(In Honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month)
– Every 35 seconds a child is abused or neglected in the US.
– Every hour a child is displaced due to abuse or neglect in the US.
– An estimated 1,740 children nationally died from abuse or neglect in one year’s time; the majority was 0-4 years old.
If there is one thing I have learned as a parent it is this: every child needs a voice. And as a parent of an adoptive child with a difficult beginning I know a traumatized child’s own voice can often be the quietest thing in the world, a whisper, or a muted gasp played out only in body language. Body language that pleads “help me” but goes unnoticed, unheard. Other times this voice is so loud it loses its meaning in deafening tantrums written off as “behavioral” that must be stopped at all cost – even at the cost of silence. In the end, it is not a voice that many hear or heed.
Sadly, many more children than we realize, children born and raised right here in our own backyard, need a better voice. A voice that will get attention, that will protect them for further neglect and abuse that will guide them and yes, even save them. If we are to reduce the above sobering statistics America’s children must have this voice.
Thankfully, in the American world of children saddled with traumatic pasts, there is someone who will listen. Someone who will interpret the child’s voice so others in places of power and control can hear what is being said. Someone who, armed with a trained ear, can hear the small, silent beseeching or tolerate the shrill anger of a child in need. This someone is the Court Appointed Special Advocate or “CASA.” Last year, more than 70,900 CASA volunteers helped 237,000 abused and neglected children find safe, permanent homes.
CASAs are special people. Fully trained, supervised volunteer advocates appointed by the court, their sole focus are on what is best for the child(ren) assigned to them. In a system that is often plagued by large caseloads, meager funding and complex legal rules that frequently honor the parents’ interests over the child’s, A CASA’s voice may be the only voice on the child’s behalf that the court hears.
Indeed, studies show that children who have been assigned a CASA tend to receive services sooner, for longer duration, and more consistently than those without one. Judges have observed that CASA-advocated children also have better chances of finding permanent homes.
Do you want to give more abused and neglected children of America a voice? If so, make a tax-deductible donation to your local CASA organization by going to www.casaforchildren.org and clicking on “Donate.” Do you feel called to be this voice? If so, call click on “Volunteer” to learn more about being a Court Appointed Special Advocate.