Child Abuse - How Do We Respond?

Child abuse is the ugly elephant in the room. The cold reality of life is that child abuse is more common than any of us would care to admit.

Current statistics show that four children die each and every day as a result of child abuse. Three out of four of these children that die are under the age of four.

A report of abuse is made every 10 seconds. Experts estimate that the actual number of incidents of abuse and neglect is three times greater than reported.

We teach our children about "stranger danger" even though we know that in all cases of child rape, 90% of victims knew the perpetrator.

And those victims of sexual abuse are 2.5 times more likely to abuse alcohol and 3.8 times more likely to become addicted to drugs.

Statistics show that one in three girls and one in five boys are sexually abused by an adult at some time during childhood. Most abusers are someone in the family or someone the child knows. If you think about ten of your best friends, you can expect that one or more of them have experienced some form of sexual abuse.

Here in Oregon, over 10,000 children were confirmed to be victims of abuse, though many more reports were made and undetermined.

Half of these children were under age 6.

In 2007, twelve of these children died. In the majority of cases, a parent was a perpetrator.

We do have a network in place to address issues of child abuse - prevention, detection and healing - but that system of support is woefully underfunded.

Many counties have what is known as a "child relief nursery." These organizations are intended to help prevent child abuse by providing intensive supports to high-risk families with children under six years old. The spectrum of supports may include such services as home visits, parent education, therapeutic classrooms for young children and emergency childcare and respite. These programs focus on keeping children safe and families intact by providing the support and education parents need to be successful. Sometimes families are referred by the courts, human services, law enforcement. Sometimes families approach the nurseries on their own, knowing that they need assistance to adequately and safely parent their children.

Oregon also has a system of "child abuse assessment centers." These centers employ highly skilled and specialized professionals to perform child-centered evaluations of abuse through forensic medical exams and one-on-one child interviews. Once the assessment is complete, the center provides a report that details the results of their neutral investigation. Some centers also offer mental health therapy onsite - a vital step in helping children in their healing process.

With the advent of these centers, conviction rates and sentence lengths for perpetrators have risen dramatically. Perpetrators are faced with detailed reports and video victim testimony, and often decide to plead guilty to the charges brought against them. Or, if an accused perpetrator decides to take a case to trial, the taped child interview may prove to be sufficient testimony for purposes of trial, and the child spared the trauma of the witness stand.

I recently took a position with the KIDS Center, our local child abuse assessment center. My focus will be on raising the funds needed to see all the children who are in need of the vital, healing services provided by the KIDS Center, right when they need them.

With the downturn in the economy, we are seeing more families under intense stress, more children who need support and attention, and fewer community resources available to address the challenges. As we all face rising costs and lost jobs, corporations and individuals are giving less to the community organizations that so desperately need the support.

What an awful catch-22: We have that intersection of fewer resources and dramatically increased need. It'll be my job to help bridge the gap - and I couldn't be more honored to be tapped to service. These kids are our most vulnerable citizens - and our tomorrow. Please spare a thought and a small effort for someone else during these tough times. Whether it's for a family facing a shortage of food and power, a senior shut in with limited access to the outside world, or a small child powerless against abuse, there are myriad ways for us each to make a meaningful difference in a matter of minutes and dollars.