NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH

Recognizing the alarming rate at which children continued to be abused and neglected and the need for innovative programs to prevent child abuse and assist parents and families affected by maltreatment, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives resolved that the week of June 6-12, 1982, should be designated as the first National Child Abuse Prevention Week. They asked the President to issue a proclamation calling upon Government agencies and the public to observe the week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
The following year, April was proclaimed the first National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Since then, child abuse and neglect awareness activities have been promoted across the country during April of each year.
The federal law does not give definitions for all types of abuse such as physical, neglect or emotional abuse, but it does give a definition child sexual abuse.
TITLE 42 - THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE/CHAPTER 67 - CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT AND ADOPTION REFORM/SUBCHAPTER I - GENERAL PROGRAM: 5106g
(4) the term “sexual abuse” includes—
(A) the employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct or simulation of such conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct; or
(B) the rape, and in cases of caretaker or inter-familial relationships, statutory rape, molestation, prostitution, or other form of sexual exploitation of children, or incest with children;
As you can see it is not a very full definition. I am aware that each state also have their laws, but I still have to ask the question are our children any better protected in 2008 than they were in the 50’s and 60’s when I was being sexually abused?
I also feel the need to raise a question most people feel uncomfortable with. When I was training as a medic in the military during the Vietnam War, I did my training in Texas. Part of my training was on the burn unit. I was unable to complete my entire rotation there. Working with burn patients was the only thing I found I simply could not do, but I was there long enough to learn the difference between first, second, and third degree burns. Why do I bring this up? Because I think there should be a language for talking about childhood sexual abuse that takes into account the different factors of the experience.
There is a way of talking about the severity of burns or pain. Has your doctor ever asked you to rate your pain on a scale of 1-10? I am not trying to say that a child touched in a sexual way has not suffered abuse. Most of the folks that have been sexually abused from an early age by a family member or someone close to the family and over a long period of time are either locked up on the backward of a state hospital or commits suicide at an early age.
Our ways of coping are different and believe it or not we recognize each other with very few words being exchanged. I had that experience with a lady in Florida and everyone wondered how I knew and why she was drawn to me when she turned away from most people.
I am saying we need a language that addresses the severity, physical pain associated with it and longevity of the sexual abuse along with what coping strategy the person used to endure the ordeal. If one created people to survive then the help needed is certainly different from a person who used another mechanism.
The language may be out there and I have just not been exposed to it. If that is true then will you please tell me where to find it? If it is not then help me develop it. We need a language that reflects the truth not some theory from an ivory tower. I was not abused in an ivory tower. It began in an Appalachian barn.
You can reach me directly at edcooper@projectdreamagain.com
{Being on this resource list does not imply their endorsement of this BLOG.}
www.mentalhealthministries.net
www.pathways2promise.org
www.mentalhealthchaplain.org
www.annafoundation.org
www.ncmentalhope.org
www.faithnet.nami.org