April is Child Abuse Prevention month Published April 12, 2011 By Karen Bartholomeo 17th Medical Group GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Have you ever thought that a child you know is being abused? Did you report it? Many people do not for various reasons. Here are a few misconceptions about reporting child abuse from Childhelp USA. When a child abuse tragedy is reported in the media, neighbors often say that they thought something was wrong, yet too often no reports of known or suspected abuse were made to the police or local child protective services agency. According to Childhelp USA, surveys have shown that, although the majority of Americans polled believe that everyone should play a role in stopping child abuse, many people also admit to witnessing child abuse and doing nothing about it. The reasons for not reporting abuse include not knowing where to call and misconceptions regarding what will happen once a report of known or suspected abuse is made to the police or a child protective services agency. Many people incorrectly believe that: · By law, abused children must be removed from their homes immediately, which is the least likely outcome. · Child abuse cannot be reported anonymously. In most states, you don't need to provide your name. · The person reported for abuse is entitled to know who made the report. They are not. Unfortunately, child abuse as well as domestic violence does exist in the Military. With this in mind the DoD Family Advocacy Program was established in 1982 to prevent and address violence in military families. Today, there are almost 200 family programs across the four Military Services, at military installations worldwide. As we make preparations for observing Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, it is important to reflect on the evolution of the FAP and how it can continue to evolve to meet the needs of Service members and their families. Child abuse prevention requires coordinated, collaborative efforts across multiple agencies in both the military and civilian communities. If you suspect someone is abusing a child DoD policy requires that we report it to FAP or civilian child protective services immediately. Federal and state laws also require certain individuals (mandated reporters) to report suspected child abuse to the proper military or civilian authorities. Ideally, making a report can help FAP and command to intervene early on with a family before the situation escalates (i.e., the child is seriously injured or killed). For more information please contact FAP at 654-3122 or the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).
