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SUBJECT: What does 'child abuse' mean to you?
FROM: Anonymous
FROM: LA activist (and friend of Bill)
TO: ALL
DATE: March 8, 2011
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Hello Bill!
Hum interesting topic! What is child abuse?
Many social workers see child abuse when a parent is spanking their child or hitting them because of being hard-headed. And it my day it was called "correcting" my child!
My father at times hit and spanked us for wrongs we were doing, and brought fear not to be caught. As time passed, we kids were not doing so many bad things.
These days a parents behavior like this is called child abuse! Cops arrest parents for such things and social workers take away the child etc.
So .. what is child abuse?
Anonymous
~~~~EDITOR'S REPLY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Anonymous:
What a great letter.
Frankly, I believe the issue of child abuse has little to do with the relatively small amount of corporal punishment a parent might choose to impress a sense of discipline and "right and wrong" on their child.
But I know that in come circles the official rules have been changed to such a degree that certain people, in certain professions (social workers among them) are required by law (depending on the jurisdiction) to take action if they see signs of a small injury (even a bruise or two) on a child. Emergency room nurses, teachers, school guidance councilors, therapists and law enforcement officers are included in this group.
While we're sensitive to these issues, this isn't really what our cause is about, although we certainly include in "child abuse" those kids who are subjected to severe beatings (a lot are) ..
As I write on the front page of the web site:
"Very few adults have escaped years of severe sexual child abuse at the hands of multiple pedophiles, repeated trafficking attempts, being the model for thousands of frames of child pornography and a kidnapping.
But I have.
More importantly, I've been in recovery from its devastating effects for over 25 years.
I'd promised myself that I would not speak publicly of my experiences until my parents (who played no direct roles in my abuse) were gone. My mother died recently, releasing me from my vow, and I've decided to devote my remaining time, money and available energy to this vitally important cause.
I wish to be a voice for those of us who are Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, especially to those who need to be helped into real recovery, where we can have healthy, meaningful lives and relationships.
We who were molested or victims of violence and sex crimes in our youth display many similar hardships as we grow up. The symptoms of these experiences bring on a series of feelings and actions most similar, in various degrees, to PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and they block our success."
Our primary mission at NAASCA is to help abused people get into recovery.
Secondly, we actively advocate for a better understanding of the many issues that surround the problem of child abuse in America. The figures I've found about child sexual abuse are astonishing. It seems almost 1 in 3 and over 1 in 5 boys are sexually abused in our country. Did you know:
There are over 39 million survivors of sexual abuse in America.
Somewhere between 2/3 and ninety percent of sexual abuse victims never tell !!!
293,000 children and youth are estimated to be at risk of exploitation.
100,000 are prostituted annually.
90% are abused by someone they know, love or trust.
20% of child sexual abuse victims are under the age of 8 .. most never tell, and some don't recall the abuse.
More then 60% of pregnant teens have been sexually abused.
55% of girls living on the streets engage in prostitution.
20% of prostituted girls are transported across state lines for services.
The average age of entry for girls into prostitution is 12 to 14 years old.
One in 7 children who are regular Internet users receive sexual solicitations online.
1 in 3 is exposed to unwanted sexual material.
1 in 25 receives a request to meet someone in real life that they met online.
800,000 children are reported missing every year in the U.S. or 2,000 every day.
An estimated 200,000 are abducted by family members; 58,000 by non-family members, the primary motive for which is sexual.
In the most serious cases, the child is abducted by a stranger and killed, held for ransom, or taken with the intention to keep. |
According to the Department of Justice, 74 percent of the children who were abducted and later found murdered were killed within three hours of being taken, a sign that every second counts.
Every 40 seconds, a child goes missing taken in our country!
These are the issues ..
I also understand your point [not included in the letter, above] that many go into social services fields in order to make money or advance careers.
But I'm equally certain that you've come to know me well enough over the years, especially because of my community policing and public safety work in Los Angeles, to understand that's NEVER been a motive for me.
I simply want to serve the community ..
I want to help other victims of abuse find recovery .. and educate the public as to the sheer size and scope of the problem we now face in America, which I believe is of epidemic proportions.
I am delighted you took the time to contact me, and appreciate your ongoing support for all I do.
Feel free to check out the nearly daily talk radio shows we broadcast (over the Internet):
http://BlogTalkRadio.com/NAASCA
I'd love to have you call in some day !!!!
Yours in service,
Bill Murray
Bmurray3rd@aol.com
323 / 552-6150
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LA Community Policing
www.LACP.org
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
www.NAASCA.org
"Community Matters" & "SCAN" Internet talk radio shows
www.blogtalkradio.com/Bill-Murray
"Stop Child Abuse Now" (SCAN) - Facebook cause
http://www.causes.com/causes/580142-stop-child-abuse-now/about
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