By Debby Schamber
The Orange Leader

Officials with Child Protective Services want to paint the town blue to recognize April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The Blue Ribbon Child Abuse Prevention Campaign started in 1989 after a child’s death. The child’s grandmother received the news of her grandson’s traumatic death from injuries inflicted by his parents. As an expression of her grief and outrage she tied a blue ribbon on the antennae of her van to symbolize the bruised and battered body of her grandson, according to information from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Child Protective Services kicked off a month-long campaign Sunday, hoping raise public awareness and eventually stop child abuse. To help get the program get started, a candlelight vigil and blue ribbon campaign will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Orange County Courthouse.

“This is to remember the victims and bring awareness to the community,” said Shari Pulliam, public awareness officer the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. “Everyone is invited to attend.”

Last year 227 Texas children died from the abuse or neglect at the hands of their parents or guardians.

The focus for the campaign this year is there is “no excuse for child abuse.”

Child abuse prevention is about stopping child abuse and neglect before it starts. The best way to prevent child abuse is to support families and provide parents with the skills and resources they need.

The public can have an active role in prevention of child abuse by being aware of the signs.

“It is important for the community to be aware of the problems of child abuse and to learn what to do,” said Jane Nielsen, volunteer coordinator/ public relations for CASA.

Injury to a child is considered abuse regardless whether the caretaker intended the incident to happen or not. A person should suspect abuse if the child has frequent injuries without adequate explanations or complains of pain without obvious injury.

A person suspicious of child abuse may look for burns or bruises in unusual patterns that may indicate cigarette burns, the use of an instrument or even a human bite. To hide the marks a child may wear unseasonable clothing. The child may also disappear for a few days and the re-urface with injuries that appear to be a few days old.

Furthermore, a child may act out emotionally by becoming aggressive, disruptive, and have destructive behavior. On the other hand, a child may become withdrawn, passive, have emotionless behavior and a fear of going home or seeing the parents.

“It is important for the victims of abuse to know it is never their fault,” Pulliam said. “The kids can’t blame themselves and say if only they cleaned their room or did something different then it would not have happened.”

Child neglect is also a form of child abuse. Neglect is just as harmful and is a failure to provide basic needs to sustain the life or health of the child. However, this excludes failure to provide based on financial status unless services or help has been offered and refused.

A person may suspect neglect if a child suffers from obvious malnourishment or is stealing or begging for food. Furthermore, a child may have a lack of personal cleanliness and have torn or dirty clothing. In addition, the child may be left unattended at home or be absent from school frequently.

Child abuse and neglect is against the law in Texas, so is the failure to report the abuse. If a person suspects a child is abused they can call law enforcement or CPS at 1-800-252-5400. The hotline is answered 24 hours a day, every day. If the situation is life threatening, the person should call 911.

Reporters are not expected to prove the abuse or neglect they report. It is best to be specific of the injuries noted and the incidents observed. A delay in reporting the incident may result in serious harm to the child and it is also best for the investigator to see the injuries or bruises before they fade.

If a person fails to report suspected child abuse it may result in the person being charged with a Class B misdemeanor which can carry a fine up to $1,500 and up to 180 days of imprisonment.

Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2613, or dschamber@orangeleader.com

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Emphasis added by H4K Editor