Hillary's story is an American story. Do you remember her? She posted a video of her
father, a Texas Family Judge, beating her with a belt. Hillary is not alone.
One in three Americans report being physically abused in the home as children. 30% of parents spank their children with a belt or other implement. We want to create a documentary about the “fine line” that many parents draw between spanking and physical abuse. Where do you draw the the line?
Can spanking really cause brain damage?
An interview with Dr. Martin Teicher, Neuroscientist, Researcher on Early Abuse & Neglect and the Effects on Brain Development.
Space
Asadah Kirkland, author and educator, works with parents in the Harlem's Children Zone. We want to film her working with parents. We want to follow these families during a 9 week program, film them in their daily life in order to understand their point of view on discipline. "You've got to talk to the parents, so you know why they do it. And then you know how to fix it. Its that simple," says Asadah.
Click here to listen to Asadah
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Mission Statement
We are a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing violence by educating the public on negative effects of spanking and to promoting scientifically accepted, developmentally appropriate positive discipline.
A Rampant Problem that Affects Most Children
• 30% of American parents begin spanking when their child is under a year old
• 50% of all toddlers are spanked three or more times a week
• Over 90% of all toddlers are spanked at least once
Is Spanking really a GATEWAY to Criminal Child Abuse?
• Over 88 million Americans are physically abused as children
• Parents who believe in spanking are 4 - 7 times more likely to abuse their children
• Most physical child abuse begins with physical punishment
ENDORSEMENTS
Rainbird Foundation
As an organization committed to the end of child abuse, we agree with the researchers who say that abolishing spanking from every state in the union is essential to ending child abuse. That our society still questions whether spanking is a form of violence is an absurd act of denial that contributes to the violence that children endure in this country. We think that your documentary is an elegant, efficient way to deal with this controversial subject. We wish you and your colleagues great success, and we will continue to find ways to support you and your film project.
Thank you for the work you are doing,
Hanna Roth, Founder,The Rainbird Foundation
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Dr. Vincent J. Felitti, MD, Co-Principle Researcher ACE Study, Kaiser and CDC
“While spanking or hitting relieves parental tension and sometimes immediately changes behavior, it does so by creating anxiety and fear. Creating anxiety and fear damages trust, attachment, and warmth between parent and child - a huge and unrecognized price that is charged to the future. Depicting these ideas subtly in a TV serial drama would help many people understand what doing better looks like.
I feel lucky because of spending several summers working on a farm as a kid. I was then, and still am, impressed by how well the animals treated their offspring. The cows never gored the calves, the pigs never harmed the piglets, the sheep never harmed the lambs, and the horses never kicked or bit the colts. They stuck with each other and they all grew up right. It was quite memorable.”
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The Alliance to End the Hitting of Children
“Our mission is to end all hitting of children at school and at home using educational. As such Robbyn Peters Bennett’s film project is such a fit for us that we have contributed financially to it . Robbyn is extremely energetic and ambitious about using film to address the myth that spanking is not any big deal. She is determined to show the link between spanking and permanently damaging physical and emotional abuse. This is crucial and foundational work in changing the culture that still believes in disciplining children through the obsolete methods of fear and violence.
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