In my eyes, some of the lowest and most despicable people on earth are those who abuse children. It is just not fair when you have a grown man or woman take advantage of a helpless child and physically or mentally abuse them. As I said, these adults are truly the scum of the earth.

Yet, this takes place every single day in our nation, and I am sure all across the world. I don’t have any statistics to back this up, but I think a good part of this is due to adults being high on something or being an alcoholic. While I have never taken any kind of drugs and have never had a drink of alcohol in any form, I love children and would never abuse them. However, there is a vast difference between proper discipline and being abusive. A good example is when my children would cut up and act rowdy in church. If a good stare did not stop them, the next time the memory of bending over the bed and getting a few licks with a belt sure would. 

A few weeks ago, a speaker at our Lions Club meeting added to my knowledge of child abuse. If you are a child abuser, please stop, because no human being should have to go through that. Here is Timothy’s story that was on a piece of literature our speaker handed out. “My name is Timothy and when I was just 9 months old my mom broke my arm. I was away from my mom for a long time (18 months) and a nice lady called a CASA advocate helped me the whole time. My brother and I had to go back to my mom, and I got hurt even worse. I have been in a lot of foster homes and once even had new parents that wanted to adopt me, but one of them hurt me, too. But my CASA stayed with me the whole time. It’s hard sometimes, but she is always there for me.” It was signed Timothy, Age 4. In case you don’t know, CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. 

I am sure you have heard the saying, “Live and Learn,” and this is the path the task of dealing with child abuse in our society has taken. Here is what used to happen when kids needed help with abuse. This is the story of Robin, Age 5: Robin tells her teacher that she is being hurt at home. At school Robin talks with her teacher, her principal, and a school nurse, who also examines her. At this point, the school calls the hotline and police. Then a police officer talks with Robin, then a detective is assigned and takes her to a specialized hospital, where another nurse, social worker, and a doctor talk to her, and she is examined by another doctor. At this point a child protection investigator needs to talk with Robin and then a lawyer. By now a total of 15 people have talked with Robin before anything was ever done. 

Here is the good news: they learned. Today when a child needs help for abuse, they tell their story to a detective, a Child Protective Services worker and an attorney who will all listen as a team. Then Robin sees a doctor and is referred to a counselor who will help her heal. Robin’s mom talks with an advocate who helps her understand the system. Robin comes to a child advocacy center with her mom, and she tells the teacher that she is being hurt by her mom’s new boyfriend at home. The good news is that Robin, in this case, has only talked with three people. This is better but let’s all work to stop child abuse in its tracks.

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)