Watch for Child Abuse - Jeff Wentworth
Last year, 63,326 Texas children suffered abuse at the hands of their parents and guardians.
Two hundred eighty of the abused and neglected children died. Those who survived will bear both the physical and emotional scars of their abuse for the rest of their lives.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is partnering with local governments and community organizations throughout Texas to raise both awareness of and response to child abuse. Events are scheduled to be held this month in cities throughout Senate District 25. Information about them should appear on television, in your local newspaper and be broadcast on radio.
While each of these events will help raise awareness about child abuse and neglect, we can do our part by listening, looking and admitting that an abusive parent may be living next door, across the street or around the corner.
Physical abuse and neglect are the easiest forms of child endangerment to spot. Children who are bruised, whose bones may be broken frequently, who are hungry or dirty, and who lash out at other children in a violent manner may be abused.
Emotional and sexual abuse are harder to spot. Either could be revealed by what a child doesn't say, rather than what he or she does. A happy child who shows a change in behavior, such as becoming withdrawn or acting aggressively, may be a victim of severe emotional or sexual abuse.
Because child abuse is so abhorrent, we might think a child is exaggerating or even lying when he or she makes an outcry. While there have been false accusations, we should never dismiss a child's story of abuse because we simply don't want it to be true.
Among the 68,326 children who were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect, 8,499 live in counties that are wholly or partially in Senate District 25. You may save one of these children by calling the Abuse and Neglect Hotline toll- free at (800) 252-5400 or logging online at www.txabusehotline.org
Another way to prevent abuse is to help parents cope with the challenges of child rearing. This year, DFPS distributed 500,000 child abuse prevention calendars to government offices and other social services. The calendars are filled with parenting tips, such as "What to do when a baby won't stop crying."
In these tough economic times, some parents are having difficulty making ends meet. If someone in your neighborhood has lost a job, offer to babysit occasionally to give that parent an opportunity to search for a new job or simply to get away for a while to a quiet place.
By caring, by being vigilant and by being a good friend, relative or neighbor, you may be protecting a child from harm. Guarding our children's future is something we should not do just this month but all year 'round.
Two hundred eighty of the abused and neglected children died. Those who survived will bear both the physical and emotional scars of their abuse for the rest of their lives.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is partnering with local governments and community organizations throughout Texas to raise both awareness of and response to child abuse. Events are scheduled to be held this month in cities throughout Senate District 25. Information about them should appear on television, in your local newspaper and be broadcast on radio.
While each of these events will help raise awareness about child abuse and neglect, we can do our part by listening, looking and admitting that an abusive parent may be living next door, across the street or around the corner.
Physical abuse and neglect are the easiest forms of child endangerment to spot. Children who are bruised, whose bones may be broken frequently, who are hungry or dirty, and who lash out at other children in a violent manner may be abused.
Emotional and sexual abuse are harder to spot. Either could be revealed by what a child doesn't say, rather than what he or she does. A happy child who shows a change in behavior, such as becoming withdrawn or acting aggressively, may be a victim of severe emotional or sexual abuse.
Because child abuse is so abhorrent, we might think a child is exaggerating or even lying when he or she makes an outcry. While there have been false accusations, we should never dismiss a child's story of abuse because we simply don't want it to be true.
Among the 68,326 children who were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect, 8,499 live in counties that are wholly or partially in Senate District 25. You may save one of these children by calling the Abuse and Neglect Hotline toll- free at (800) 252-5400 or logging online at www.txabusehotline.org
Another way to prevent abuse is to help parents cope with the challenges of child rearing. This year, DFPS distributed 500,000 child abuse prevention calendars to government offices and other social services. The calendars are filled with parenting tips, such as "What to do when a baby won't stop crying."
In these tough economic times, some parents are having difficulty making ends meet. If someone in your neighborhood has lost a job, offer to babysit occasionally to give that parent an opportunity to search for a new job or simply to get away for a while to a quiet place.
By caring, by being vigilant and by being a good friend, relative or neighbor, you may be protecting a child from harm. Guarding our children's future is something we should not do just this month but all year 'round.