Violence Against Girls

L. Susan Williams

The world watched as Natalee HoUoway's story unfolded. The blonde, ail-American teenager was abducted while on a 2005 graduation trip in Aruba; she was never found. Recently, another American girl, Phylicia Moore, was found dead on a school trip, this time in Ghana. Moore was Black, and the world hardly noticed. These two cases illustrate what media refer to as “missing White woman syndrome.” This entry addresses the intersection of gender and race as it relates to violence against girls. Several subtopics are covered, including maltreatment of girls, dating/sexual and gang violence, global sex trafficking, and race-based crime policies and practices. A 2003 report from the Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a snapshot of child maltreatment and victimization. Though most abuse goes unreported, conservative figures indicate that nearly 1 million children are victims of abuse or neglect annually. More than half of child victims are ...

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