Collection:LPB

Genre: Newsmagazine

Place Covered: Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1983-05-01

Duration: 00:26:41

Subjects: Child Abuse | Family violence

Contributors:

• Hinton, Rob Host
• Stewart, Genevieve Host
• Dodge, Laura Interviewee
• Bennett, Lauren Interviewee
• Lacaze, Linda Interviewee
• Ducote, Sharon Interviewee
• Hebert, Larry Interviewee

This episode of the series “Folks” from May 1, 1983, focuses on child abuse in Louisiana. Rob Hinton first interviews Laura Dodge of the Child Protection Center in East Baton Rouge Parish, who discusses their case load, their work in substantiating child abuse cases, and their concern for the family as a unit. Genevieve Stewart then interviews Lauren Bennett and Linda Lacaze, two mothers who sought help through Parents’ Anonymous for their emotional and verbal abuse of their children. She also visits an emergency shelter for abused children. Hinton and Stewart then conduct an in-studio interview with Sharon Ducote of Parents’ Anonymous and Dr. Larry Hebert, a pediatrician who helped create the first child abuse legislation in Louisiana in 1972. They discuss: the increasing number of child abuse cases in Louisiana; how parents become child abusers; the difficulty in substantiating cases; breaking the cycle of child abuse; the need for more preventative programs; and the signs of child abuse.