Image by Stitch via FlickrThis is a repost.............
Chocolate bunnies and brightly colored eggs are what children look forward to on Easter Sunday. Dressing in their finest pastel dresses and shirts to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the rebirth of Spring.
To some children.......this is only a dream......
Over 3 million children are abused every year in the United States. Physical, emotional or sexual child abuse is rampant and while many laws and programs have been put in place in the past decades, our children are still suffering the abuse.
April is the month designated to child abuse prevention, but we need to be diligent all year round to keep our kids safe and secure. Even when we think a child is safe, they can be hurt, inside their own homes, by their own parents or other family members. People, who the child should be able to trust and feel safe with, are many times the people who harm them. Physical scars will heal in time, but the emotional scars of this type of child abuse never heal. Their innocent lives are changed forever, by calling them names or making them feel inadequate in some way. Verbal abuse isn't talked about as much as the others (physical, emotional and sexual), but it can be just as devastating to a child.
Here are a few statistics that will shock you.
- A report of abuse is made every 10 seconds
- Five children die EVERY DAY as a result of child abuse. Three out of four are under the age of four
- 60-85% of child fatalities due to neglect are not recorded as such on their death certificate
- 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their perpetrators
- Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across every ethnic and cultural line, within all religions and at all levels of education
Child Welfare Information Gateway - Definitions of child abuse and neglect - A summary of State laws
