04-02-2004
Preventing Child Abuse: Each of Us Has a Role to Play
Wisconsin citizens were stunned by the recent story coming
out of Juneau County, in which a 17-year-old girl was
allegedly abused over a period of years. This case
represents just one of the over 40,000 reports of child
abuse that are made yearly in Wisconsin. As part of an
effort to protect our state’s most vulnerable children,
Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin is pleased to announce that
Governor Jim Doyle has proclaimed April as Child Abuse
Prevention Month. This designated month gives each of us the
opportunity to think about what role we can play in
preventing child abuse and neglect.
‘We’re hearing from many people across the state that they
want to help keep children from being abused and neglected
but they’re not sure what to do,’ explained Patti Herman,
Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin. ‘We
have a unique opportunity during Child Abuse Prevention
Month to focus public attention on this issue and help the
concerned citizens across Wisconsin find ways that they can
be involved in keeping our children safe.’
According to Herman, there are a number of things that
people can do to make it more likely that all children will
grow up safe and healthy.
- Be a nurturing parent
- Help a friend, neighbor, or relative if they are having
difficulty with their parenting responsibilities.
- Help yourself. If you start feeling stressed or
overwhelmed, take time out. Don’t take it out on your child.
- Be a friend to the children in your life. Get to know
them and help them feel comfortable coming to you if they
feel unsafe in any aspect of their lives.
- Realize that sometimes children aren’t able to tell us
when they are being abused or neglected. Often it is their
behavior that will indicate that something is wrong. Pay
special attention to significant changes in children’s
behavior or to behaviors that indicate that a child is
fearful around a particular individual.
- Get involved in programs in your community that support
parents and children.
- Report suspected child abuse or neglect. Children need
adults to take responsibility for helping keep them safe. If
you think a child is being abused or neglected, call your
local department of human services or contact Prevent Child
Abuse Wisconsin at 1-800-CHILDREN to get the phone number
for reporting in your community. If you think a child is in
immediate danger, call 911.
‘We know that no child is immune from child abuse but we
also know that child abuse can be prevented,’ says Herman.
‘We encourage individuals and organizations to contact us to
learn more about how they can be involved in preventing the
abuse of our children.’
Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin builds community resources,
provides training and public awareness, and carries out
advocacy activities in order to strengthen child abuse
prevention efforts in Wisconsin. This non-profit
organization has been in existence since 1978 and is a state
chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. For more
information on how you can help prevent child abuse and
neglect contact Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin at
1-800-CHILDREN or visit www.preventchildabusewi.org.
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