Page 21 - Provoke Magazine Vol1

The Sad Truth About Child Abuse
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
STOPS WHEN WE LISTEN!
www.saveouryouthok.com
Child abuse is one of those things that many of us hear about on the evening news but don’t often encounter in everyday life. The sad truth is that it’s happening all around us. According to the American Society for the Positive Care of Children, a child abuse report is made every ten seconds. The organization also reports that five children die each day due to child abuse, and that child abuse occurs in every socioeconomic level. This means that it’s happening all over the globe, regardless of things like ethnicity, social status and education.
So what exactly is child abuse? The Feder- al Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) defines it as “Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.” While the version of child abuse we’re likely most familiar with is the classic case of a kid showing up to school with a black eye, there are other forms that go beyond physical violence, including: neglect, sexual abuse, emo- tional abuse, abandonment and substance abuse.
You may find it hard to believe that a family member or guardian could subject their child to any form of abuse, but the fact is that a lot of child abuse happens at home. The American Society for Positive Care of Children states that 68% of child abuse victims are abused by family members, and 90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator. These aren’t just strangers on the street attacking children, they’re people with close relationships to the child. That may be one of the reasons child abuse can have such a lasting impact. Healthychildren.org states that children who are abused suffer intense emotion- al damage that often doesn’t go away. Abuse will lead to things like depression, drug abuse and even violent behavior.
So what can be done to stop child abuse? The first step is to know the warning signs, which, according to healthychildren.org, include things like: fearful behavior, depression, attempts to flee, abnormal fears, school failure, social with- drawal and more. The next step is to get help immediately by reaching out to your local child protective agency. Don’t ignore the warning signs; you might be able to save a child’s life.
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