The Center for Childhood Safety and Wellbeing Menu

1. Systemic Violence Perpetuates Interpersonal Violence:
   • Economic Justice is a Basic Human Right: Economic instability can place immense pressure on families, contributing to elevated stress levels and limited resources for safe coping strategies. Oregon’s housing crisis and challenges with affordable childcare and healthcare access affect many families, with 14% of children in Oregon living below the poverty line as of 2022 (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2022). Recognizing these stressors CSAW collaborates with local and national organizations to foster access to resources and support systems that reduce family strain, helping parents and caregivers meet their children’s needs.
   • Anti-Racist Systems and Equity-Affirming Cultural Norms is a Basic Human Right: Historically excluded communities in Oregon, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, face ongoing impacts from systemic inequities that affect access to education, housing, and healthcare. The current child welfare system disproportionately separates families with Black, Native and biracial children as compared to children of other races^[2],  a pattern linked to wider social and economic inequalities. By addressing these underlying issues, CSAW seeks to create a community where all children have the opportunity to feel valued, safe, and connected.
   • We Embrace a Social Model of Disability and Recognize the Harmful Impacts of Ableism, and We Promote Universal Access as a Basic Human Right: We recognize there is a current absence of resources for disabled and neurodivergent children as well as their caregivers. Evidence shows that disability and neurodivergence can be vulnerability factors for children and increase the likelihood of interpersonal harm, including through bullying^[3] and sexual violence^[4]. Disabled and Neurodivergent children are also at increased risk for depression and suicide attempts^[5].  Recognizing these factors, we commit to supporting the wellbeing of every child and creating a disability justice informed culture at CSAW.
2. Bodily Autonomy and Trans Rights:
   • Children and Families’ Access to Gender Affirming Care is a Basic Human Right: Protecting children’s right to bodily autonomy, including their right to gender identity, is essential to their sense of self and wellbeing. When surveying middle school and high school students across the state, 43% of gender expansive students and 33% of students with marginalized sexual orientations reported considering suicide in 2020 (ODE, 2023)^[6]. CSAW includes safety in one’s gender identity as part of childhood wellness and considers this factor in the way that research is conducted.
   • Children and Families’ Access to Reproductive Healthcare is a Basic Human Right: Restrictions on reproductive healthcare are directly linked to the wellbeing of families. Children born from unwanted pregnancies (when abortions were not accessible) experienced worse maternal bonding and economic insecurity and increased risk of being raised in a home with domestic violence (Foster et al., 2018, Roberts et al., 2014).^[7] CSAW partners with organizations that support the right to choose, safe and accurate sexual health and reproductive education and recognizing the intersectionality of bodily autonomy and overall family safety and wellbeing.
   • Families’ Access to Perinatal and Maternal Healthcare is a Basic Human Right: Perinatal and maternal health is essential to the wellbeing of children and families. In Oregon, Black women face more challenges in getting high-quality care; they experience significantly higher rates of pregnancy-related complications and maternal mortality compared to their white counterparts, often due to implicit and explicit bias, limited access to culturally competent care, and structural inequities in healthcare systems. Making sure every birthing parent has the care they need helps families and creates better futures for kids. CSAW partners with organizations and agencies dedicated to perinatal and maternal healthcare, specifically for traditionally excluded groups, recognizing that childhood wellbeing extends to the wellbeing of parents and guardians (Oregon Health Authority).
3. Erasure of Cultures and People Exacerbates Child Maltreatment Around the World:
   • Children and Families’ Access to Generational Healing and Cultural Reclamation is a Basic Human Right: Indigenous communities in Oregon have experienced lasting effects from current and historical injustices, including but not limited to forced relocation, land loss, and the boarding school system, impacting cultural identity and family trauma. In 2020, about one in nine (11.4%) American Indian and Alaska Native adults had an unmet need for mental health services, which is more than any other racial/ethnic group, except people of 2 or more races (Psychiatry.org, 2021). This historical trauma and the unmet mental health needs of adults greatly impact family dynamics. Embracing and restoring cultural identity and receiving culturally relevant support can be a vital step toward healing. CSAW leans into the lived experience of Indigenous communities when building programming and research that impacts Native and Indigenous children in Oregon. Please see these ‘Changing the Narrative’ reports produced by The First Nations Development Institute.
   • Freedom from War and from Colonization – the Right to Exist – is a Basic Human Right: Caregivers who suffer from stress or have a mental health disorder related to their exposure to armed conflict have higher rates of child-reported and caregiver-reported child abuse (PMC 2019). CSAW opposes any mass murder or erasure of peoples through armed conflict or colonization with recognition of the psychological and physical trauma that is sustained.
4. Exposure to Violence, Whether Direct or Indirect, is Traumatic and Harmful:
   • Children and Families’ Access to Safety from Community and Media Exposure to Violence is a Basic Human Right: Ongoing community and global violence, school lockdowns, mass shootings, natural disasters and the prevalence of distressing news stories impact youth and overall family mental health. Ongoing stress from large-scale violence results in higher levels of anxiety and depression and can impact executive functioning such as learning and memory (American Psychological Association, 2022). CSAW works to build environments where young people feel safe, focusing on creating spaces that counterbalance these challenges.
   • Zero Exposure to Seeing or Hearing IPV is a Basic Human Right: Children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) in the home experience harm in their sense of safety. During a 2019 Oregon Child Abuse Prevalence Study Pilot, 31% of Oregon students reported hearing or seeing intimate partner violence.^[8] Developmental trauma including exposure to interpersonal violence can cause a whole host of future harms and has been associated with chronic illness and complex PTSD in adulthood^[9]. CSAW fosters safer spaces for families and supports systems to reduce the harm experienced by children and caregivers alike.
   • Safety Within One’s Own Identities is a Basic Human Right: Hate crimes and discrimination continue to be significant issues in Oregon. Individuals 17 and younger experienced a steep increase in bias crimes and bias incidents between 2021 and 2023 (Oregon DOJ Bias Response Hotline 2023). Surviving the impacts of oppression has been correlated with a host of future physical and psychological harms^[10]. CSAW recognizes the long-term psychological impacts of hate crimes on children and families and prioritizes inclusivity, safety, and equity.
5. Global Violence Impacts Oregon Youth and Families:
   • Safe Migration and Assimilation is a Basic Human Right: Oregon is expected to receive around 1,000 refugees in 2025 through the United States Refugee Resettlement Program, likely receiving families from more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, and Ukraine (Refugee Care Collective, 2023). Refugees often face compounded stressors such as language barriers, financial strain, and trauma from experiences in their home countries. CSAW supports efforts that respect the unique strengths and experiences of those who are seeking asylum in Oregon.
6. Human Trafficking in Oregon from Around the World:
   • No Threat of Trafficking and Exploitation is a Basic Human Right: The I-5 corridor is a major route for human trafficking, and the National Human Trafficking Hotline reported 248 cases in Oregon in 2023. This number reflects only a fraction of the impact trafficking has on Oregon communities (National Human Trafficking Hotline, 2023). Recognizing the unique needs of individuals affected, CSAW focuses on providing pathways to safety and community, emphasizing respect and care as people heal from their experiences.
7. Environmental Impacts on Families:
   • Environmental Safety is a Basic Human Right: Natural disasters have a significant impact on psychological and emotional wellbeing, potentially destroying homes, communities and safe spaces, and limiting access to basic needs and resources that children and families rely on. Furthermore, a study conducted by the University of Oregon found that climate change has a significant impact on young people’s sense of mental and emotional wellbeing with 59% of 10,000 youth surveyed reported feeling very or extremely worried about climate change (University Of Oregon Suicide Prevention Lab, 2022). CSAW recognizes the impact of climate change on the wellbeing of children and families and will continue to support families in connecting with available resources when disasters occur.
   • Clean Resources are a Basic Human Right: Poor air quality and exposure to harmful chemicals harm Oregon’s children, increasing rates of illness and mental health disorders. Long-term exposure can also affect growth and learning. Chemicals like PFAS, found in water and soil, add to these risks, impacting health and development (NIH, 2017). Addressing pollution and limiting toxic emissions is essential to protect young people. CSAW supports legislation and organizations that prioritize healthy child development and health. For more information about legislative priorities, please see Our Children Oregon.

In acknowledging these factors, we recognize the intersectionality of violence that exists and the impact it has both on child development and on parents’ and caregivers’ ability to have what they need to raise healthy kids and youth. Eradicating child maltreatment depends on ensuring each of these basic rights. We use these assumptions as a platform to inform our partnerships, the lens of our research, and the way that we promote work in the community. We are unwavering in our stance to prevent violence and promote healing, belongingness, and child and youth wellbeing.

^[1]  Concept attributed to Bishop Desmond Tutu, a South African anti-apartheid and human rights activist, IK Zola, J. McKinlay, S. Alinksy, and others.

^[2] CHILDREN’S BUREAU An Office of the Administration for Children & Families, & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau, An Office of the Administration for Children & Families (2018). Retrieved May 24, 2023, from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/afcarsreport25.pdf. 

^[3] Students with Disabilities and Bullying. PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. Retrieved 12/24/24. https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/students-with-disabilities/. 

^[4] Sexual Violence and the Disability Community. Retrieved 12/24/24. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/sexual-violence-disability-community/

^[5] National Institute of Health Study. Suicide Attempts Among Adolescents with Self-Reported Disabilities. Retrieved 12/24/24.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29030735/

^[6] Data extracted from the 2020 Oregon Student Health Survey

^[7] CSAW’s Reproductive Choice Statement can be found HERE. 

^[8] Center for the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect, Todahl, J., Dr., Barkhurst, P., MEd, & Schnabler, S., M. S. (2019). The Oregon Child Abuse Prevalence Study (OCAPS): High School Pilot Study Summary Report. In cpan.uoregon.edu. Retrieved May 18, 2023, from https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/7/17482/files/2020/06/About-OCAPS-Pilot-Data-2.19.pdf

^[9] Childhood Trauma and Chronic Illness in Adulthood: Mental Health and Socioeconomic Status as Explanatory Factors and Buffers. National Institute of Health. Retrieved 12/24/2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3153850/#:~:text=Two%20potential%20pathways%20that%20link,et%20al.%2C%202009).

^[10] What are the Effects of Racism on Health and Mental Health? Medical News Today. Retrieved 12/24/2024. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/effects-of-racism