastor Maycock said.

“One of the great things about attending this Congress is that we have had an opportunity to gather a wealth of information from leading experts from around the world so that we are able to gather resources and materials that we will be able to better apply some of that knowledge back into Bahamian society where applicable.”

 


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