by Gale Horinbein, Coordinator, MUSC Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect

During the month of April, Exchange Club centers across America sponsor numerous projects in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention month. Our local center (a program of the Carolina Youth Development Center) raises public awareness of child abuse through the Blue Ribbon Campaign.

This movement began in 1989 when Bonnie Finney, a concerned grandmother, took a stand against child abuse after experiencing the death of her grandson, Michael Wayne Dickenson. She tied a symbolic blue ribbon to her van as a signal to her community of her personal commitment in the battle to stop child abuse. This effort grew to involve many communities and has now spread to hundreds of communities across the nation.

Child maltreatment is serious and often times life threatening, affecting not only children but families and society as well. Current statistics for child abuse and neglect are alarming. In 1996, more than 3 million children were reported for child abuse and neglect to Child Protective Service (CPS) agencies in the United States. More than 1 million of these were substantiated by CPS as victims of child maltreatment.

Every day at least five children die as a result of child abuse or neglect. Since 1985, the rate of child fatalities increased 48 percent and child abuse reporting levels increased 63 percent. According to the 1996 survey, physical abuse represented 23 percent of confirmed cases, sexual abuse, 3 percent, neglect 60 percent, emotional maltreatment 4 percent and other forms of maltreatment 5 percent. Almost 77 percent of the child fatalities were children who were less than 5 years old at the time of their death while 45 percent were below the age of 1 year.

Forty-five percent of the deaths results from neglect, 52 percent from physical abuse and 3 percent from a combination of neglect and physical abuse. Approximately 40 percent of these deaths occurred to children known to CPS agencies as current to prior clients.

America is becoming increasingly more concerned and aware of the problems of child abuse. It is no longer a hidden syndrome. Citizens are taking stronger action in reporting child abuse as it occurs, instead of looking the other way. There has also been a growing awareness of the need to shift our focus towards prevention since once child maltreatment has happened, it can be extremely difficult to rehabilitate the family involved. The Blue Ribbon Campaign is an opportunity to increase public awareness and education. Please get involved. Wear a blue ribbon and contribute to the prevention of child abuse.

For information on programs to prevent child abuse and neglect, contact the Exchange Club Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse at 747-1339. To order blue ribbons or obtain more information regarding child abuse, call 792-8947.