The most recent statistics on child abuse show that an
estimated 826,000 children are victims of abuse nationally.
Approximately 1,100 of those were fatalities—about three
children a day killed by those who should love them unconditionally.
And while the number of children abused has slightly decreased
over the past six years, the rate of abuse in this country
is still staggering. These most recent statistics—for the
year 1999—were released by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS) last April as part of Child Abuse
and Neglect Prevention Month.
The question of why parents injure or kill their children
is one that we may never answer. Studies indicate, however,
that factors such as past history of abuse, mental illness
(permanent or temporary) or isolation (real or perceived)
from friends and neighbors are some triggers that can lead
to abuse.
And while there are certain variables which can indicate
a higher likelihood of abuse, the HHS’s Administration for
Children and Families points out, “Maltreated children are
found in all income, racial and ethnic groups, and incidence
rates are similar in urban, suburban and rural communities.”
Putting Names and Faces to
the Problem
Behind each of the statistics is a name, a face, a story
of a parent and child. Two months ago in Houston, Texas,
Andrea Pia Yates called the police to her home, where she
told them she had killed her five children. All of the children—Mary,
Luke, Paul, John and Noah—were apparently drowned.
Yates’s husband, Russell, said his wife has been on medicine
for postpartum depression.
Seven years prior to this incident, the nation was shocked
by the tale of two young boys in Union, South Carolina,
whose mother said they were abducted in a carjacking. On
national television, Susan Smith and her estranged husband,
David, pleaded for the safe return of their two sons—Michael
(three) and Alex (14 months). It was soon discovered, however,
that Susan Smith had driven her car to a boat ramp at John
D. Long Lake and rolled it into the water with Michael and
Alex still strapped in their car seats.
In
Support of Families
Pope John Paul II and the U.S. bishops have continually
emphasized the importance of caring for children and supporting
parents.
In his 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio,
the pope urged members of the Church to assist families
in their responsibilities. “Loving the family means identifying
the dangers and the evils that menace it, in order to overcome
them. Loving the family means endeavoring to create for
it an environment favorable for its development” (#182).
In their 1988 document A Family Perspective in Church
and Society, the U.S. bishops reiterated the role of
the Church community in supporting families. “The Church
is encouraged to support positive developments, to look
for new ways to help families and to unearth resources that
enable families to move from crisis to growth, from areas
of stress to strength.”
A
Helping Hand
As part of the Church community, we are called, as the
bishops say, to “help look for new ways to help families.”
One program that offers women with children a helping hand
is Elizabeth Ministry, a name inspired by Mary’s assistance
to her pregnant cousin Elizabeth. The program was founded
in Appleton, Wisconsin, by Jeannie Hannemann to “affirm,
support, encourage and assist women in response to their
needs during the childbearing years.”
According to the Los Angeles Archdiocesan Council of Catholic
Women, www.catholicwomen.org,
the support during childbearing years that was once found
in the family, neighborhood and parish community no longer
exists. “Neighborhoods are fragmented, leaving many families
isolated. Churches have increased in size, making it very
difficult to create a hospitable and loving environment.
Today’s mobility has caused many extended families to be
separated by miles, making frequent visits impossible.”
Elizabeth Ministry is just one way we, as a community of
faith, can help families and struggling parents. Below are
some other suggestions for ways to help parents:
