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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-06-10, Page 1139 YEAR -23 GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1987 60 CENTS PER COPY Child ab BY PATRICK RAFT'S Child •abuse of all forms, sexual, physical'and. mental, while a serious pro- blem, is not rampant' or out of control in i,.oderich and area, according to Dr. Alex Zaphiris, of the. University- of Houston, Texas • "The p.roble"m in Goderich is rnanagableti" ,said Zaphiris, speaking to area members of the medical profession at the. Bedford Hotel during the closing ses- sion of a three-day seminar organized by the Huron County Child Abuse Co-, ordnating Committee last Wednesday. "The instance of abuse, is in proportion to the population," -he explained. Zapharis said, based on reported cases and projections, that Goderich probably has •a far lower instance of abuse than similar communities in the United States. -And you have very r;'ood services (for .'handling abuse cases)," he added. •"The entire community' is interested in . the problem," noted 'Zapharis...• .•MILITANT ESTIMATES Zapharis, ..a Professor and Associate Dean of the University of Houston School of Social . Work,. who has specialized in child abuse study for the past. 30 years, disagrees with -what he calls "militant estimates," of theincidence of child abuse in North America which have'been•widely- publicized. Often -quoted numbers .which Zapharis objects Jo' include estimates that one in . every four girls and one in every seven boys are victims of sexual abuse. "These are militant estimates, arrived at perhaps by people who have themselves been victims of .abuse,- he said.. • Such over-estimates can lead to other ,kinds of problems within the family unit. "Let's not ;create a hysteria - 'destroy the • sense of family," said Zapharis. "Some parents are now afraid to touch a child," for fear it will he misconceived as sexual misconduct, he added. , Professionals who deal with children, such as day care operators can also be adversely affected by the fear of being perceived as abusive. They also, often avoid•physical contact with children to the • point where, "we have some children who's needs are not being met," Zapharis said. Zapharis' own, "conservative estimates," indicate one in 1,000 children are physically abused, 4-5 in 1,000 are sex- uall abused and u to 20 •er cent ,are • n t rampant in Dr. Alex Zaphiris, of the University of Houston, Texas, speaks to a'group of Goderich area medical professionals, during the wrap-up session of a recent three-day seminar on child abuse, held iii Goderich. The seminar was sponsored by the'Huron County Child Abuse Co-ordinating Committee. (photo'by Patrick Raftis• •'Children that die from abuse, often die from the resulting internal injuries.'Physi; cians must learn,• the• behavioral manifestations of these injuries," he said. ," 'BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS A child with a subderal hematoma. ( hemorrhage tinder one of the'layers of the ,brain.). "is. at the same time, 'a listless child," explained Zapharis. "In 30 years in this field, I.have not seen achild who is a victim of incest who isnot withdrawn," he said. , ' ' Victims of physical abuse, he laid, are usually hyperactive: ' "Running away. from home, lying and• Stealing," • are other behavior patterns often exhibited by abused . children. he added. • Early detection •of these signs and im- mediate reporting of them to the ap- propriate .agency is vital to the eventual Success of treatment of an abused child, said Zapharis.- "If we don't report on thebasis of suspi- cion, many children may be. dying in the process. ' "Also, if a report is not timely, the child loses confidence in the adult world," and m neglect'ed: physically, mentally and medically, by heir parents, Despite c n 'erns about over -reaction, ,Laphariis es not downplay the seriousness f he .child abuse problem. ' • REPO T ON SUSPICION ,."I don't rhea to imply that the problem: • 'is not big.' We. ave a very important•pro- blem to deal with." - The fir•st.step.,in 'dealing with child.. abuse; has to be detection of siuspected, eases. In thi',s . area, Zapharis said, "members" of tihe •medical discipline ,are.. our best reporters, best identifiers". )-I,e' urged medic' professionals. to • take responsibility f r the reporting of abuse, .even if only suspected. "A report dods not require you' to be 100 per cent sure of the situation. It can 'be bas- ed on suspicion,", said Zapharis, adding that it would then be up to a -social service agency to 'investigate and decide if the matter should be' pursued.' While many children. will not carry direct physical evidence of injuries associated with (physical or sexual abuse, Zapharis said,there are many "behavioral indicators," that a child is being victimized. 1 'e fita • faCi New device may control BY HEATHER MCILWRAITH There may be a way to stop the erosion of • waterfront property - and it doesn't involve . the construction of metal or ,rock ba rricades. "People are going about it the wrong way," said Rob Cook of Seaforth Tile, a sub- sidiary of the Fletcher Tile Ltd., which has patented a structure proven to have reduced beach erosion ' along the Lake Erie shoreline. "People are trying to stop the water dead in its tracks and you can't, it's relentless. You have to allow the water topass through and then let it use its energy against itself to steal sand from the water." With that thought in mind last January, Fletcher Tile hired a team of professional engineers to come up with the schematics. The result was a portable prism -shaped wave energy thus reducing beach erosion and, where sand is available, result in beach establishment. "Higher water level is a portion of the pro- blem, but not the entire problem," said Mr. Cook, adding that stormy water conditions are responsible for a• large amount of lakefront erosion. NEED ROUGH WATER "You need rough -•water to carry the sand but you don't want it carried away from the beach. Our units make use of storms, which would normally be destroying . everything, so when the storms are over, you r the pro- perty owner 1, have the Keach instead of the cies, he added. FALSE ALARMS . One area doctor present at the meeting expressed concern over reporting false alarms and the resulting effect on a fami- ly. He said he has reported only two cases' of suspected abuse in the course *of his Work and in both cases the suspicions prov- ed to be wrong. "It's hard to face the parents. It's like I called the cops on them," he said. Zapharis replied that reports to agencies can remain anonymous, at least until charges are laid. He also said that 90 per cent of abuse cases are not a result of "wilful acts". "Usually, the'•parent does not have 'a malicious intent to eliminate the child," he said. He also took issue with the popular con- ception that most abusers, were themselves abused as children. "In most instances, abusive beharor is caused by the daily stresses of .life, " he said. Also, many parents have never received training in the role of parenting, "which is the most difficult role there is to. learn". What' Zapharis called "unwanted children," - resulting from :unexpected pregnancies - -arso often end up being abused, he said. Some abusers are•suffer from "mental illness, while some,, he admitted, were themselves .victims..of abuse as children. However, he stressed, there. are a variety of factors which may cause a parent to become abusive. . SENSITIVE MECFIAN ISM If we going' to. find the problem, we 'have to have a very sensitive mechanism of .detection," which starts with physi- o clans, nurses and other professionals, said Zapharis. • "Members of the medical discipline can- not carry' any sexual inhibitions, or they won't identify (abuse.. cases ), won't report and won't get.through to either the victim or the perpetrator:" He advised professionals to "talk the language of the client," in order td make them" feel they can communicate with the professional." , Even though Zapharis was pleased with what he had seen 'of the abuse response services 'in this area, he warned the conh- rriunity, to remain vigilant. "Don't relax!. Maybe You can do even more". each erosion Each module measures four feet high, four feet wide and' six feet four inches deep and weighs 6,300 pounds: Each has oppositely in- clined front and rear walls which face lakeward and landward respectively: Flow control passages extend through the module which assist in dissipating wave energy and minimizing wave impact tending to move the unit. Contrary to rock or steel barricades. this .,Breakwater• unit does not attempt to.stop the water dead in its tracks. Instead, the flow control passages, allow` it to absorb some of the wave's energy and at the same Ulric let Some of the water pass through. By taking lake having it." the energy out of the wave the unit trllows it Named the Lenson Mobile Breakwater to deposit sand. after the engineering firm that designed it; That sand creates shallower water on the the unit comprises a series of prism -shaped lakeward side of the unit.. That in turn modules placed in side-by-side relation in causes future waves to- be slowed down the surf area where ave .nor_ yail, that the wave continues to break sooner and the sand is deposited further away from shore. The units are subsequenly moved fur- ther and further out from shore until the desired beach size is achieved. .SAFER FOR SWIMMERS And, according to Mr. Cook there are no ill effects. The units not only .create shallow water and more beach, but they reduce the undertow, making the area safer for swim- mers, especially children. They also permit a downdraft so that beach nourishment is not being stolen from neighborine properties "Kids love them," said Mr. Cook. "They crawl all over them just like they were a ladder, and they're as safe of a pro- duct of any. that I know of on the market. It is a uniform shape and 'product, and you're going to know where it is at all times." • Turn to No grant given for local IPM Goderich Town Council, in .keeping with a new policy of giving grants only to "local," non-profit organizations, has turned down a 'request for a. $100 grant toward the 1986 International Plowing Match. The Huron Plowmen's A',-'v'iation,i sponsors of this year's event tu u. !geld on the farm of Huron -Middlesex MPP Jack Riddell, Provincial Minister of Agriculture, requested the grant in a letter dealt with by council at their May 8 meeting. Councillor Jim Searls' motion to receive and file ( take no action on) the request was passed by a 4-2 margin,, with Depute). Reeve John Doherty, and . Councillors Searls, Glen Carey and Bill Clifford sup- portingit. Reeve Harry Worsell and Coun- cillor Peter McCauley voted against the motion in favor of giving the grant). "We supported this the plowing match with.$100 last year and as it's in our par- ticular area this year, I think we should support it," said McCauley. "We've cut off other well -organized peo- ple," said Sears, adding that he felt coun- cil should stick to the policy of giving grants only to local groups, made .earlier this year. Ministry won't promise funds Ed Fulton, Minister of Transportation and ,Communication, stopped short of pro- mising additional funds for roads in this are, but said he will continue to "press for funding," in a letter received by Goderich Town Council, Monday night. The minister's letter was in response tu a motion bys council to petition the ministry for more road funding, as the town has. been falling, behind in local road upkeep due to lack of funds. "As you have pointed out," said the let- ter, "ministry funding to 'municipalities for road construction and maintenance has not kept pace 'with the level of inflation over the past number of years. The reces- sion period, cutbacks in Federal transfer payments and the demands of other pro- vincial programs have seriously affected • the funds available to this' ministry. Over the past few 'years, the first priority for road grants has been to meet the needs of - maintaining the existing system at the ex- pense of construction." While Fulton said he, could not assure council of a substantial increase in, the ministry's budget, the recent . Throne speech indicated additional funds would be made available for roads • . "However, I am.aware of the need for in- creased' allocation and,y'oti can be assured that I will continue to, press for additional funds." Fly -in re fast' Sunday, June .21 The local Experimental Aircr,aft Association, in ' co-operation with the Goderich 'Rotary Club, will be hosting a Fly -in Breakfast ' at the Goderich Municipal Airport Sunday, June 21. Experimental aircraft' from Southwestern Ontario will fly in for the event and four P-51 Mustang Warbirds will be at the airport. There will be various static •displays, demonstrations. ' by the model aircraft club and most facilities ( BAS, Western Air and the municipal ter- minal) will be open to the public. • The public isinvited to attend the Fly -in - Open House and tickets for the Rotary Club's breakfast, which will be serVed from 8 a.m. to noon, are available at the site. INSIDE Ti H— SdGNAL-STAR. Minstry appeals Moody acquittal in local court . Former Goderich commercial fiahor- man Ron Moody, who was acquitted 'on nine counts of exceeding Lake Huron Fish quotas last May, was back in court Mon- day, May 8, to fa.ce'a'Ministry of Environ- ment appeal of the acquittal. Lawyers for Moody and the ministry presented their cases and Judge J. I. McKaY reserved decision on the case. It is not yet known when McKay will announce ' his decision. Moody, who at the time was owner - operator of Captain Fat's commercial fishing, processing and restaurant, was charged in September, 1985, with nine counts of overfishing in October, November and December of 1984. In October of 1984, Justice Smith ruled fishing quotas invalid, but a Supreme Court appeal later upheld the legality of the quotas. Moody's defence lawyer Frank Montello argued that Moody had been told by a ministry official, that the,quotas were off, and he could go ahead and fish. In May, 1986,..Judge Cy Perkins acquit- ted Moody on all nine counts, resulting in the Ministry appeal which was heard Mon- day, at the Huron County Court House, Goderich. Since the incident, Moody has sold his commercial fishing licence. His daughter Karen Koestler now owns and operates the Captain Fat's procesing operation and restaurant. Community Living -Central Huron honoured some of its outstan- received a life membership and a work of stained glass for her ef- ding members. Bonnie Graham (left to right) received a forts and Jean Papernick was honoured for her fund raising honourary life membership for her contributions, Evelyn Carroll work. photo by Ted Spooner) Soccer tourney The Goderich Oldtimers' held their an nual Soccer Tournament on Saturday. Kincardine won the tourney while Goderich lost both games. For details, see the Sports section. Museum project The Huron County Pioneer Museum is undergoing Phase 1 of a construction - renovation project, which will lead to a larger facility by March 1988. For story and picture, see the front page of the Community section.