You’ve heard it before: “Child abuse is everybody’s problem.” According to research compiled by Prevent Child Abuse Alabama (PCAA) — a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and treating child abuse — the neglect and abuse of children can result in societal consequences. Some consequences include juvenile delinquency, addictions, prostitution and violent crime. The research also reveals that abuse begets abuse and often passes from generation to generation.
But how personally do you take that statement? Even though child abuse may not be an issue in your home, it may be a problem somewhere in your neighborhood or community — maybe even in your church.
The recent widespread publicity regarding child abuse within the Catholic Church has forced churches of all denominations to confront an issue that had formerly been considered a problem only in the secular world.
Legislators have taken note and passed laws specific to churches and child abuse. For example, in Alabama, a law requiring clergy, church staff and lay leaders to report suspected child abuse took effect Sept. 1, 2003. This law still considers confidential communication with a minister privileged, according to Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor.
But is simply obeying reporting requirements enough? Should churches be doing more?
According to PCAA’s most recent annual report, there were 19,635 reports of child abuse and neglect in Alabama in 2002. Thirty children died as a result.
And to believe children are immune to horrors of child abuse just because they are involved in a church setting is naive, said Anita Drummond, PCAA’s executive director.
“Nobody’s immune,” she said, “and churches are becoming cognizant of that. Things like putting windows on Sunday School classroom doors are beginning to be done. There’s much more awareness of these issues than there was before.”
But the most effective way to deal with child abuse, said Drummond, is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Some of the most effective measures, she said, is identifying high-risk families and providing parental support in the form of education, training and child care assistance. Also effective in helping break the cycle of child abuse is teaching kids to ask for help when they have been inappropriately approached or touched.
Short of preventing child abuse in the first place, Drummond said, church staffers and volunteers should learn to recognize signs of child abuse and, whenever warranted, report them to the proper authorities.
Among the signs of abuse, according to Drummond, are: a child who is very fearful of adults, bruises, dropping grades, poor attitudes, withdrawing and acting out.
A comprehensive list of physical and behavioral indicators of child abuse can be found at PCAA’s Web site at www.pcaalabama.org.
Drummond cautions, however, against overreacting to isolated symptoms and causing parents and children undue embarrassment and undeserved harm to reputations and lives.
“Even though a child may exhibit some of the symptoms, it may not always be child abuse,” she said.
But probably one of the easiest ways to determine if a child is being abused, said Drummond, is to simply ask. “Sometimes just asking a question like ‘Has anybody hurt you?’ will help,” she said. “When asked direct questions, children will often disclose what’s happening to them.”
Training, according to Drummond, is the key to teaching church leaders how to properly respond to potentially abusive situations. In May, PCAA will be sponsoring a workshop geared to teaching clergy and other church leaders to recognize and deal with not only child abuse, but also all types of victimization within families.
“Domestic violence situations occur even when both parents are attending church,” said Drummond. “For a long time, churches pretended these situations didn’t exist and we (PCAA) had a hard time getting support from the churches. But these situations do exist and a lot can be done to help.”
Child abuse
According to Alabama state law, Alabama Code Section 19-7-5: A child is considered to be abused or neglected if the victim is under age 18 and has had a physical injury or injuries inflicted other than by accidental means by a parent or caretaker or has been neglected or exploited by a parent or caretaker or has been sexually molested.
Forms of Child Abuse
–Physical Abuse
Nonaccidental injury that may include severe beatings, burns, fractures, bruises, welts or other physical problems.
–Physical Neglect
A parent or caretaker allows the child to experience avoidable suffering or fails to provide basic essentials for physical, social and emotional development.
–Sexual Abuse
Exploitation of a child for the sexual gratification of an adult or older child. Sexual abuse includes fondling, sodomy, child prostitution, incest and encouraging or forcing a child to participate in pornographic activities.
–Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse exists when the parent creates a negative emotional atmosphere for the child. Examples are when the parent makes continued unfavorable comparisons to a sibling, when the parent makes the child feel bad because he or she is not perfect, or when the parent uses shameful forms of punishment.
Source: Prevent Child Abuse Alabama
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