Some of us occasionally look back on our childhood with a sigh of envy. It was a time of little responsibility aside from cleaning our rooms. A time of three months’ summer vacation a year, filled with hot Texas days spent swimming at the neighborhood pool and warm nights outside playing hide-and-seek with friends until our parents called us in for supper.
But not every child in Texas will see his or her early years in this same glowing light. In Texas in 1995, 101 children died as a result of abuse. More than 50,000 others were confirmed as victims of abuse and neglect. As horrifying as this number may sound, it is underestimated. These are the known cases; however, many more go unreported.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention month, and the physicians of Texas Medical Association urge you to learn how you can help fight this epidemic which steals the opportunity of a happy childhood from thousands of children around us each year.
Texas law states that "anyone having cause to believe that a child’s physical or mental health or welfare has been or may be adversely affected by abuse or neglect must, by law, report the case immediately to a law enforcement agency or to the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services at (800) 252-5400." If you know of a child who is in immediate danger of serious bodily harm, call 911 or local law enforcement immediately.
If you were to report child abuse or neglect to Child Protective Services, your identity would be kept confidential and only would be disclosed with a court order, or to a law enforcement officer conducting a criminal investigation of the report.
If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, watch for signs. Consider the possibility of physical abuse if the child has unexplained burns, bruises, broken bones, or black eyes; or shrinks at the approach of adults. More subtly, the child may show sudden changes in behavior or school performance; may not have received help for physical or medical problems brought to the parents’ attention; or lack adult supervision.
If a child is abused sexually, he or she may develop school problems such as frequent absences or sudden drops in grades; exhibit poor hygiene or excessive bathing; display sexually suggestive behavior; or abuse alcohol or drugs.
A child can also be abused through neglect. A child who is neglected may frequently be absent from school; beg or steal money from classmates; lack needed medical or dental care, immunizations, or glasses; lack sufficient clothing for the weather; or state there is no one home to provide care.
The shameful epidemic of child abuse spreads like a virus, infecting its victims through adulthood and causing them to infect others. A report by the Joint Study Committee on Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect listed that 65 percent of prison inmates at Texas Department of Corrections’ Ferguson Unit had been abused as children. And that 90 percent of convicted murderers were physically abused as children. Also, many abusive parents were victimized themselves as children. Not only is each abused child a human tragedy, but the number of children suffering from abuse points to an immense societal problem.
Last Published: 10/5/2004
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