Thread: Juárez says crime sites are not for children

Juárez says crime sites are not for children
By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 07/11/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
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The Juárez police department is asking residents to stop taking children to view the murder scenes that have become a daily occurrence in the troubled city.

The public request was issued earlier this week amid continuing violence that has claimed more than 580 lives this year, fueled by a war among drug traffickers.

Parents, babies, children and even the family dog are regular visitors to crime scenes on Juárez streets. Children have even been spotted recording scenes with video cameras or taking photographs with cell phones.

"The children who view these bloody events will suffer traumas that will affect them now and in the future," said Aidé Arellanes of the social work and prevention division of the Juárez public safety department.

"If it affects us daily as adults, it will especially affect a minor," Arellanes said in a statement aimed at parents.

Police also said that residents hanging out at crime scenes could potentially be in danger if a situation arose.

Some Juárez parents have said they had instructed their children to drop to the ground for cover if they hear gunfire. The Associated Press reported that nearly 50 juveniles have been killed in Juárez this year.

Children, especially those ages 4 to 10, exposed to violence can become emotionally traumatized, said Stephen Johnson, associate professor of

counseling in the educational psychology department at the University of Texas at El Paso.
"Particularly if there is blood or a body is still there, those memories can be intrusive. Those scenes will come back into their mind," Johnson said.

Traumatized children can experience nightmares, startled reactions to noise and fear of paces reminding them of the experience, and they can become excessively clingy with caretakers, Johnson said.

"You have to understand that children have a somewhat limited level of experience," Johnson said. "They see something where violence is taking place or has taken place ... They have difficulty understanding what it is."

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com;546-6102.


http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_9845661

Well DUGH.....of course it's going to affect them. Time for the adults to do something about it, because running here isn't going to fix it......they just follow you in and you drag your ugly elements with you to affect our citizens and children. (As you whine about racism and claim they're ALL good people when we want them deported.)