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9/11-15/08 
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HELL IS FOR CHILDREN 
FACTS & LINKS
Child abuse and neglect is reaching epidemic proportions with disastrous consequences. Judges, lawyers, physicians and other community professionals agree that tax dollars would be best spent preventing abuse and preserving families. Unfortunately, adequate resources have not been invested by state and Federal government to make significant prevention possible. One problem is that on both these levels the political constituency necessary to meet the needs of children has not been organized.
It is clear that children and families need advocates. They need a concerned body of individuals who are willing to champion their rights and fight for advances in services that benefit children.
They need you.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 2003, approximately 906,000 children were victims and an estimated 1,500 children died of abuse or neglect.
FACTS
1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).
What To Do If You Suspect Child Abuse
Suggestions from the Child Welfare League of America:
If it is an emergency, call your local police department. They can ensure the immediate safety of a child and get medical attention if needed.
Call your state or local child abuse hotline.
If you are unsure how to report, contact Childhelp USA® National Child Abuse Hotline by telephone at
1-800-4-A-CHILD® or through their website at www.childhelpusa.org for information about how to report in your community.
Remember....
Suspicion of abuse is all that is necessary to file a report
Your information can be given anonymously
You will be asked to describe your concerns about the child and it will be helpful if you can provide:
the child's name, age, address, gender, school attended (if possible), and names of parents.
Increase Federal Funding for Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Services (i.e., CAPTA, PSSF, and SSBG)
Fully Fund the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA): CAPTA embodies the federal commitment to preventing child maltreatment, but has not been funded adequately to meet the demand for community-based prevention programs. In FY 2009, Prevent Child Abuse America urges Congress to fund CAPTA programs at their fully authorized levels:
Fully funding CAPTA state grants, which provide funds for states to improve child protective services, will shorten the time that post-investigative services are delivered, and increase the number of children and families who receive these services.
Fully funding CAPTA community-based grants,which help states develop and implement effective approaches to preventing child abuse and neglect, will provide communities with additional support to implement effective prevention strategies such as parenting education, home visiting programs, mutual self-help support groups for parents, and crisis nurseries.
Fully funding CAPTA discretionary research and demonstration grants will help pay for valuable data collection, technical assistance, and grant-funded research and demonstration projects.
Fully Fund Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF): PSSF grants help states pay for family support, family preservation, family reunification, and adoption support. Unfortunately, Congress provided just $63.3 million for the PSSF discretionary grant in FY 2008, $25 million less than was provided the year before, and $136.7 million short of the authorized level. Prevent Child Abuse America urges Congress to fully fund the PSSF discretionary grant at the authorized level of $200 million in FY 2009. Funding the PSSF discretionary grant at $200 million will promote the expansion of family support services in communities across the nation and provide more intensive help for families in crisis. Research is clear that by investing in positive outcomes for children and families, family support and family strengthening programs can also lead to fewer incidences of child abuse and neglect.
Fully Fund the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG): HHS reports that SSBG funded preventive services for 29 percent of the total child recipients of preventive services in 2005. Despite the many critical services that SSBG makes possible, funding for the block grant has been chipped away over the past decade from a high of $2.8 billion a year to its current authorized level of $1.7 billion a year. The Administration's previous budget requests have proposed to further cut SSBG by $500 million. If enacted, this 30 percent cut will result in the reduction or elimination of critical services and programs. Prevent Child Abuse America urges Congress to fully fund SSBG at $1.7 billion in FY 2009.LINKS
The following are websites and toll-free hotlines (some are recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration) that may also prove useful to you.Child Abuse
Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-4-A-CHILD
(1-800-422-4453)
www.childhelpvillage.com
The Childhelp USA® National Child Abuse Hotline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico. Approximately 134,000 callers are assisted annually with Childhelp USA's abuse hotline.
The Childhelp hotline is staffed with professional counselors who utilize a database of thousands of emergency, social service and support resources. Since the 1982 inception of the Childhelp hotline, more than 2 million calls have been received from children in the midst of abuse, troubled parents, individuals concerned that abuse is occurring, and others requesting child abuse information.
The child abuse hotline offers crisis intervention, information, literature and referrals. State-of-the-art technology provides translators in approximately 140 languages. (source: Childhelp USA)Child Abuse Awareness
www.child-abuse-blog.blogspot.com
This site was created to bring to the forefront the sad reality of child abuse throughout the world in the 21st century. The site contains blogs, information and links to other sites dealing with abuse of all kinds.Child Care
Child Care Aware
1-800-424-2246
www.childcareaware.orgChoosing child care is an important decision. Good child care arrangements can improve the daily lives of children and parents. In addition, children in high quality care have higher levels of success when they enter school. (source: Child Care Aware)
Law and Parents
www.lawandparents.co.uk/home.htmThe extent to which we can be held responsible for our children's behaviour can be a merky area. This site explains the law and your rights.
Lawyers for Children
www.lawyersforchildren.orgLawyers For Children is a New York City based not-for-profit corporation that provides free legal and social work services to children in foster care and to children who are involved in high conflict custody or visitation cases. We have compiled a list of local and national links to child advocates, government agencies and other organizations of interest to our clients and their guardians.
Parenting Teens
www.parentingteens.comInformation and articles for teen parenting, troubled teens, teen education, teen boot camps. Also provide parents to offer their views about military schools, boarding schools and parenting issues.
Teen Boot Camps
www.teenbootcamps.comInformation about various teen boot camps and military pre-training camps for teens and troubled teens.
Mountain Homes Youth Ranch
www.mhyr.comMHYR is a therapeutic wilderness treatment program for troubled teenagers ages 12-17 that operates on a 15,000 acre working ranch in Northwest Colorado. The MHYR program has been featured on the Dr. Phil show and received students from the show who needed therapy.
Mental Health
FindCounseling.com
Phone: 708.445.9800
Toll-free: 877.735.6442
Fax: 312.275.7369
www.findcounseling.comFindCounseling.com is a mental health portal and searchable directory of therapists, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and marriage and family therapists. Its features include a glossary, journal articles, and self-help resources. The website features psychologists around the country and the other resources can be of use to anyone around the globe.
Domestic Violence
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Telephone 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
TDD 1-800-787-3224
www.ndvh.orgYour support and encouragement can be of tremendous value to a friend involved in an abusive relationship. You can ease the isolation and loss of control by listening, providing information and helping your friend to explore options. (source: National Domestic Violence Hotline)
Missing Children
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
1-800-THE-LOST
(1-800-843-5678)
www.missingkids.com
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s® (NCMEC) mission is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.Runaways
National Runaway Switchboard
1-800-621-4000
1-800-RUNAWAY
www.nrscrisisline.orgEvery day 1.3 million runaway and homeless youth live on the streets of America. One out of every seven children will run away before the age of 18. Each year approximately 5,000 runaway and homeless youth die from assault, illness, and suicide. (source: National Runaway Switchboard)
Abuse Survivors
Abuse World (United Kingdom). Committed to raising awareness and reducing the stigma of mental health; focusing on abuse and providing information, advice and support.
www.abuse-survivors.org.uk/News Item:
345 arrested, kids rescued in prostitution bustsBy LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
Hundreds of people have been arrested and 21 children rescued in what the FBI is calling a five-day roundup of networks of pimps who force children into prostitution.
The Justice Department says it targeted 16 cities as part of its "Operation Cross Country" that caps off five years of similar stings nationwide.
Many of the children forced into prostitution are either runaways or what authorities call "thrown-aways" — kids whose families have shunned them. Officials say they are preyed upon by organized networks of pimps who lure them in with shelter or drugs, then often beat, starve or otherwise abuse them until the children agree to work the streets.
"We together have no higher calling than to protect our children and to safeguard their innocence," FBI Director Robert Mueller said Wednesday. "Yet the sex trafficking of children remains one of the most violent and unforgivable crimes in this country."
In all, authorities arrested 345 people — including 290 adult prostitutes — during the operation that ended this week. Since 2003, 308 pimps and hookers have been convicted in state and federal courts of forcing youngsters into prostitution, and 433 child victims have been rescued, Mueller said.
The cities targeted in this week's sting are: Atlanta; Boston; Dallas; Detroit; Houston; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Miami; Montgomery County, Md.; Oakland, Calif.; Phoenix; Reno, Nev.; Sacramento, Calif.; Tampa; Toledo, Ohio and Washington.
The problem of child prostitution has taken on a new urgency in recent years with the growth of online networks where pimps advertise the youngsters to clients. The FBI generally investigates child prostitution cases that cross state lines.
The cases aren't easy to convict.
In April 2006, for example, charges against a Nevada man resulted in a hung jury after his 14-year-old victim refused to testify against him. Months later, however, a second jury found Juan Rico Doss of Reno, Nev., guilty of forcing two girls — ages 14 and 16 — to sell sex in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and Oakland.
A University of Pennsylvania study estimates nearly 300,000 children in the United States are at risk of being sexually exploited for commercial uses — "most of them runaways or thrown-aways," said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
"These kids are victims. This is 21st century slavery," Allen said. "They lack the ability to walk away."
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On the Net:
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipline: http://www.cybertipline.com/
