Which is more important, the individual or society?
Initially, when I began my college education, I majored in elementary education. One of the required courses was Individual and Society, and the professor asked that question. I was much younger then. I did not connect the idea of individual and society with the idea of the part and the whole, the whole being that “grand picture” we have heard about. We didn’t know about ACEs (adverse childhood experiences), at least in today’s terms.
Back then, most people didn’t want to be involved in anything that might cause trouble for their neighbors. My mother’s advice: “Mind your own business and you will have plenty to keep you busy.” (She also said, “Clean up your own doorstep before you start on someone else’s.)
Life is so very complex. And the events we lived through in our youth can still have a hold over us today, all these years later.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Every time I drive through the square in downtown Lisbon, I am reminded of this as I catch a look at the colorful pinwheels. This annual observance is about all of us working together to help families thrive and prevent the problems of abuse and neglect.
The 2021 Child Maltreatment Report, a product of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was published last year, summarizes the major facts about the abuse and neglect of children.
— 76.0 percent neglected
–16.0 percent physically abused
–10.1 percent sexually abused
–0.2 percent sex trafficked
Put into perspective, about eight per 1,000 children were victimized by abuse and neglect in 2021. Nationally, 1,820 children died from abuse and neglect. This occurred during the pandemic.
What is child abuse and neglect, exactly? “Any recent act or failure to act on the part of the parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act, which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”
The highest risk factors were domestic violence (410,268 children) and drug abuse (116,006 children.) Also risk factors are alcohol abuse, financial problems, inadequate housing, public assistance and any caregiver disability.
Protective factors are nurturing and attachment, knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development, parental resilience, social connections, concrete supports for parents and social and emotional competence of children.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are all types of abuse and neglect, parental substance use or mental illness, parental incarceration, domestic violence and divorce, says the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
Do you ever pause to think about what it was like in your neck of the woods when you were growing up? Who were the bullies and why? Who were the bullied and why? Who didn’t want to go home – or was afraid to go there? Who were the leaders and why? The kids that made everyone laugh, what was life like at their house, within their families? Who were the abused, neglected children? For whom did you feel sorry or bad? Why? How did everyone survive those childhood experiences and make it to adulthood? Who or what made the difference in your own life?
FRC History Bites: The 1970s saw the policies and procedures of the agency developed and counseling services established, primarily for the user/abuser. A satellite office was established in East Liverpool City Hospital.
Family Recovery Center has professional staff who are ready to listen when you have no one else to talk to. The goal is for the health and well-being of all. Contact the agency at 964 N. Market St., Lisbon; phone, 330-424-1468; or email info@familyrecovery.org. Visit the website at familyrecovery.org. You can find Family Recovery Center at Facebook. FRC is funded in part by United Way of Northern Columbiana County.