Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 11, 1993 TAG: 9304090285
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: FRED SMITH and KATHLEEN PRESTON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT CHILD ABUSE
In Virginia, every 38 minutes an infant is born into poverty; every two hours an infant is born to a mother who received inadequate or no prenatal care; every 50 minutes an infant is born to a teen-age mother; and every 12 days a child dies from abuse and neglect, according to statistics from the Virginia Coalition for Child Abuse Prevention.But hope is supported by other statistics
In Virginia, 87 percent of those surveyed have heard or read about child abuse and neglect during the previous year, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services child protective serVices Unit.
Ninety-five percent felt that child abuse is a community problem and that all reports of suspected abuse should be investigated. There also is widespread support for assisting families in their recovery.
For those committed to preventing child abuse, it is important to recognize abuse and its long-term effects, to know that some forms of corporal punishment acceptable in the past are now known to be physically and emotionally abusive, that emotional abuse distorts the character of children who grow up to become emotionally crippled adults, that the numbers of children known to have been sexually abused is only a fraction of the total who are abused.
Clearly, Virginians are concerned about child abuse and neglect. The statistics show this.
A common question is, "What can I do as an individual?"
You can reach out to neighbors or relatives with children when parents need a "respite" from the demands of parenting.
You can learn to recognize the signs of child mistreatment and know the Virginia 24-hour toll-free child-abuse hot-line number, (800) 552-7096).
You can listen to children - at times, they will talk openly about abuse that is occurring in their families. You can report suspected abuse.
You can volunteer time in an agency that deals with abused and neglected children or make a donation when time is not available.
You can sponsor a parenting workshop where you work.
You can join a child-abuse prevention organization in your community, such as the Child Abuse Prevention Coalition of Montgomery County.
You can become a foster parent.
Stress is a major contributor to child abuse. Stress can come from a variety of sources, some of which may not seem obvious at first. They include poverty, unemployment, underemployment, social rejection, isolation, divorce, substance abuse, abuse of the parents when they were children, mental illness of a family member, adjustment problems, school problems and many others.
Because the sources of stress that impact families are so varied, there is another important way individuals can work to prevent child abuse and neglect - by supporting agencies and organizations that deal either directly or indirectly with child abuse.
These agencies include the local Department of Social Services, the Montgomery County Child Abuse Prevention Coalition, the New River Valley Community Services Board Prevention Services, the Teen Parent Support Program, Montgomery County Schools, the Office on Youth, law enforcement agencies, Head Start, Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Services, the Women's Resource Center, homeless shelters, food banks and clothing banks.
Support for these organizations can include volunteering time, but it also can include public support for continued and adequate funding of their work. The work of these agencies and organizations is increasingly focused on preventing the removal of children from their families and helping families solve their problems.
This column was written by Fred Smith and Kathleen Preston, members of the Montgomery County Department of Social Services, with the help of information from the Child Abuse Prevention Coalition of Montgomery County.