Let's take the first step...

This may or may not surprise some of you, but I do pray.  Every night.  I never ask for anything selfish, but I do ask God for things I think he's forgotten to give us, and for a few, minor favours.  I ask that he bless my family, and that he make me a better mother.  That he grant me patience and understanding, and the energy to be the best mother I can possibly be. Most importantly though, I never ask him to bless my children without adding that he bless ALL the children of the world, because if anyone needs a good blessing, it's the 40 million children worldwide who suffer some sort of child abuse each year (WHO, 2001).

According to Statistics Canada a child dies every week at the hands of a caregiver.  Every week. It should go without saying that a good mother, father or guardian would never harm their child, but the reality of the situation is horrifying.  People who are not equipped to care for children are abusing, neglecting, and ultimately killing innocent children every day.  In fact, 70% of children who are the victims of homicide die before the age of five (statcan).  What could a child of five possibly do that would invite such a fate?  There is no answer to that question, for if there were, we could remedy this problem.

What's more, 90% of all abuse cases involving children are not reported (The Gallup organization).  Now, I'm not good at math, but I can guess that the statistics I just quoted would increase exponentially if we were to take all those phantom cases into account.  This is by far the most harrowing of information, because it means many, many more children are suffering.  Let us put this into perspective.  According Statistic Canada's Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile a total of 54, 660 children under the age of 18 are either sexually or physically abused in Canada.  And if this number weren't awful enough, this number only represents the number of police reported cases, not the total number of cases actually occurring.  (If you want to see the actual, sickening, detailed data you can click here).

So what?  Well, in the spirit the Occupy movement, I say we Occupy abuse, and run IT out of town.  Love your children the best you can, keep them close, and be involved in their lives.  Know them, their friends, and their friends parents, so as to always place them in the best situation you can.  Participate in movements that promote family planning and education both at home and in foreign countries.  Most of all, let them know YOU, so that they might trust in you if ever they should need it. 

(if anyone knows the author of this photo, let me know so I can give credit to them!)