By District Attorney Mike Little

It happens this time of the year pretty much every year. Various governmental bodies will designate April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Generally, the President will issue a national proclamation which designates April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Most of the state governors will issue a similar state proclamation. At the request of local prosecutors or child advocacy organizations, many local government governing bodies and officials will do the same for their respective jurisdictions. One might consider all of this proclaiming and designating as rote or even unnecessary. So what, right? Is this a big deal? Hold on just a minute while I climb out of my chair so that I can proclaim as loud as possible - YES!!!! It IS a big deal!

One of the most insidious facts of child abuse prevention is that quite often people really don't believe that child abuse is a real problem that needs addressing. Most, if not all, of you who are reading this now consider child abuse a foreign concept. You probably don't abuse your children. Your neighbors probably don't abuse their children. You don't see children being abused. You rarely hear about children being abused and when you do hear about it, it seems to always have occurred somewhere else. Therefore, you conclude that child abuse doesn't happen ‽here” so I don't need to concern myself with it. Hold on and let me stand up again… YOU'RE WRONG. YOU DO NEED TO CONCERN YOURSELF WITH IT!

It's great that you don't abuse your children and that your neighbors don't either (as far as you know anyway). It's wonderful that you don't see children being abused. But, don't fool yourself. That doesn't mean that it always happens ‽somewhere else.” That doesn't mean that it's not a problem "here" because it certainly is. Nearly 200,000 children are reported as abused or neglected each year in Texas. Many of these reports deal with children right here in Liberty County. Yes, I said Liberty County.

I'm of the opinion that this false sense of complacency is caused by many myths about child abuse. Let's look a few of them.

MYTH #1: It's only abuse if it's violent or sexual.

Fact: Physical and sexual abuse are just two types of child abuse. Neglect and emotional abuse can be damaging also, and since they are more subtle, others are less likely to intervene.

MYTH #2: Only drunks or dope heads (bad people) abuse children.

Fact: While it might be comforting to say that only "bad people" abuse children, that generalization is not accurate. Not all abusers are people that we would characterize as ‽bad.” Many abusers have been victims of abuse themselves, and don't know any other way to parent. Someone who appears outwardly to be a ‽good” person can be a child abuser.

MYTH #3: Child abuse doesn't happen in ‽good” families.

Fact: Child abuse doesn't only happen in poor families or bad neighborhoods. It crosses all racial, ethnic, economic, and cultural lines. Sometimes, families who outwardly seem to have everything together are hiding a different story behind closed doors.

MYTH #4: Only strangers in trench coats commit child abuse.

Fact: While strangers do commit child abuse, most child abusers are family members or others close to the family.

Yes, Child Abuse Prevention Month is a really big deal because child abuse is a really big problem. What can you do? Educate yourself about child abuse. Contact our local Liberty County CPS office (Department of Family and Protective Services) or our local child advocacy center, Bridgehaven Children's Advocacy Center. They will have information about the definitions and signs of child abuse. Bridgehaven is always in need of volunteers. Get involved! Help us prevent child abuse in a personal way.

Meanwhile, stay safe!

http://www.thevindicator.com/articles/2010/04/07/news/news26.txt