🧒🏽National Child Abuse Prevention Month

🎗️National Child Abuse Prevention Month, also known as Child Abuse Prevention Month in America, is an annual observance in the United States dedicated to raising awareness and preventing child abuse. April has been designated Child Abuse Prevention Month in the United States since 1983. U.S. President Barack Obama continued that tradition, and in 2016 issued a Presidential proclamation stating: "During National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we recommit to giving every child a chance to succeed and to ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, stable, and nurturing environment that is free from abuse and neglect.

🎗️Definition of child abuse

Child abuse includes:
• physical abuse,
• sexual abuse,
• emotional abuse,
• and neglect (which is the failure to provide a minimum standard of care for a child’s physical and emotional needs.)

Child abuse is seldom a single event. Rather, it occurs with regularity, often increasing in violence. It crosses all boundaries of income, race, ethnicity, and religious faith. A child abuser is usually closely related to the child, such as a parent, step-parent or other caregiver.

In homes where child abuse occurs, fear, instability and confusion replace the love, comfort and nurturing that children need. Abused children live in constant fear of physical harm from a person who is supposed to care for and protect them. They may feel guilt at loving the abuser or blame themselves for causing the violence.

🎗️The impact of child abuse

Victims of child abuse may feel that they are bad and deserve the abuse.  They usually have poor self-esteem.   In addition to physical injuries that may be the result of abuse, child victims may develop eating disorders or sleep disturbances, including nightmares.  They may develop speech disorders or developmental lags in their motor skills.  Many child victims demonstrate some form of self-destructive behavior.  They may develop physical illness such as asthma, ulcers, allergies, or recurring headaches.  Also, they often experience irrational and persistent fears or hatreds and demonstrate either passive or aggressive behavioral extremes.

Trauma in children can take years to manifest; therefore, it is important that victims of child abuse receive counseling as soon as possible after the abuse is disclosed.

🎗️Protective factors are conditions or attributes of individuals, families, communities, or the larger society that reduce or eliminate risk and promote healthy development and well-being of children and families. These factors help ensure that children and youth function well at home, in school, at work, and in the community, today and into adulthood. Protective factors also can serve as buffers, helping parents who might otherwise be at risk of abusing their children to find resources, supports, or coping strategies that allow them to parent effectively, even under stress.
Strong, nurturing communities that are supportive of families can get involved and play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect and promoting child and family well-being.

• 🎗️Since 1963, three times as many children and teens have died from guns on American soil than U.S. soldiers killed in action in the Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq wars. • Gun violence disproportionately affects children of color. In 2010, Black children and teens were nearly five times and Hispanic children and teens were more than three times more likely to be killed by guns than White children and teens.
• United States military and law enforcement agencies possess 4 million guns. U.S. civilians have 310 million. Every year American companies manufacture enough bullets to fire 31 rounds into every one of our citizens

🎗️Purpose of National Child Abuse Prevention Month

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that for National Child Abuse Prevention Month, communities should rededicate themselves to being supportive of families, and play an active role in preventing child abuse and neglect as well as taking positive action to promote child and family well-being. One way the Federal government of the United States provides funding for child-abuse prevention is through Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (CBCAP).

A report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services noted that in FFY 2014 in the United States, an approximately 646,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect, while still another 1,580 children died from abuse or neglect. The majority of child abuse cases result from conditions that can be prevented through community programs, systems, support and interventions.

🎗️Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect

Resources on child abuse prevention, protecting children from risk of abuse, and strengthening families. Includes information on supporting families, protective factors, public awareness, community activities, positive parenting, prevention programs, and more. Also access the National Child Abuse Prevention Month website.

Blogger: Egypt Assanti

ESD Baroness

{aka} Big Sister Southern Heat 🎗️