From Awareness to Action: Preventing Child Abuse in Our Community

With the recent rise in child abuse cases that the media has reported on, I feel the need to address ways to help our most vulnerable children. KSL recently (December 2, 2024) did a story on how many cases of abuse were substantiated statewide. They found that “In 2024 the annual report from DCFS revealed they investigated 48,542 reports of abuse or neglect of a child. The report said that 22, 650 of those cases met the criteria needed to open an investigation by Child Protective Services.” Of those reports 8,792 were confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect in Utah during the year 2024. Utah agency reports thousands of child abuse and neglect cases. I don’t know about you, but that number is unacceptable to me. The numerous children I encountered during my hospital work, each bearing the scars of abuse, transformed this issue from an abstract concern into a deeply meaningful mission for me. Whether it be neglect, physical abuse, SIDS, or Shaken Baby Syndrome, all of it can be prevented. It would break my heart to know that a situation could be prevented with the right resources and education for members of our community, and I stayed silent. My goal is to empower you as a community member to be able to report abuse and neglect. I want to raise awareness about the signs of child abuse so that everyone can be educated on how to report abuse while maintaining a safe and open community where all children are supported.

There are different types of abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, sometimes called psychological abuse, and neglect. The American Psychological Association (APA) has individual definitions of each of these forms of abuse. https://dictionary.apa.org/

Physical Abuse is “deliberately aggressive or violent behavior by one person toward another that results in bodily injury.” Some examples of physical abuse are: Hitting a child with a hand or an object like a belt, which leaves bruises or cuts and causes pain. Shaking, pushing, choking, punching, painful grabbing, and kicking are also forms of physical abuse.

Sexual abuse is “any nonconsensual or exploitative sexual behavior or activity imposed on an individual without their consent. Although the term typically is used with reference to any sexual contact between adults and children, sexual abuse can also occur in any relationship of trust.”

Emotional abuse (Psychological abuse) is “a pattern of behavior in which one person deliberately and repeatedly subjects another to nonphysical acts that are detrimental to behavioral and affective functioning and overall mental well-being.” Unlike physical abuse, it leaves no visible scars, making it challenging to detect and address. This insidious form of abuse can manifest in various ways, including harsh criticism, name-calling, shaming, threatening, and withholding love and affection. Children who experience emotional abuse may exhibit a range of behavioral and psychological symptoms, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and difficulty forming relationships.

Neglect is “the denial of attention, care, or affection considered essential for the normal development of a child’s physical, emotional, and intellectual qualities, usually due to indifference from, disregard by, or impairment in the child’s caregivers.” Examples of neglect include inadequate provision of basic necessities such as food (leading to malnutrition), clothing, or shelter. It also encompasses educational neglect, such as not ensuring regular school attendance, as well as medical neglect, where necessary healthcare is not provided. These forms of neglect can significantly impact a child’s well-being and future.

The CDC lists a number of strategies that aid in reducing and preventing child abuse and neglect. About Child Abuse and Neglect | Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention | CDC These strategies are designed to help the entire family and not just the child who is being abused. When you strengthen the entire family with support such as increasing family income, supporting families by lifting the pressure families feel from neighbors, church, and social peer groups, and by giving families tools they can use, like positive parenting, abuse is decreased. Strengthening family income, using programs such as employment assistance, subsidized childcare vouchers, family-friendly work policies (paid parental leave, paid sick leave, and flexible and consistent schedules), food programs like SNAP and WIC, pressure on families is decreased. Increasing community activities and places for parents and children to meet each other so they can build relationships will strengthen the entire family and lead to more social connections and positive parenting. Positive parenting is rooted in nurturing, as it is essential for children to feel special, loved, and empowered to pursue their dreams. As part of being a positive parent, one could use an intervening strategy to lessen immediate and long-term harm. One of the intervening strategies is the use of discipline. Effective discipline plays a crucial role in teaching children the following: accountability, the distinction between right and wrong, responsible vs irresponsible behavior, and self-control. Through appropriate and consistent discipline, children learn about consequences and the importance of taking accountability for their behavior while also learning self-control. The goal is to encourage the child to learn to manage both their feelings and behavior without using physical punishment. Use privileges to encourage good behavior and time-outs to help your child regain their self-control. Additionally, providing quality care and educational support early in life, enhancing your parenting skills, and engaging with other parents in the community can significantly promote healthy child development. Something as little as starting a playgroup for children, supporting after-school activities like mentoring programs, and parent education classes will aid and support both the parent and child’s social and emotional well-being.

Some of the programs that Utah must help families prevent child abuse and neglect are Parent as Teachers, Nurse-Family Partnership, and The Period of Purple Crying. These and other programs to help parents are found in the links below. I want to give you a brief overview of what each of these programs does and how it can be useful.

Parent as Teachers, an evidence-based home visiting program that matches a specifically trained home visitor to provide one-on-one support for parents during the critical early years of child development ages zero to five. This can help parents understand how a child is developing to reduce parental frustration that can lead to child abuse.

Nurse-Family Partnerships is a free program for eligible women living in poverty who are pregnant with their first baby. Enrolled moms are connected to a registered nurse who will provide the emotional and mental support needed to first-time moms. Nurses can give advice and information that the mom needs to have a healthy baby, and answer questions that first-time moms may have to help empower them to become a great mom! Nurse Family Partnerships is a great program to help moms have more support and gain confidence in themselves as parents, and by providing free or low-cost health care. By helping mom be less likely to have stress, both mom and baby will be healthier and happier.

The Period of Purple Crying is an evidence-based shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma prevention program. The program approaches SBS/AHT and infant abuse prevention by helping parents and caregivers understand the frustrating features of crying in normal healthy infants that can lead to shaking or abuse. It’s normal for all babies to cry. The period of purple crying can help parents identify the differences in the cries their babies use to communicate their needs and wants.

Parents as teachers, Nurse-Family Partnerships, and The Period of Purple Crying are all resources that are available to help families in crisis. There are many other resources throughout the state that can help you to make sure the children you love don’t become a statistic. Child abuse isn’t just a statistic—it’s a heartbreaking reality that can happen in our own communities. Understanding the signs and taking action to prevent abuse is more crucial than ever in Utah, where one in seven children faces the risk of harm. By empowering your child to know they have the right to be safe, they are less likely to think abuse is their fault and more likely to report it to a trusted adult. Together, we can make a difference and protect our most vulnerable. Please know that we understand how overwhelming it can be to learn that a child who you love and adore has been abused. Help Me Grow is here to assist you in finding the resources and help you need to survive and help a child become free from abuse in the home or community in which you live.

In conclusion, I wanted to empower you as a community member by giving you resources. These resources are available to help families who require assistance due to abuse or neglect. Below are more details about these agencies.