Be Aware!

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

Missouri law defines abuse as: any physical injury, sexual abuse or emotional abuse inflicted on a child other than by accidental means by those responsible for the child's care, custody, and control, except that discipline including spanking, administered in a reasonable manner, shall not be construed to be abuse.

Neglect, as failure to provide, by those responsible for the care, custody, and control of the child, the proper or necessary support, education as required by law, nutrition or medical, surgical, or any other care necessary for the child's well being.

Nationally, a call is made to a child abuse and neglect hot line every 10 seconds and almost 5 children die every day as a direct result of child abuse and/or neglect. The majority of these children are under the age of 5.

Locally, in Missouri, an average of 139 calls are made to the hotline each day and involved over 64,000 children. Nearly 8,000 of those children had more than one report.

Of those cases, substantiated: 43% were for neglect, 26% for physical, and 23% for sexual abuse. 30 Missouri children died in 2008 as a result of child abuse.

Fortunately there is help and parents can learn to the skills needed to raise their children! That is what we do at my agency. The findings of the cases reported in 2008 show that 54% of reports involved a lack of supervision and 25% had unsanitary living conditions. 14.6% of perpetrators had unrealistic expectations of their children. Education can help!

The only way to stop child abuse is through you! Learn the signs, report problems to your local hotline, and support agencies like the one I work for: www.childabuseprevention.org. Together we can make a difference in the lives of children!

In Missouri Call: 1-800-392-3738.