Introduction A Child Called “It” by author David Pelzer is an incredibly emotional and vivid story of the experiences of a young boy. About his own life, Pelzer describes how he endured unthinkable abuse at the hand of his own mother. He provides detailed accounts of the abuse and neglect as well as the emotions and pain he endured, his struggle to cope and survive, and how he eventually was freed from her and the hell he was living. A Child Called “It” is a disturbingly real example of how children are victimized through various forms of maltreatment.
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Child maltreatment is not a new problem it has been occurring probably since the beginning of time. It wasn’t until the last few decades that child victimization has been recognized. Even then, child abuse and neglect in the home was overlooked and victimization by strangers was the focus. Thankfully, that has begun to change due to initiatives to increase awareness and reporting as well as to efforts better asses and understand child victims. Pelzer was the victim of abuse in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. He was finally removed from his home in 1973. Even though Child Welfare Services existed at that time, their services were limited and most abuse in the home was not addressed. It wasn’t until 1974 that the U.S Congress enacted the Child Abuse and Prevention and Treatment Act which required each state to establish policies and procedures for reporting and investigating child abuse and neglect (Burgess, Regehr, & Roberts, 2013 p. 197).
Physical abuse against children was just beginning to be recognized as a form of maltreatment in the 1960’s when Pelzer was a child. This fell under the category of child maltreatment which is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential