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Shining a light for abused and neglected children: Vigil shines light on plight of abused, neglected children
April 13, 2001 •By Mary Dando •The Daily News
Each year in Shelby County, more than 4,000 cases of child abuse and neglect are reported. These children join more than 500,000 other youngsters in the United States who suffer at the hands of their caretakers. As part of National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Memphis/Shelby County will honor neglected and abused children with a Light of Hope vigil at 7 p.m. April 28. Volunteers, court employees, supporters of CASA and those concerned about the issue are invited to bring a light such as a candle, flashlight or glow stick to the vigil on the Washington Street side of the court building. "If it is true that a society is judged by history according to the way children are treated, then Shelby County will make a poor footnote in the pages of history," said Dan Michael, CASA executive director. "We could use two or three times the number of CASA volunteers we have to keep up with the number of abused and neglected children we are asked to serve," he said. In addition to speakers, CASA volunteers will read the names of 13 Shelby County youngsters killed through abuse or neglect over the past four years. CASA will recall not only the dead, but also children such as those in Germantown whose fathers idea of discipline was to have them kneel in the corner on popcorn kernels or the seven youngsters in Millington who lived among human and animal waste. In this country, about three children per day die from abuse and neglect, according to statistics from the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Of these, 78 percent are under 5 years old. In cases of abuse and neglect, 62.3 percent of the perpetrators are female, while 75.4 percent are a childs parents. Girls tend to bear the brunt of abuse and neglect with 51.5 percent of physical abuse cases involving girls compared to 48.5 percent involving male victims. Reported neglect cases involved females 73.9 percent of the time compared to 26.1 percent male. Medical neglect shows an even greater disparity between the sexes with 82 percent female and 18 percent male. A person 30 to 39 years old is the abuser in 41.5 percent of cases. The least common abuser is 50 years old or older, comprising 5.6 percent of cases. Victims are most likely Caucasian at 66.7 percent of the victim population and 78.9 percent of the child population. African-American victims make up 29.5 percent of the victim population and 15.4 percent of the child population. Hispanic children make up 13.3 percent of victim population and 18.8 percent of the child population. Researchers claim the effects of the abuse and neglect last a lifetime. Recent studies showed 36.7 percent of female inmates experienced physical or sexual abuse before age 18 as did 14.4 percent of males in state prisons. In federal prisons, research showed 23 percent of females and 5.8 percent of males experienced some form of abuse. The concept of CASA began when David W. Soukup, a Seattle judge, concerned over making decisions about abused and neglected childrens lives without sufficient information, came up with the idea of using trained community volunteers to speak for the interests of children in court. His concept became a full-fledged program in 1977. In 1982, the National CASA Association was formed to unify the movement and provide leadership, training and assistance to starting and expanding programs. In 1990, Congress passed the Victims of Child Abuse Act, which allocated federal funds to start and expand CASA programs throughout the nation. Founded in Memphis in 1986, CASA provides a voice for children in Memphis and Shelby County courts. Trained CASA volunteers, who come from all walks of life, are appointed by judges to represent the childs best interests in cases involving abuse and neglect. With only 170 volunteers currently active, compared to the nearly 4,000 abuse and neglect petitions filed in the juvenile court, CASAs director of child advocacy Keisha Walker said more volunteers are needed. "CASA is only basically able to serve 10 to 20 percent of those children each year. There will always be a need. Unless we can increase the number of volunteers, we have to be selective in the number of children we accept into the program," she said. Volunteers must be at least 21 years old and must be literate. The court requires a typewritten report for the judge to weigh in the case. A love for children and a desire to help are other qualifications, Walker said. The training program consists of 40 hours of instruction that prepares the CASA to be able to recognize signs of abuse and neglect in children from infants to 17-year-olds. The CASA then investigates the abuse and neglect complaint and presents the findings to the court. Anyone interested in becoming a CASA can call 405-8422.
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