Child Abuse Awareness Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and encourage individuals and communities to support children and families.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign had its early beginnings in 1989 as a Virginia grandmother's tribute to her grandson who died as a result of abuse. She tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her car as a way to remember him and to alert her community to this tragedy.

Child abuse affects children of every age, race, and income level. Too often our children are hurt by the people they know and trust- a parent, relative, babysitter or friend of the family. Many times the abusers are ordinary people caught in stressful situations.

So what can you? Get involved and Get Informed!

The best way to prevent child abuse is to help families develop appropriate parenting, communication and coping skills, and to learn the signs.

When parents have the necessary knowledge about the prevention of Child Abuse, they are better equipped to protect their children from harm. Education, Awareness, and Correct Action helps to ensure healthy development of our children.

NOW is a good time for us to look at this crisis. The statistics are shocking: A child is abused every 40 seconds! Blue ribbons are now worn by many in the month of April in memory of the children who have died as a result of abuse and to commemorate those who have diligently worked in the endeavor to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Common Myths About Child Sexual Abuse

The first response the majority of people form when hearing of sexual child abuse or incest is denial: “I do not have to be concerned about that in my community.” “That would never happen in my family.”

The unbelievable reality is that a person who sexually abuses children may seem very average and ordinary to the world. He/she may be a leader in the church, in the community or in business, a sports coach, scout leader, or celebrity. Sex offenders do not fit a classic stereotype and are not necessarily uneducated, unemployed, impoverished or an alcoholic.

The majority of people find sexual abuse and incest even more difficult to believe or accept when the sex offender is someone they like, admire, love, and/or marry. Tragically, the unwillingness to accept the facts concerning sex offenders leaves children vulnerable to becoming victims and increases the likelihood they will be abused.

Myth: Rape/incest runs in the family--it is in the genes.

Fact: Rape is not in the genes in the family of someone who rapes. Rape is perpetrated by someone who is acting out rage. Physical and sexual child abuse are the majority factor in creating the level of rage that compels anyone to commit rape, domestic violence or murder. We have known for a long time that the one commonality among rapists is physical and/or sexual child abuse. Serial killer, Ted Bundy is a classic example of this phenomenon. Since 80% of sexual child abuse survivors are sexually abused by family members there are usually several generations within a rapist's family--sometimes both maternal and paternal. Current statistics reveal 70% of children are physically abused once a week. It is believed the number of children who are physically abused has decreased in the past 15 years. However, the current rapists in society would have grown up in the era when physical abuse was more prominent, therefore, we can assume there is a high percentage of people, who are potential rapists when we consider date rape and rape in domestic violence, which is seldom reported or if it is reported, is seldom prosecuted. Therefore, society has no way to access the number of rapes committed per capita.

Child Sexual Abuse Misconceptions Perpetuated

It is distressing to read an article by a well-known professional organization, “Understanding Child Sexual Abuse Education, Prevention, and Recovery,” which perpetuates child sexual abuse misconceptions.

For example—the article states: “There is no universal definition of child sexual abuse.” E. Sue Blume set forth a universal definition of child sexual abuse in her book, Secret Survivors: Uncovering Incest and Its Aftereffects in Women, published 1991. Ms. Blume derived the definition on the experiences of women who survived various and unfathomable acts of sexual child abuse versus professional opinion as to what sexual abuse is or is not.

It is astonishing that the APA (publisher of the aforementioned article) is clearly ignorant of this highly acclaimed work and is continuing to perpetuate antiquated perceptions regarding child sexual abuse. This egregious inaccuracy is tantamount to aiding and abetting sex offenders as the judicial system relies on the APA to set definitions and standards for social issues—such as: domestic violence, child sexual abuse, rape, etc.