I know that With the Holidays here it is easy to get caught up in all of the good cheer, eating, drinking, and gift giving. Unfortunately, for a lot of children, they will never get to see this Christmas.

According to Signs of Child Abuse - Childhelp

  • the number of deaths per day due to child abuse is up to 4.11.
  • Three out of four children that die are under the age of 4 years old. (In America)
  • 90% of the victims (under 12) of child rape knew the perpetrator.
  • An estimated 906,000 children are victims of abuse & neglect every year. The rate of victimization is 12.3 children per 1,000 children
  • Children ages 0-3 are the most likely to experience abuse. About 1 in 50 U.S. infants are victims of nonfatal child abuse or neglect in a year, according to the first national study of the problem in that age group done by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention along with The Federal Administration for Children and Families.1
  • 1,500 children die every year from child abuse and neglect. That is just over 4 fatalities every day.
  • 79% of the children killed are younger than 4. (in the U.S.A)
These statistics are heartbreaking. This is unacceptable! The sad thing about this is that most of the abuse that these innocent children and babies are enduring is caused by their own parents. You can hardly watch the news or get on the internet without reading about a parent/stranger abusing and murdering a child. I see more commercials about preventing animal cruelty, saving the world, helping to cure cancer, than I do about preventing child abuse. In fact, I can't recall a single one.

Don't get me wrong, these are all valid charities and I applaud everyone involved in them, but these children have NO ONE to help them. They are defensless and do not deserve to have to endure one ounce of abuse, of any kind. I recently got online to look up active petitions to see what kind of progress is being made and let me tell you..its disheartening.

Here are just a couple that I saw:

  • Under the "Child Abuse Prevention Act" (GoPetition - Free Online Petitions / How to Write a Petition) there were only 6421 petitions.
  • Under the "Tougher Sentences for Animal Abuse", there were 12995 petitions.
  • Under the "Say No To Naming A Harlem Street After A Cop Killer", there was a staggering 45832 petitions. What is wrong with this picture?
We as parents and as human beings need to be more vocal in helping to stop abuse. You can bury your head in the sand and try to ignore the facts and not dwell on it, but the reality is that it is happening and its only going to get worse. We need to promote stricter laws and punishments on those that do abuse their children, the government needs to start monitoring Social Services better, and we need to be more aware of what is going on around us.

Please take the time to at least go online and sign a petition. It literally takes a minute out of your time. The second thing that I would encourage you to do is maybe donate or volunteer. Yes, there are a lot of other charities out there and if you feel led to donate to them, that is great. If you see someone that is abusing their child whether it be verbally, physically, or sexually please do something about it. Don't turn away and ignore it. If their parents/family can't even protect them, who will?

Here are some signs of Child Abuse/Neglect, courtesy of Signs of Child Abuse - Childhelp

The following are a few of the physical and behavioral signs of child abuse and neglect. Please note that the listed signs of child abuse in each category may pertain to more than one type of abuse or neglect. For example, “lack of concentration” could be a sign of sexual abuse, as well as emotional abuse. Those indicated in bold lettering tend to be the most common signs and symptoms.

Physical Signs of Child Abuse
1. Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, or welts in the shape of an object
2. Bite marks
3. Anti-social behavior
4. Problems in school
5. Fear of adults

Emotional Signs of Child Abuse
1. Apathy
2. Depression
3. Hostility or stress
4. Lack of concentration
5. Eating disorders

Sexual Signs of Child Abuse
1. Inappropriate interest or knowledge of sexual acts
2. Nightmares and bed wetting
3. Drastic changes in appetite
4. Overcompliance or excessive aggression
5. Fear of a particular person or family member

Signs of Neglect
1. Unsuitable clothing for weather
2. Dirty or unbathed
3. Extreme hunger
4. Apparent lack of supervision

For a more extensive list of the signs of child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).



Thank you for those that have taken the time to read this. God Bless and have a Merry Christmas.


National Child Abuse Statistics - Childhelp