I remember babysitting my elementary school neighbors back
while I was in high school and serving them the leftover food their parents had
designated for their dinner. The fifth grader wasn’t happy about this meal
choice and grumbled something like, “This is child abuse.”
I was wondering how he even thought to string together a
sentence like this, but then I sat down to watch TV with him that night. The
shows were laced with jokes including children making fun of parents and
parents making fun of children. There was sarcasm and humor about mental
health, abuse, and diseases. Our culture so often covers real issues, real
hurts and real pains with humor. I think we can all agree that real child abuse
is not funny and it’s about time we stop joking and face reality.
In 1974 the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was
signed in as the first Federal child protection legislation and provided the
states with assistance to promote programs to prevent, identify, and treat
child abuse and neglect. A lot has happened since 1974, including the proclamation
of April as the official Child Abuse and Prevention Month.
Clearly, child abuse is an issue that is still a problem
today, and every day. What is most unique about this issue is that it can
affect every single one of us as members of our community. One of the best
things we can do as individuals is to speak up and be an advocate for the
victims.
It is essential that we understand what child abuse is and
what it looks like and call it out
appropriately. Check out the local
websites below for more information. Familiarize yourself with your state and
federal laws and be willing to look beyond any humor or guise to see reality and
act accordingly.
Allegheny
County
