Halley Simpson, a Maternity Specialist wrote the following regarding child abuse.
This is not a time to remain discouraged by the abuse and neglect of children that is taking place in our homes around us, but instead a time for reflection and a preventative course of action. The devastation to Haiti was once again another major reminder of how small we are and the reality of the world we live in. Families have been torn apart and left without food and shelter, and some children are now orphans. Closer to home we will find stories like Amanda Runyon from Illinois who was nearly beater to death by her mother’s boyfriend. Amanda has since then bee released from the hospital and is doing well, but like most child abuse cases this could have possibly been prevented.
An abuser does not wake up one morning and decide to be abusive. It is a progression of stress and anger accompanied by a series of learned abusive behaviors, possibly from experiencing abuse, and poor coping skills. That does not include any other external forces like alcohol or drug abuse, which further the problem. In that same way a mother or father does not decide one day to neglect their child, but similarly it is a result from a series of learned behaviors and physical hardships that leaves one without a livelihood, food, shelter, and even hope.
It is all too easy for us to remove ourselves from the major problems in our personal life, let alone those across the world. We find ourselves in disarray when we hear that our dearest sister has passed on, or in dealing with the economic problems, or to wake up Saturday morning to find the lawn mower is broken. So what can you do about it today? Whatever the solution is it will not be easy. Holy living is not acquired overnight. It requires everyday conscious efforts and actions, it requires purposeful living. In the same way being holy toward your children must be done on purpose (Deut. 6:4-10)
Let us make it a lifestyle to prevent child abuse and neglect. Remember those who have suffered at the hands of abuse and neglect and pray for those who abuse and neglect their children.