Edgy Mama: Child Abuse Prevention month breaks out the blue

One in five children in Buncombe County has experienced abuse or neglect.

Yes, that number is staggering. It equals more than 4,200 reported cases in 2011. Half of those kids were younger than 6 years old, and the majority were abused by someone they know (and probably trusted). And that distressing number doesn’t represent all of the abused kids. Many incidents go unreported.

“So much of this exists in secrecy,” says Bill McGuire, director of Child Abuse Prevention Services, an Asheville-based prevention, education, and counseling agency.

Most tragic is when the report comes after a child dies at the hands of an abuser — which happens to four children every single day in this country.

In truth, I’d rather not write about child abuse, even from a prevention point of view, because it’s something I’d rather not think about. But not wanting to think or talk about a thing, unfortunately, doesn’t make it go away. Clearly, this isn’t one of my humorous columns. It fact, it’s stomach-twisting in a whole different way. Sorry about that.

April, in addition to being a month of fools and flowers, is Child Abuse Prevention month. You may see symbolic blue ribbons around town this month, thanks in part to CAPS.

“Our primary goal this month is to increase awareness of child abuse prevention and treatment,” McGuire says. “We hope more people will start or increase their efforts to teach personal safety to their kids.”

He notes that this is a preventable tragedy. Educating both caregivers and children does make a difference.

“One of the best things parents can do is to establish true open communication with their kids,” McGuire adds. 

CAPS will be presenting their prevention and personal safety program in city and county schools throughout the month, which offers a great opportunity for parents to talk to kids (saying “no,” your body belongs to you). In addition, CAPS provides the “Becoming a Love and Logic Parent” program — a free parenting education course designed to provide us with practical tools and strategies for raising kids. Strategies are always good, y’all.

CAPS also provides counseling and support to thousands of children each year.

“Children ware so resilient. It never ceases to amaze me,” McGuire says.

While that’s good to hear, it’s not ideal. Not having abuse happen in the first place is preferable.

One of the highlights of the month’s events will be the second Paws for Kids event on April 21. Hundreds of children, adults, and dogs will be walking at Biltmore Park Town Square near the YMCA from 10 a.m. to noon to increase awareness and encourage involvement in protecting both children and animals.

The event, a partnership between CAPS and the Asheville Humane Society, will feature music, dancers, blue bandanas for dogs, blue ribbons for kids, a raffle, pets for adoption, a dog agility demonstration, and more.

“Ironically, there were laws in this country to protect animals long before there were laws to protect kids,” McGuire says.

The Paws for Kids event offers a way to advocate for both. To register for Paws for Kids and to learn more, visit www.childabusepreventionservices.org

If recognition and education can prevent one child from being hurt, that’s a difference. If it can stop many from being abused, that’s huge.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.