Visiting Voices: Child Abuse Awareness (ft. Emily)

If you're unfamiliar with Visiting Voices, you are not alone. This is a new series-type thing that I'll be doing occasionally. As you can probably guess from the title, I have a guest blogger this week! This post is going to touch on a serious matter. You may have previously been unaware that April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. I know I was. A couple weeks ago, Emily brought this to my attention and I thought it was something that was worth blogging about. Seeing as I have very little knowledge on the subject, I decided to hand the reins over to Emily and have her write this one. Hopefully by the end of this post you will have a better understanding of child abuse and why it shouldn't be taken lightly, beyond the obvious. Take it away, Emily!

A "pinwheel garden" for Pinwheels for Prevention.

"Child abuse is defined as when a parent or caregiver causes injury, harm, or risk of serious harm through physical, emotional, or sexual abuse as well as exploitation or neglect.

Awareness:

Child Abuse Awareness Month (April) was started by a presidential proclamation in 1983 by Ronald Reagan. The two main symbols are the Blue Ribbon Campaign, started by a grandmother whose grandchildren were abused. She wore the ribbon in the hopes that people would ask about it and she could tell them about child abuse. The second one is called Pinwheels for Prevention. They encourage businesses and schools to plant a "pinwheel garden" with the idea behind it being that the pinwheel needs wind to move it so for any changes to happen, we need to pick up our pinwheels and move forward.

Facts:

• A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds
• More than 3 million reports involving over 6 million children are made every year in the United States (the U.S. has the worst record keeping on the matter)
• 1,640 children died from abuse in 2012
• Around 80% of child maltreatment injuries resulted from at least one parent

Mental Effects:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Dissociation
• Flashbacks
• Difficulty sleeping
• ADHD
• Bipolar Disorder
• Eating Disorders
• PTSD
• Drug abuse
• Suicide (leading cause of death in 15-25 year olds)

Physical Effects:

Children are more physically susceptible to injury than adults because they are still developing.

• Bruises
• Sprains & fractures
• Burns
• Difficulty walking or sitting
• Poor hygiene
• Lack of adequate supervision, nutrition, or shelter

Long-term Effects in Adults:

• Obesity
• Heart Disease
• Depression
• Drug use (2/3 of individuals in drug treatment programs reported being abused as children)
• High blood pressure
• Addictions 
• 14% of men and 36% of women in prison in the USA were abused as children

Look For the Signs!

• Unexplained injuries 
• Changes in behavior
• Returning to earlier behaviors 
• Fear of going home
• Changes in eating
• Changes in sleeping
• Changes in school performance and attendance
• Lack of personal care or hygiene 
• Risk taking behaviors

Organizations like SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) and Darkness to Light provide resources to the community and training to recognize and report child abuse. 

I got involved with SCAN while running a fundraiser at my high school. My mom worked very closely with them as part of her job in behavioral health. It seemed almost insignificant at the time but two years later I am presenting on child abuse awareness at my college and working with children almost every day. While education and child care are not my actual career path, it is something very close to my heart. Children deserve love, proper care, and to know what healthy relationships are. I know more about ninja turtles, trucks, and playing dress up than the normal 18 year old but I wouldn't trade it for anything. The true joy and excitement a child has is so precious and I will do everything I can to keep that alive. I hope this information will help shed some light on the subject and give April a new meaning for you."

Child abuse is a very serious matter and it's too often swept under the rug. It's not only awful as it's happening, but it also has long-term consequences that affect these children for the rest of their lives. Nobody deserves that. If you see any of the signs or suspect a child you know may be being abused, call the National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).

I would like to give a huge thank you to Emily for writing this piece and being my first guest on xo, Yvette! If you have any questions about child abuse, leave them in the comments below. Emily will do her best to answer them for you.

Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette