Facebook is overrun with cartoons and it's for a good cause. Every person who has changed their picture to that of their favourite childhood cartoon is (supposedly) advocating for the same thing. Awareness of the problem of Child Abuse.
Everyone knows someone who has been affected by child abuse, whether they know it or not. Someone in your life might very well have gone through the horrors that is a life of violence, neglect, emotional and psychological degradation, or sexual abuse.
It might have been at the hands of a family member, children or adults at school, in the community or in so many other forms. They may be a victim now, or they may be survivor of the pain.
They might have grown up into strong, passionate and caring individuals, whose life doesn't seem to reflect a childhood of pain, anguish and fear.
Or they might be angry, broken people still devastated by what they went through and blaming a system that let them down and didn't save them.
They might have been bullied in school, having adults ignore their suffering. That's abuse.
They might have grown up in a home where they were told they were useless, stupid, ugly, or worthless. That's abuse.
They might have be left so much to their own resources that they were faced with neglect. Nobody feeds them, cares for them, and they are left alone to take care of themselves even if they are just children. That's abuse.
They might have been physically hurt by the people charged with taking care of them. Beaten by parents, guardians, or their siblings. That's abuse.
They might have been sexually violated or exploited. The same potential culprits; parents, guardians, family members, siblings or members of the community. That's abuse.
With adults there is still abuse, on an equally and sometimes more vast scale.
Physical abuse, beatings, emotional abuse, forcible confinement, cutting them off from friends and loved ones, being told they're worthless and deserve the abuse, having their financial situation devastated by their partners, having their possessions and property damaged, and sexual abuse. That is abuse.
And too often we're completely unaware of the abuse that people close to us go through. Afraid or unable to talk about it, victims grow up, live through it and never talk about what happened or is still happening to them. Many, hopefully, become survivors.
Many don't.
Sometimes the abuse kills them. Whether it is the abuser that kills them, intentionally or not, or the build up the emotional destruction. It turns to depression, it turns to suicide.
Survivors sometimes give up, dealing with the past is too much and they take their own lives.
Sometimes children don't grow up, because they don't get that opportunity. And sometimes they grow up too fast. Taking care of themselves, their siblings and sometimes, their parents.
So now you're aware.
What are you going to do about it?
Because awareness is only the first step. Once you're aware of the problem the expectation is that you will be moved to do something. To help those in need, because you are so blessed to not be in their position.
Maybe you have been. I know a lot of people recovering from being in a place of abuse, of bullying, or torment and pain and who have survived.
Some are still in the process of healing, and will be for a long time.
So what can you do? How can you help?
Hug a social worker. They're doing everything in their power to help those coming out of abuse, and trying so hard to prevent it, stop in and be there for those that have endured it. But its not easy and sometimes they need a reminder that what they're doing matters.
Donate your time, energy, money and prayers to the organization of your choice. Women's shelters, children's agencies like The Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA, Kid's Help Phone, UNICEF, International Justice Mission, Churches, the RCMP, anyone. Don't just sit back and let this happen.
Familiarize yourself with the signs that a child might be abused and when they tell you what's happening, listen! Go to the RCMP's website and read up on Child Abuse. http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/ccaps-spcca/chi-enf-eng.htm#tphp
Don't let awareness be your last step. When all the faces come back on facebook, don't forget the children we were representing. Don't let abuse become okay, because it's not.
