Child Abuse Awareness Month APR2012

[Whisper]

Research links sexual, physical and emotional abuse, school bullying and parental neglect to schizophrenia in adulthood

Children who experience severe forms of abuse are around three times as likely to develop schizophrenia and related psychoses in later life compared with children who do not experience such abuse, according to a study that has brought together psychiatric data from almost 80,000 people.
The results add to a growing body of evidence that childhood maltreatment or abuse can raise the risk of developing mental illnesses in adulthood, including depression, personality disorders and anxiety.

Prof Richard Bentall of the University of Liverpool's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, who led the study, showed that the risk of developing psychosis increased in line with the amount of abuse or trauma a child had gone through, with the most severely affected children having a 50-fold increased risk compared with children who had suffered no abuse. He also showed that the type of trauma experienced in childhood affected the subsequent psychiatric symptoms later in life.

Schizophrenia occurs in around 1-3% of the population and is defined by psychiatrists as one of the most severe types of mental illness. It is characterised by hearing voices, bizarre beliefs and loss of motivation.

Bentall's team analysed 36 published studies that contained data on childhood maltreatment (including sexual, physical and emotional abuse, death of a parent, school bullying and neglect) and psychiatric symptoms in almost 80,000 people, collected over the course of 30 years. People who experienced these types of trauma in childhood were between 2.7 and 3 times as likely to develop schizophrenia as adults, the team found. The research is published in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.

In cases where someone had suffered sustained abuse or several types, their risk of developing schizophrenia in later life was increased further. "People who had severe and multiple traumas in their lives, in some of their studies they'd go up to an odds ratio of 50 times greater risk of psychosis [in later life]," said Bentall. "There is nothing in genetics which looks as strong as this in terms of effects and it's consistent across the different studies, so it's a highly robust effect."

The latest results add to recent evidence that childhood abuse can lead to serious problems in later life. In 2011, scientists at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King's College London found that people with a history of abuse or maltreatment during childhood were more than twice as likely to have recurrent episodes of depression in adulthood and also 43% more likely to experience a poor outcome when it came to psychological or drug-based treatment. They examined data from 16 epidemiological studies involving more than 23,000 people in total and 10 clinical trials involving more than 3,000 people
The mechanisms behind the link between childhood maltreatment and schizophrenia are not yet understood. Earlier this year, psychiatrists at Harvard University found that being sexually or emotionally abused as a child correlated with reduced volumes of three important areas of the hippocampus, which is involved in the control of memory and regulation of emotions. Volumes were reduced by up to 6.5%.

"It's entirely possible that these changes in the brain that we see in patients are the results of their life experiences," said Bentall. "But we don't know if that's the case."
Louise Arseneault, a senior lecturer at the IoP, said it was encouraging to know that so many different studies were coming up with similar conclusions on the relationship between childhood adversity and psychotic symptoms. "We already know that trauma and harmful experiences in childhood bring their share of difficulties, whether it is mental health or physical health problems. But it is striking that these adversities extend to mental health as disabling as psychosis, which has been thought to be highly influenced by genetic factors."
[...]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...-schizophrenia

[sugarfree irony]

Research links sexual, physical and emotional abuse, school bullying and parental neglect to schizophrenia in adulthood
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...-schizophrenia

I often wondered if maybe teachers can clue into which children are being abused , by looking at which children are being bullied . Not saying that ALL bullied children are being abused at home , but bullies often pick on children who have low self esteem and trouble standing up for themselves . Abused children often have low self esteem and difficulty standing up for themselves .

[Silvahalo]

Neuroscientists Have Linked Childhood Maltreatment to Long-Term Changes in Health,
Brain Structure and Function

SEATTLE, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
Results from the Washington State Family Policy Council on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE Study Published 2010) provided research on how lowering traumatic stress on children improves their overall health. For over 25 years, NW Children's Fund has been a leading voice in child welfare by aligning resources, organizations and passionate individuals committed to ending child abuse and neglect.Improving children's formative years decreases the following health consequences:

Stress
Alcohol abuse
Smoking
Cancer
STD's
Liver Disease
Depressive disorders
Unintended pregnancies
Lung cancer
Premature mortality

It takes more than self-determination to break away and carve a path to a healthier, safer future. It takes consistent positive guidance and support from the community. "If you are given a second chance, always try your best," said Larry, a victim of an abusive alcoholic father who was repeating the cycle until he sought counseling and guidance. He is beginning to accomplish his goals.
Ray's parents' abandonment and addictions led him to becoming addicted to meth, serving jail time, and living on the streets. Ray, a father of three, credits the support of community programs that helped him turn his life around and says, "Every day I strive to be a better person."

[...]

[sugarfree irony]

http://www.timescall.com/news/longmo...ry-being-lured

Child sex assault survivor tells story of being lured into relationship

Children who feel unloved and get little attention, those expected to obey authority without exception, and kids who lack confidence and self-esteem are more at-risk, Berkower said.

"Part of the arousal for some offenders is the planning, the getting the child to love, trust and depend on them," she said.

That's easier to do with needy children, although every child is a potential target, Berkower continued.

Also, kids who know little to nothing about body part terminology or body parts off limits to others are more vulnerable, she said.

A child's use of slang tips off the potential abuser that he -- about 95 percent of child sexual abusers are boys or men, according the U.S. Department of Justice -- can shape what the child understands about sex. Slang also makes it more difficult to express abuse.

"A child can say, 'He ate my cookie last night,'" and a distracted adult may not pickup on what that really means," Berkower said.

To keep kids safe, she tells adults to teach children to use correct body part terminology and to practice saying, "I'm the boss of my body!"

That means not forcing children to hug or kiss anyone -- including grandma.

Letting kids make those choices to forgo physical contact with family members in safe environments can protect them in unfamiliar settings with a potential offender, Berkower said.

"Sexual abusers love polite children," she added.

I think it is really important that children are allowed to own their bodies . Making a kid hug a relative bye seems like no big deal , but it sends a message that withhold physical contact is wrong even if the child is uncomfortable with the contact .

[Silvahalo]

"The mother of an emaciated toddler found dead in her Brooklyn, New York, home has been charged with homicide, according to the district attorney.


Marchella Pierce, 4, weighed just 15 pounds and had marks on her hands and ankles when police found her unconscious in her family's apartment.


Her mother, Carlotta Brett-Pierce, 30, has been charged with her murder,according to a statement from Kings County district attorney Charles Hynes. She is suspected of binding her daughter to a bed and beating her, Hynes said. Marchella Pierce


Brett-Pierce then allegedly refused Marchella food and water, feeding her over-the-counter medicine, Hynes' statement said.
Marchella died in September with acute drug poisoning, blunt impact injuries, malnutrition and dehydration, the statement said."

----->Read more on the forums how everyone failed little Marchella Pierce.
http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/s...504#post615504

[Tundratot]

http://www.click2houston.com/news/Te...z/-/index.html

What to look for

Bickel said bruises that aren't your typical childhood cuts and scrapes are one thing to look for.

"If you see kids with bruises on the back, bruises on their ribs, torso, cheeks, ears. Places like that," said Bickel.

Other signs of possible physical abuse include:

Unexplained burns, bites, broken bones, or black eyes.
Frightened of the parents and protests when it's time to go home.
Shrinks at the approach of adults.

The parent or caregiver might:

Offer conflicting, unconvincing, or no explanation for the child's injury.
Describe the child as "evil" or in another negative way.
Have a history of abuse as a child.

[Tundratot]

A Silence of Mockingbirds: The Memoir of a Murder recounts the 2005 murder of Karly Sheehan. . . .

But, what also stunned Zacharias is that she found out Karly had been abused repeatedly by Shawn Fields in the eight months before her death, but the system that is supposed to protect children failed Karly.

Karly's day care provider reported concerns about abuse to the proper authorities. Even her father, David Sheehan, provided pictures to the Department of Child Protective Services in December 2004 when Karly showed up at his home for a visit almost bald with bruises on her head.

Zacharias said CPS workers determined Karly pulled out her own hair and may have been suffering from a nervous disorder. Six months later, Karly was dead. . . .

"Over five children a day are dying in this nation at the hands of child abuse, and 80 percent are like Karly, ages 3 and under," she said.

She also found that 80 percent of all child abuse is done by the biological parent, with the majority caused by the mother acting alone.

But in Karly's case, her father, David Sheehan, doted on his daughter. He was her primary caretaker, paid for child care and even started a college fund for her.

Her mother, Sarah Sheehan, never was charged in Karly's death, even though she didn't take Karly to the hospital the day she died after seeing her eye was swollen shut, Zacharias said.

The district attorney early on decided Karly's mom had suffered enough by the loss of her child, Zacharias said, but "I don't think the DA or court ever takes that position when dealing with a father."

In fact, David Sheehan became the prime suspect in Karly's death, even though he hadn't seen her in a week and had reported his concerns about his daughter being abused when she was with his ex-wife, she said.

Fields was convicted of Karly's murder and is serving a 46-year prison sentence. In the book, Zacharias writes about how at sentencing the judge said the community needed to do some "deep soul-searching about how or if we might have responded sooner. Might there have been an intervention that could have saved this child's life? I don't know, but after hearing all the evidence, it seems there was a continuum of failure after the first hint that there was something terribly, terribly wrong."

After Karly's death, Oregon State lawmakers created Karly's Law, which requires that within 48 hours of a report of abuse, a child must be examined by a doctor specially trained in child abuse and have pictures taken.

Zacharias said she would like to see Karly's Law become a national law, and she hopes her book helps spur the discussion to make that happen. . . .

Information about child abuse and Karly's Law is included in the back of Zacharias' book and on her website, karenzach.com. There's also a link to "Meet Karly Sheehan" on her website for people who want to know more about Karly.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012...-on-child.html

A very good interview with the author and more details on the case:
http://www.urbanfaith.com/2012/04/wh...children.html/

[Tundratot]

The disturbing issues surrounding child abuse and what happens to those who report it is a particularly poignant topic given that April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and a trial for former Penn State Coach Jerry Sandusky on fifty-two counts of abuse is fast approaching.

. . .

Over the years, we've watched young men and women under oath crumble into tears when asked to specifically describe abuse foisted upon them. We've seen children as young as seven-years-old curl up in fetal positions as they're cross-examined after implicating relatives, loved ones or complete strangers. In some very rare cases, we've also seen young children recant their stories under harsh questioning.

The backdrop to all of this is that everyone -- alleged child abusers included -- has a Constitutional right to face their accusers along with the legal right to challenge every aspect of the charges against them. That usually starts and ends with efforts by defense lawyers to impugn the integrity of the witness, or from the point of view of child abuse experts, cause true victims to endure a second, state-sanctioned instance of abuse.

In Pennsylvania, ten young men have gone through the ordeal of telling investigators and a grand jury they were sexually abused by Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State defensive coordinator and founder of The Second Mile, a charity for troubled youth. Like most child abuse accusers, they are braced to become targets again, this time by Sandusky's defense team, during a trial that is slated to start in June.

"It's how the criminal justice system works, and unfortunately, it works against victims," said Jennifer Storm, executive director of the Victims/Witness Assistance Program in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. "It can feel like being intimidated and controlled all over again. But there's a fine line in front of a jury. Badgering a witness can backfire by alienating jurors."

Joseph Amendola, Sandusky's lawyer, started challenging the motives of the accusers in that matter just minutes after waiving a preliminary hearing last December.

. . .

Amendola has condemned the charges as vague, ambiguous and the product of collusion between the troubled Second Mile youths and lawyers seeking big financial judgments. He has secured records of text messages, telephone calls and other data he claims will produce the true story of what the accusers and their lawyers did behind the scene. Then he plans to make every one of the accusers answer specific questions about times and dates and places that ultimately will clear his client.

The tactic is familiar to those who have established a support network for those who have come forward with stories of abuse.

In 2010, the latest year in which statistics are available, there were 695,000 cases of child abuse reported in the United States, with 1,560 of them ending in death, according to sponsors of the nationwide child abuse awareness campaign. Experts say those numbers are conservative because many young victims of abuse are loathe to report it. They fear no one will believe them, especially if the abuser is a prominent individual, and the stigma attached to coming forward is often worse than being confronted by a defense attorney. It is not a crime that goes away. Those who were abused as children turn to alcohol or drugs to mask their nightmares, and they often have trouble finding healthy relationships as adults.

. . .

Before the gag order was imposed, lawyers for the accusers shot down Amendola's comments. Among them was Ben Andreozzi, who represents one of the young men alleging long-term abuse at the hands of Sandusky. Andreozzi said his client initially had no desire to become involved in the case and had kept a secret inside him for years. The young man was terrified about the prospects of telling his story in open court, but eventually, he found the inner resolve to come forward.

"This is the most difficult time of my life. I can't put into words how unbearable this has been on my life, both physically and mentally... (But) I will still stand my ground, testify and speak the truth," Andreozzi's client said in a written statement after the December preliminary hearing was waived.

As for collusion, Andreozzi said the only contact his client had with any of the others was to apologize for not having the courage to come forward sooner.

Lawyers representing another young man, whose mother first reported Sandusky in 1998 for showering naked with her son in the Penn State football locker room, knows what he faces, but remains steadfast in his desire to confront Sandusky in court.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-m...b_1429902.html

[Whisper]

Child Abuse Signs to Look for That May Not Be Obvious

Columbia, SC --
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month in South Carolina and nationwide, and a spate of recent cases highlights the need for it.

Nicole Renee Dicosola and her boyfriend, Joshua Michael Moton, are in the Spartanburg County Detention Center on child abuse charges after deputies say Moton hit or shook Dicosola's two-year-old son so violently that the child has brain damage. Doctors had to remove part of the child's skull to relieve the swelling in his brain.

In Anderson County, 37-year-old Renita Yvette Lee is in jail and charged with abuse that investigators say left her two-year-old step-granddaughter in a coma.

And in Kershaw County, 24-year-old Catharine Ammons and her live-in boyfriend, 27-year-old James Watson, are in jail charged with illegal neglect of a child. Deputies say her 4-year-old daughter has two broken legs, a broken arm and is bleeding internally from a lacerated liver.

Numbers from the state Department of Social Services show that the state has seen an increase in physical abuse cases. In the fiscal year 2008-09, there were 1,498 physical abuse cases confirmed by DSS. In 2009-10, there were 1,487. But in 2010-11, that number jumped to 1,702.

Carol Yarborough, executive director of the Dickerson Center for Children in West Columbia, says she has seen the increase. She thinks it's mainly because of parents being stressed by the economy. "We work with child abuse investigations and we also provide treatment for child abuse," she says.

While some signs of abuse may seem obvious, like a child with a history of broken bones or other injuries that don't seem consistent with typical childhood injuries, Yarborough says you won't typically see just one thing that's an indicator of abuse.

"It would be a cluster of things that seem wrong," she says. "The child seems to flinch whenever an adult would approach them or seems afraid or seems extra sad. If they're unkempt, if they have a lot of other things going on besides just a bruise or a scrape."

She says research shows that most children who are abused don't tell anyone. In some cases, they're too young to tell anyone. But in others, they either don't realize that what's happening to them is wrong, they've been told by their abusers not to tell and the children are afraid of the consequences if they do, or they don't think anyone will believe them.

If you do have suspicions, DSS says you should report them to your county DSS office or to local law enforcement.

Yarborough says, "It really is about just trusting those instincts. [...]

http://www2.wjbf.com/news/2012/apr/2...us-ar-3659590/

[Whisper]

Guns N’ Roses guitarist DJ Ashba tells emotional story of childhood abuse

Guns N’ Roses guitarist DJ Ashba is sharing his emotional story of childhood abuse for the first time. Ashba says he was physically and mentally abused by his father from a very young age.

“It has been hard for me as it’s something I have blocked out my whole life… I moved out when I was 16, and I never looked back,” Ashba told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column exclusively. “But if I can help just one person who is being bullied, then this is worth it. It is such an important topic, and it stays with you.”

Ashba is embracing a new role apart from his famous rock band as the new spokesperson for the anti-bullying website, BULLYVILLE.com. “I had to get involved,” he told us. “I don’t get involved in things unless I believe in them 100 percent.”

In a lengthy personal account to be posted on the website, Ashba details his earliest memories being “petrified” not only for his own safety, but for his mother’s too, as “every moment of every day” would depend on his dad’s mood.

“Instead of a hug and a kiss, my morning wakeup call consisted of my dad’s fist coming through my closet door, similar to Jack Nicholson in the ‘Shining.’ The craziest part about all of this is I spent my youth years constantly trying to gain his respect,” Ashba wrote. “I even went as far as to put him on a pedestal, making him out to be some kind of hero in my undeveloped mind, just to have him beat me down time after time.”

But the real hero, Ashba says, was his mother.

“Looking back now realizing how she risked her own safety for my wellbeing. She was the real war hero, fearlessly putting herself in the line of fire,” he continued. “The fear was so overwhelming that I would literally pee my pants.”

Ashba tells of the time he spent “hiding in the back of the closet, going into convulsions as if I were somehow dancing to the destructive sound,” and reflects on the time he was about three years old, and tumbled down the stairs, crying, into the room where dad sat in front of the fireplace.

“Stockings hung from the mantle and lights shone bright through the greenery,” he recalled. “My dad stood up from the couch and sternly commanded that men don’t cry. He said, ‘you want to be a little cry baby, I’ll give you something to cry about,’ as he beat me.”

Ashba said he has used his tumultuous past as motivation to be the best person he could be and, saying that despite everything, he has come to forgive his dad.

“I don’t hate him, I don’t wish anything bad on him – nobody gives you a handbook on how to be a father,” Ashba added. “I don’t know what to expect (from him) now that I have told my story, and I don’t really care. This time it is about me, not him.”

A source close to Ashba says he and his estranged father have recently started texting once in a while to work towards resolving their differences, and that the father has come to see him at performances.

Ashba’s father could not be reached for comment, but his current wife, reached on the phone, denied any knowledge of him having abused his son.

Ashba says that while he is working to mend family fences,“Anger sort of fuels the fire that keeps me going inside, and in a way, success today really comes from seeking approval that I never got when I was little. But no matter how big or successful you become, there is always a hole in your heart.

“I’m lucky that I am in a position where I have a voice, I can step up and bring awareness, and I wanted to share my story and be a spokesperson for Bullyville because it provides an online community and a place for people getting bullied to get help and understand they aren’t alone…
[...]

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment...#ixzz1t0RCT0a7

[Whisper]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - More than 100 tombstones were on display Wednesday to honor victims of child abuse and neglect.

The presentation is put up every year to mark child abuse prevention month. Operation Breakthrough serves more than 500 Kansas City children every day to ensure they have nutritious meals and a safe place to go. The goal is to raise awareness.

They say the key to stopping abuse and neglect is education.

“It’s said in our society, you have to get a license to have a dog,” said Jackson County Sheriff Mike Sharp. “You have to a license to fish, but you don’t have to have a license or any kind of training to be a parent.

“And I think we missed the boat there. I think we miss an opportunity to teach people to be good parents.”
[...]

http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/local_n...#ixzz1t7LN8kev

[sugarfree irony]

Awareness video from dreamcatcher for abused children
( graphic )

[Whisper]

Father sent to prison for shaking a baby so badly she may never fully recover

Michael David Suchodolski appears for his sentencing at Kent County Circuit Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Suchodolski was convicted of abusing his infant daughter, Karmen Johnson

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Karmen Suchodolski got less than three weeks of life as a fully-able child before her enraged father shook her so violently, she cannot even take food from a bottle.

Michael David Suchodolski was sentenced today to five to 15 years in prison after Kent County Circuit Judge Donald Johnston heard from Karmen’s mother about the extent of her injuries suffered Oct. 5.

“She will not be a normal baby,” said Samantha Johnson, the mother of the now 6-month-old infant. “She can’t move her arms or her legs normally.”

“She may never recover,” Johnson said as the 26-year-old father watched from the other side of the courtroom in Kent County Jail garb and handcuffs.

Johnson said the baby is fed through a tube, has to wear glasses and has to have physical therapy. Johnson now refers to the baby as Karmen Johnson, although court records list her last name the same as her father's.

Courtesy PhotoKarmen Suchodolski

According to police, Karmen suffered a fractured skull and bleeding of the brain after being shaken.

Johnson said her other children are devastated both by the injuries suffered by their little sister and the absence of their father. She said they ask about their father and she struggles to come up with an explanation.

Johnson said Karmen’s older brother is now frightened of men, even his uncles, as a result of the abuse of his baby sister.

Suchodolski offered little in the way of explanation for his behavior. Johnson said he was upset because he wanted a son not a daughter.

Last month, he pleaded guilty to first-degree child abuse.

“I’m just really sorry for everything that’s happened,” was all Suchodolski said as the mother of his two children wept.
[...]

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapi..._for_shak.html

Samantha Johnson, middle, reacts after giving a victim statement against Michael David Suchodolski at Kent County Circuit Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Suchodolski was convicted of abusing their infant daughter, Karmen Johnson

Karmen

[Tundratot]

FFS, Suchodolski had a son already. WTF is wrong with guys like that? Why would a woman love and marry a man like that? He looks like a skinhead already, all he needs are a bunch more tats on his fugly face.

[Silvahalo]

FFS, Suchodolski had a son already. WTF is wrong with guys like that? Why would a woman love and marry a man like that? He looks like a skinhead already, all he needs are a bunch more tats on his fugly face.

oh, I so agree. And a big o target tats to the head so whomever gets to chance to smash his skull in will do so repeatedly.

[Silvahalo]

AUTOPSY RESULTS
Lea-Sophie died a horrible death by starvation
22.November 2007 - Source: German News-Headlines

The five-year girl from Schwerin, which was recovered yesterday in an apartment by ambulance and then died in a hospital, was dramatically undernourished and suffering from dehydration. This resulted in the autopsy. The child's parents have failed to anscheinden to supply according to her daughter.

The five-Lea-Sophie in Schwerin is painfully starved and thirsty. For months, the parents have their child "does not adequately and properly fed," said chief prosecutor Hans-Christian Pick.


Finally, Lea-Sophie have weighed only 7.4 kilograms, 20 would have been normal. The girl had consisted only of skin and bone and also exhibited established ulcers.Traces of violence had not been identified.


Against the arrest warrant was sought because of parents' community manslaughter. In Schwerin, the message triggered by the death of the child from terror. Also sharp criticism of the work of the authorities was loud.

According to a report of the Schwerin Volkszeitung, citing a doctor have been in the child hunger edema and open wounds found on the body, the hairs are in tufts failed. The girl must have lain for days in feces. A five year old girl should, according to doctors 15 to 20 kilograms of weight. The weight of the child, then, rather corresponded to that of an infant. The 23-year-old mother and 26 years old father had been arrested because of the urgent suspicion of homicide by omission.
[...]

FB

[Tundratot]

That story sickens me. The sentence also sickens me. Those two parents neglected and starved their little girl deliberately after their baby boy was born, despite the fact they could muster the energy to feed their pets? It was absolutely deliberate and that just proves it. Then, they protest in a letter on her grave they don't know what happened? Oh, sure.

I'm curious about two things, though. One, the parents in this case--contrary to so many we see here on the D'D--are not fatties themselves. Two, who saw this little girl just as she lay dying and reported it? If the family was not hiding her from the world, why didn't someone report her sooner?

[Silvahalo]

That story sickens me. The sentence also sickens me. Those two parents neglected and starved their little girl deliberately after their baby boy was born, despite the fact they could muster the energy to feed their pets? It was absolutely deliberate and that just proves it. Then, they protest in a letter on her grave they don't know what happened? Oh, sure.

I'm curious about two things, though. One, the parents in this case--contrary to so many we see here on the D'D--are not fatties themselves. Two, who saw this little girl just as she lay dying and reported it? If the family was not hiding her from the world, why didn't someone report her sooner?

I wondered about that too Tundra.
Like I've said starving a child is the evil of evil's to suffer a child. And suffering she did. Lea went on for months before dying. . . who called it in? why not sooner? How sickening that a child be made out to be less important, grossly neglected, treated worse than an animal (they had pets they feed), unloved left to die, festering in feces, open wounds and ulcers. It repulses my sense. First time I read on this one years back wanted to curl up and cry. The sentencing is a pathetic joke.

[Silvahalo]

Awareness and prevention are important measures in taking action against the growing epidemic of child abuse. Become familiar with your local advocacy groups, hotlines and resources can direct you when there are concerns of possible abuse and the need to seek guidance and advice.

I often have heard, "I didn't know what to do". Most people think of law enforcement or child protective services, and they should but sometimes that is the reason people don't want to get involved. Approaching concerns to an advocate can eliminate the worry of putting oneself out there in a position some feel uncomfortable doing. You can even submit concerns or ask questions anonymously.

Be their voice. Sometimes saving a child from abuse is as simple as making one call. The month of April is dedicated to awareness and prevention of child abuse but it's the little ways in which one can make changes in their lives every day that can stop the escalating epidemic.
Those little changes in the way we lead our lives; being concerned and aware, ask questions, don't make assumptions, step out of your comfort zone and by all means just do something.

Here are just some of the many advocacy groups to be found. You can search for your specific state/county/city by zip code. Don't hesitate to call in fear of embarrassing an adult, call instead in hopes a child will get the help they might need desperately.Imagine the changes that can be made if each and every one of us do one thing, little things that matter. That's a whole world of change. A whole lot of children possibly saved.


National Children's Advocacy Center
CASA For Children
Child Advocates.org
National Childrens Alliance

[Silvahalo]

I'd like to take a moment to remember the children lost to child abuse.
The children featured on the video are in no particular order only that most are from recent cases I have followed this past year.

Awareness and prevention are the most important measures in taking action against child abuse, accompanying that, remembrance has it's place in honouring the faces of children who's lives were stolen and that no longer have a fair chance at life.
With much love and sorrow a moment to reflect.

Bless their little souls.