Recent Pennsylvania verdicts re: the cover-up by Catholic Church officials of pedophile priests, and repeated betrayals of trust by a former Penn State assistant coach have put abuse in the headlines.
Raising public awareness is vital to the prevention of child abuse. So is public involvement.
Even as I write this, abuse continues. Locally, news reports indicate a 6 year old boy in the advanced stages of starvation when first hospitalized, was twice returned to the custody of the very parents who had neglected him.
As a community, we are responsible for the welfare of our children. However welcome guilty verdicts against predators may be, the criminal justice system can only seek to remedy past injury. Prevention is the ideal. No child should bear these scars.
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ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse 