Columnist Jamala Rogers
Some time ago, I saw a headline that felt like a punch in the stomach. It read “Boyfriends are Becoming Threat to Children.” It was a response to the growing number of boyfriends who shake, beat, rape, scald, stab and shoot the children left in their care.
There are a number of studies on what is labeled “the Cinderella Effect,” where stepfathers or boyfriends abuse their woman’s children. And while this is horrific and makes sensational headlines, it is mothers who are the more likely perpetrator of abuse and lethal action against their child.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. The designation says volumes about a country where a month has to be set aside to bring awareness to child abuse and neglect.
It seems hard to fathom anyone hurting a child. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cites three million cases of child abuse annually. Most child welfare organizations believe that the actual numbers are triple these reported digits, because grown folks don’t want to get involved. Eighty percent of these are babies under four years of age – totally defenseless and vulnerable to their adult perpetrator.
All of the causes of violence against children are unknown. Some of the reasons that people abuse children are obvious, like mental and emotional issues or alcohol and drug abuse. Others include lack of parenting knowledge and domestic violence.
One that we should definitely be tuned into is economic stress, as we are in a big recession right now. If we aren’t vigilant, we can expect the number of child abuse incidents to increase dramatically during this economic crisis.
Child abuse comes in different forms. It can be physical, emotional, sexual, and verbal. The impact of abuse and neglect is both immediate and long-lasting. It affects a child’s development and functioning on several levels and helps to continue the trans-generational cycle of violence. Child abuse transcends race, class, religion and culture.
The consequences of violence against children are devastating. The National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse says the 80 percent of young adults who experienced child abuse have at least one psychiatric disorder. One-third of abused children go on to abuse their own children. The Department of Justice reminds us that you’ll find these once-abused children disproportionately involved in criminal behavior and ultimately locked in the prison industrial complex.
Although the law is very specific about what constitutes child abuse, I think most of us have a gut feeling about when a child is being harmed. We see it in our families, in our neighborhoods and even in our churches. It is our adult responsibility to address it swiftly and to help raise awareness about its impact on children and our society.
Although one month is set aside to mark the issue, it is our daily duty to protect all children from harm – even if it’s from someone who purports to love them.