April- Child Abuse Prevention Month
By Cindy Dobbins Prevention Specialist for the Enotah Child Advocacy & Family Support Center, part of Support in Abusive Family Emergencies, Inc.

In the busyness of everyday life it seems as if on a monthly basis we are informed by radio, newspapers and television that the current month is "such-andsuch" Awareness Month. Most awareness campaigns focus our attention, even if only for a few moments, on a serious issue of societal or health concern. Personally, I can not think of another awareness campaign that carries with it the magnitude of importance as does "Child Abuse Prevention Month". The fact is, children are the very assurance of continued human generations to come. Each child should be seen as unique and precious. When children are affected by abuse, their ability to live full, happy and productive lives is seriously challenged.

The U.S. Congress has declared the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. On the local government level, on March 15th, Commissioner Lamar Paris of Union County and Bill Kendall of Towns County both signed Proclamations reaffirming this designation.

Most children grow up in loving supportive home environments. The issue of Child Abuse seems far distant from us and we may even believe that we are not affected by it at all, but we definitely are. Locally, the affects of Child Abuse are seen by our School Educators and Counselors, by our Law Enforcement Agencies, our Jails, and Union & Towns County Department of Family and Children Services.

Child Abuse defined: There are usually four main categories of Child Abuse, Neglect, Physical, Sexual, and Emotional/Psychological. As defined by the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Child Protection Social Services Manual Dec. '01 Chapter 2100, Section 1:

Neglect: a condition in which a parent or caretaker, responsible for a child under the age of eighteen years, either deliberately or by disregard, permits the child to experience avoidable suffering and/or fails to provide one or more of the components generally deemed essential for developing a person's physical, intellectual, social and emotional capacities. Neglect also includes children exposed to parental/caretaker substance abuse.

Physical Abuse: excessive physical injury or death inflicted upon a child by a parent or caretaker by other than accidental means.

Sexual Abuse: …occurs between a child under eighteen years and the parent or caretaker and during which the child is being used for the sexual stimulation of that adult or another person

Emotional/Psychological Abuse: deprivation to a child under the age of eighteen years that may result in impaired psychological growth and development…

Prevalence of Child Abuse: (National Statistics) Per the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), Child Maltreatment 2004 calendar year report there were approximately 872,000 substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect in the United States.

Child Maltreatment 2004 calendar year report statistics:

Percentages based on approximately 875,000 substantiated cases. 62.4% neglect, 17.5% physical abuse, 9.7% sexual abuse, 7.0% emotional/psychological abuse, 2.1% medical neglect, 14.5% 'other abuse" (abandonment, verbal threats of harm, congenital drug addiction).

(State & Local Statistics) Per the Georgia Family Connection Partnership, 2005 calendar year, substantiated incidences of child abuse and/or neglect

(Rate per 1,000) State wide = 19.7 persons, in Union County = 29.4 persons, in Towns County = 29.9 persons. Furthermore, according to the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence from (August 2005 - August 2006)

69 individuals were murdered in the state as a direct result of domestic violence, 13 individuals of which were children under 18 years old.

Whose job is it to protect our children? Each adult member of our community has a responsibility to protect children in their area. Certain individuals are mandated by law to report suspected cases of child abuse but any individual can make a report. Mandated Reporters include: physicians, nurses, hospital personnel, dentists, school and day care personnel, social workers and counselors.

When to suspect Child Abuse: The motivating factor behind child abuse and domestic violence is for the abuser to gain power and control over the other individuals involved. Stress has been identified as a main causal factor for such displays of abuse, but abuse is never legitimized for any reason. Characteristics to look for in a child who is a potential victim of abuse include: often left home alone, in the community for extended periods of time without adult supervision, frequently hungry, repeatedly dressed inappropriately for the weather, chronic poor hygiene, has frequent school absences, has bruises or marks of physical violence, often withdrawn or overly aggressive, and does not receive medical attention when needed.

How To Report Child Abuse: Per the Georgia Department of Human Resources, If a child is in immediate danger (i.e. being beaten or left alone overnight), call the police immediately phone # 911. In all other cases call the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) in your area. Union County DFCS phone # 706-781-2381 or Towns County DFCS phone # 706-896-3524. For general questions relating to child abuse call DFCS @ 1-888-295-1769.

Note: Reports by concerned individuals should be made even if child abuse is only suspected and not for certain. It is the responsibility of child protective services investigators to determine if actual abuse has occurred.

Preventing Child Abuse:

The Enotah Child Advocacy & Family Support Center is available free of cost to present abuse prevention and awareness talks to organizations for children and/or adults. To schedule a presentation for your group call 706-835-1637. Another cost free positive community resource for all interested parties is "Life Skills" Tips for Parents sponsored by Towns County Family Connections which consists of 6 sessions once a week beginning Tuesday April 17th. Contact phone number is 828-389-1522 or 706- 896-4131 X1234.

Who We Are:

The Enotah Child Advocacy & Family Support Center is a program of S.A.F.E. serving the communities of Towns and Union Counties. By creating a child-friendly approach, our goal is to create a healing environment for children and to eliminate any victimization by the very system designed to protect them. Realizing that every child is unique, services are tailored to meet each individual's needs and therapeutic goals. Having input from the Team, a child and their family are provided with comprehensive services in their own community.

Author: Cindy Dobbins (Prevention Specialist), Enotah Child Advocacy & Family Support Center

S.A.F.E. is the state certified domestic violence and sexual assault program serving Towns and Union Counties. The Enotah Child Advocacy and Family Support Center is supported in part by the Children's Advocacy Centers in Georgia, Inc. Partial funding is received from the Georgia Department of Human Resources.