April has been designated National Child Abuse Prevention month to remind us that our children, our most important resource, face danger from within their home.
Various surveys conclude that about 20 percent of Americans responding said they had been abused or neglected as children.
How does someone know when abuse and neglect is occurring? Abuse could include any physical, sexual, mental or emotional harm that someone inflicts on a child without protection. Neglect includes failure to provide a child with adequate care, food, clothing, shelter or medical treatment, or placing a child in a potentially dangerous situation.
“Child abuse affects all strata of society,” said Dr. James L. Lukefahr, formerly of the department of pediatrics at UTMB at Galveston, TX. “No ethnic group is more likely than any other to abuse its children.
“We often instruct our children to beware of strangers, but most abused children are victimized by someone known to them — usually a family or household member.”
State law requires all adults to report suspected child abuse to the authorities. Reports are confidential, and people who report can remain anonymous if they wish. The law protects those who do report from a lawsuit.
Even if there were no law, though, according to Lukefahr, we all have a moral responsibility to report cases of abuse and neglect. Children are powerless to protect themselves.
Many are injured before they are old enough to speak. Their welfare depends upon our willingness to support them by notifying the authorities of a situation that could be dangerous to a child.
What can parents, teachers and all concerned citizens do to help?
- First and foremost, report child abuse to Childhelp® USA National Child Abuse Hotline1-800-4-A-CHILD® (1-800-422-4453)
- Take a look at this PDF file that you can read, print, and even give to someone who you think could benefit as we try to prevent abuse from happening.