http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_3e66af4601016udh.html

Protecting the weakest
保護最弱勢群體
The recession may hurt America’s vulnerable children
經濟危機可能會危害美國弱小的兒童

OVER the past few years,?a growing number of?America’s parentless children have found homes. In 2008 there were 463,000 children in foster care, a system where the government places orphans and children with parents who are?abusive?or unable to take care of them in the care of?guardians. That is 11% down since 2002, and great news. But experts worry the?trend?might now go into?reverse.

過去幾年里，美國越來越多的沒有父母的兒童找到了家。政府通過寄養體系為孤兒以及受父母虐待或沒有得到應有照顧的兒童提供監護人，2008年，46萬3千名兒童得到妥善安置。該數字比2002年減少了11%，這是個好消息。但是專家們擔心這一趨勢如今可能會逆轉。

Some welfare?advocates?fear?that the bad economy may cause parents with frayed nerves to abuse andneglect?their children, and even cause some to abandon them. Already, several hospitals across the country have reported an increase in the frequency and?severity?of?injuries?from child abuse.?

一些福利倡導者擔心，經濟疲軟可能引起精神崩潰的父母忽視、虐待，甚至拋棄他們的孩子。美國幾家醫院已經報告，受虐兒童入院越來越頻繁，傷勢也有所加重。

The most recent national data on?child welfare?available dates from September 2008, before the?recession?was in full throttle; data from 2009 won’t be reported until later this year. But there is some question about whether the data, when reported, will even be?accurate. Many states and counties, in an attempt to cope with their?fiscal straits, are considering cutting down on child-welfare services, such as?benefits?for foster parents and the number of social workers they employ. The average workload of caseworkers had already increased by 7% between 2006 and 2007, says Mary Hansen, of American University in Washington, DC. With more?budgetcuts, there will be fewer caseworkers to take notice of abuse and neglect, she says, and it will be more difficult to find someone to report problems to, potentially skewing the collection data.?

關于美國兒童福利的最新數據截止到2008年9月，那時經濟危機還未全面上演；2009年的數據今年晚些時候才會公布。但即將公布的數據的準確性遭到質疑。許多州縣正考慮削減在兒童福利服務上的開支，比如減少給養父母津貼、削減雇傭社工的人數，以便應對財政困難。華盛頓區美國大學的瑪麗?漢森稱，2006年至2007間，社會工作者的平均工作量就已增加了7%。她說，預算進一步減少，關注受忽視和受虐兒童的社會工作者也會減少，更難找到人負責受理問題，這可能會影響收集的數據的準確性。

In the meantime, more parents are trying to keep their families?intact. New York Foundling, an agency in New York, runs a crisis centre, where parents can leave their children for up to three weeks. Requests for beds increased 20% in the last year. Safe Families, a non-profit outfit that places children in temporary homes with volunteer families until jobless parents can get back on their feet, saw the number of children it serviced triple in 2009, and it expects that number to double again in 2010.

與此同時，越來越多的父母努力使他們的家庭保持完好無缺。紐約一家名為紐約棄兒的機構，旗下經營一個危機中心，可以允許父母把孩子寄留在那，限時不超過三周。去年，對床位需求量增長了20%。一家名為安全家庭的非營利機構把孩子們暫時安置在志愿家庭中，直到他們失業的父母振作起來。得到該機構服務的兒童數量在2009年增長至三倍，并且它估計2010年會再增加一倍。

Most people are asking for help from Safe Families, says the organisation’s founder, David Anderson, because they don’t want to risk losing?custody, as they would if they put their kids into?foster?care. Thankfully, therecession?has actually?spurred?more volunteers to come forward, says Mr Anderson.?

安全家庭的創始人大衛?安德森稱，大部分父母來此尋求幫助是因為他們不想冒著失去監護權的風險把孩子送到寄養機構那里。他說，謝天謝地，經濟危機實際上促使了更多的志愿者自告奮勇。

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