I just read two news stories about people killing, or attempting to kill children, and I just had to shake my head.
In Ohio, a man put an 8-month-old boy and 2-year-old girl in the trash after a dispute with their mother. Luckily, two men found the children after about 13 hours and they were rescued. Now the man faces charges of kidnapping, assault, and attempted murder.
Maybe someone should stuff him in a can for 12 hours or more.
In Dallas, a man and a woman were just found guilty of the murder of the woman's 9-month old baby. Initially, the couple had reported that the child had been kidnapped, but later changed their story when the man said the baby was dead. He said he lied to police to protect the woman, who had killed the child. She told police that he threw the baby's body into a lake, but the body was never found.
Maybe they both should have been thrown in the lake.
I wish I could say these stories struck me because they are so rare, but unfortunately, they are not. How many times a week do we read about some adult killing or horribly abusing a child?
Too often.
I can't even get my mind around actually doing something so horrific. People have momentary flares of anger that sometimes leads to abuse, but to methodically and continuously beat a child is beyond me. And I can't fathom how some people can lock children in closets for years and starve them.
This is Child-Abuse Awareness Month. What are some of the things we can do to help stop this cycle of abuse?
2 comments:
It's interesting that you posted this the same day as Dr. Phil highlighted the failure of the Family Law system failing children so badly.
I was an abused child, and things have changed a lot since that time, in that we can now discuss it, tell the truth, and are believed. However, while that in itself helps, it's clearly not enough. I think adults need to find the courage to intervene on behalf of children they know are being mistreated. We can't simply live our own lives in quiet obscurity. We must make the time to know our neighbors, pay attention to the children in our neighborhoods and in our lives, and realize that we all have a moral responsibility to protect all the children, not just our own.
Grandparents need to get over their fear of "losing" their grandchildren if they intervene or even just say something. Teachers, neighbors, friends must be willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of these children. Yes, you might have to go to court. You might have to be willing to raise your grandchild, or niece/nephew, but the alternative is not acceptable.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that we each must take individual responsibility for the children we know, and not assume that the government agencies and law enforcement have everything taken care of and all children are protected. We've got to stand up as a people, community, nation and say "We will not tolerate child abuse anymore."
I only wish I had as much solution as I have passion about this topic. Thanks for posting. It's a start.
What a great response, Beth. You are so right about the need to pay attention to what is going on and take action when necessary.
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