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Awareness is Key

Amigos’ There’s NO Excuse For Child Abuse® is more than just an overarching theme, it’s a criteria that we live by because, tragically, three children die each day as a result of abuse or neglect. Our mission is to prevent child abuse and neglect by valuing children, strengthening families and educating communities; it truly breaks our hearts to know that national statistics confirm that almost one million children don’t know what it’s like to be safe and sound in their homes.

Did you know?

  • 4M
    cases of abuse and neglect were reported
  • 4-5
    CHILDREN DIE EVERY DAY AS A RESULT OF ABUSE OR NEGLECT
  • 4/5
    OF FATALITIES WERE CAUSED BY ONE OR MORE PARENTS
  • 74.8%
  • OF CHILD FATALITIES IN 2015 WERE LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD
  • OVER 4 MILLION REFERRALS OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT WERE 7.2 MILLION CHILDREN. OVER 4 CHILDREN DIE EVERY DAY AS A RESULT OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT. MORE THAN 75 % OF FATALITIES WERE CAUSED BY ONE OR MORE PARENTS.

Statistics on Abuse

  • 75%
    Suffered neglect
  • 17%
    Suffered physical abuse
  • 8%
    Suffered sexual abuse
  • 6%
    Suffered physical maltreatment
  • 2%
    Suffered medical neglect

  • Most children were abused by a parent or caregiver.

    A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds.

Prevention

We all have a role to play in building strong communities in which families and children are valued and supported.

It is in these kinds of communities that children are safest from abuse and neglect. Here are some things you can do as a concerned individual.

Learn More

Ways You Can Help

Promote protective factors for healthy families.

  • Promote early bonding and nurturing throughout childhood
  • Develop knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development to help children reach their full potential
  • Recognize and support parental resiliency (ability to handle stressors and recover from occasional crises)
  • Encourage social connections to build a stronger base of parenting support
  • Address concerns related to resources for concrete supports for parents

Build a support network by getting involved in your neighborhood.

  • Develop friendly relationships with your neighbors and their children. Problems often seem less overwhelming when you have support nearby
  • Get involved in your child’s school. Join the parent-teacher organization and attend school events
  • Talk to your friends and neighbors about child abuse and how to prevent it

Learn how your community supports children and families

The following programs may be offered through schools, healthcare clinics, social service agencies or community or faith-based organizations:

  • Parent education programs teach parents about child development and parenting skills
  • Home-visiting programs provide social support, education, and crisis intervention to families at risk for abuse. (See Healthy Families America’s Website)
  • Substance abuse treatment programs can help parents overcome problems with alcohol or other drugs
  • Well-baby programs provide health and education services to new parents
  • Childcare programs offer affordable childcare services. This may allow parents to maintain full-time jobs or stay in school while keeping their children safe.
  • Respite care provides relief to families with a child or other family member who is ill or has a disability
  • Parent mentor programs match experienced stable parents with parents at risk for abuse. Mentors provide support and model positive parenting skills.
  • Family support centers offer an array of preventive support services, including many of those listed above, as well as referral to other community services (See Family Support America’s Website.)
  • Parent support groups offer a place for parents to meet and discuss parenting issues, exchange ideas, and offer support. To access and view schedules of our programs and services please go to events in our Web site.

Take part in community prevention efforts

  • Help local organizations distribute educational materials on parenting and child abuse prevention
  • Encourage local schools or other community organizations to provide parenting education
  • Offer to speak to the media and other groups about your own experiences as a parent. Parents Anonymous® Inc. has a resource guide, Media Guide for Parent Leaders, that may be helpful. (See Parents Anonymous® Inc.’s Web site.)
  • Organize a fundraiser or a food drive to support an organization that helps families in your community
  • Offer to teach a seminar on strengthening marriages. Talk with others at community events (neighborhood fairs, back-to-school nights, holiday festivals) about why it is important to have a healthy marriage and how they can strengthen marriages in their communities
  • Provide friendship and guidance to parents and children who need your help by volunteering for programs such as Befriend-a-Child or Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
  • Contact your elected officials and ask them to support funding for prevention efforts and policies that support children and families
  • Make a donation to an organization that works to prevent child abuse. You can donate money, or give clothing, food, or toys to a social service agency that helps families in your community
  • Start or join a community coalition to prevent child abuse and neglect

Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect: Signs and Symptoms

Year Published: 2007

Introduction

The first step in helping abused or neglected children is learning to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect. The presence of a single sign doesn’t prove child abuse is occurring in a family; however, when these signs appear repeatedly or in combination, you should take a closer look at the situation and consider the possibility of child abuse.

If you do suspect a child is being harmed, reporting your suspicions may protect the child and get help for the family. Contact your local child protective services agency or police department.

Recognizing Child Abuse

The following signs may signal the presence of child abuse or neglect.

The Child:

  • Shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance
  • Has not received help for physical or medical problems brought to the parents’ attention
  • Has learning problems (or difficulty concentrating) that cannot be attributed to specific physical or psychological causes
  • Is always watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen
  • Lacks adult supervision
  • Is overly compliant, passive, or withdrawn
  • Comes to school or other activities early, stays late, and does not want to go home

The Parent:

  • Shows little concern for the child
  • Denies the existence of—or blames the child for—the child’s problems in school or at home
  • Asks teachers or other caretakers to use harsh physical discipline if the child misbehaves
  • Sees the child as entirely bad, worthless, or burdensome
  • Demands a level of physical or academic performance the child cannot achieve
  • Looks primarily to the child for care, attention, and satisfaction of emotional needs

The Parent and Child:

  • Rarely touch or look at each other
  • Consider their relationship entirely negative
  • State that they do not like each other

Types of Abuse

The following are some signs often associated with the four particular types of child abuse and neglect: physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. It’s important to note, however, these types of abuse are more typically found in combination than alone. A physically abused child, for example, is often emotionally abused as well, and a sexually abused child also may be neglected.

Signs of Physical Abuse

Consider the possibility of physical abuse when the child:

  • Has unexplained burns, bites, bruises, broken bones or black eyes
  • Has fading bruises or other marks noticeable after an absence from school
  • Seems frightened of the parent or caregiver and protests or cries when it is time to go home
  • Shrinks at the approach of adults
  • Reports injury by a parent or another adult caregiver

Consider the possibility of physical abuse when the parent or other adult caregiver:

  • Offers conflicting, unconvincing, or no explanation for the child’s injury
  • Describes the child as “evil,” or in some other very negative way
  • Uses harsh physical discipline with the child
  • Has a history of abuse as a child

Signs of Neglect

Consider the possibility of neglect when the child:

  • Is frequently absent from school
  • Begs or steals food or money.
  • Lacks needed medical or dental care, immunizations or glasses
  • Is consistently dirty and has severe body odor
  • Lacks sufficient clothing for the weather
  • Abuses alcohol or other drugs
  • States that there is no one at home to provide care
  • Has unattended physical or medical problems

Consider the possibility of neglect when the parent or other adult caregiver:

  • Appears to be indifferent to the child
  • Seems apathetic or depressed
  • Behaves irrationally or in a bizarre manner
  • Is abusing alcohol or other drugs

Signs of Sexual Abuse

Consider the possibility of sexual abuse when the child:

  • Has difficulty walking or sitting due to pain, bleeding, redness or swelling in anal or genital area.
  • Suddenly refuses to change for gym or to participate in physical activities
  • Reports nightmares or bedwetting
  • Experiences a sudden change in appetite
  • Demonstrates bizarre, sophisticated, or unusual sexual knowledge or behavior
  • Age-inappropriate sexual play with toys, self or others
  • Becomes pregnant or contracts a venereal disease, particularly if less than 14 years old
  • Runs away
  • Reports sexual abuse by a parent or another adult caregiver

Consider the possibility of sexual abuse when the parent or other adult caregiver:

  • Is unduly protective of the child or severely limits the child’s contact with other children, especially of the opposite sex
  • Is secretive and isolated
  • Is jealous or controlling with family members

Signs of Emotional Maltreatment

Consider the possibility of emotional maltreatment when the child:

  • Shows extremes in behavior, such as overly compliant or demanding behavior, extreme passivity or aggression
  • Is either inappropriately adult (parenting other children, for example) or inappropriately infantile (frequently rocking or head-banging, for example)
  • Is delayed in physical or emotional development
  • Has attempted suicide.
  • Reports a lack of attachment to the parent

Consider the possibility of emotional maltreatment when the parent or other adult caregiver:

  • Constantly blames, belittles or berates the child
  • Is unconcerned about the child and refuses to consider offers of help for the child’s problems
  • Overtly rejects the child
SIX PROTECTIVE FACTORS

We all have a role to play in building strong communities in which families and children are valued and supported.

It is in these kinds of communities that children are safest from abuse and neglect. Here are some things you can do as a concerned individual.

SIX PROTECTIVE FACTORS

  1. Concrete Support
    • Families who can meet their own basic needs for food, clothing, housing, and transportation – and who know how to access essential services such as childcare, health care, and mental health services to address family-specific needs and are better able to ensure the safety and well-being of their children.
  2. Nurturing and Attachment
    • Research consistently shows children who receive affection and nurturing from a consistent caregiver have the best chance of growing up to be happy, healthy and productive. Research also shows these children do better academically, behaviorally, and have an increased ability to cope with stress
  3. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development
    • Children thrive when parents provide not only affection, but also respectful communication and listening, consistent rules and expectations, and safe opportunities that promote independence.
  4. Social Connections
    • Parents with a social network of emotionally supportive friends, family, and neighbors often find that it is easier to care for their children and themselves.
  5. Resilience
    • Parents who can cope with the stresses of everyday life, as well as an occasional crisis, have resilience; they have the flexibility and inner strength necessary to bounce back when things are not going well.
  6. Social and Emotional Competence
    • Children’s early experiences of being nurtured and developing a positive relationship with caring adults affects all aspects of behavior and development.