Priorities

Michael Vick and his dog fighting business has been all over the news. Graphic pictures and detailed descriptions have the animal rights folk up in arms. The SPCA is demanding vindication for the pooches. Every single day there has been something about the dogs, the owners, the public reaction, the trial and the repercussions since the story first broke in early August. The idea that such a barbaric and brutal "sport" exists in America. Appalling.

The public outcry has brought attention to a terrible issue. That is a good thing. The problem is that the attention over animal rights seems to surpass the attention generated by abuse to America's children.

Almost weekly there is a media report of children neglected, tortured and killed, right here in Oklahoma. It is horrifying. How can a society raise individuals that believe human life to be so expendable? How can parents terrorize and harm their own off-spring? Humans have been genetically coded since man first walked upright to protect their cubs. Open the paper or turn on the news. In some American homes, the protector has become the hunter. How did such aggressive and unfathomable behavior become even an inkling of an idea?

Last year, in Oklahoma alone, there were over 13,000 confirmed cases of child abuse. There were 51 child deaths as a result of maltreatment and 82% of those were children under two years of age. In our state alone an average of 23,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect are made each year. Over one-third of the reported cases are confirmed as child abuse or neglect. One third! Confirmed cases of abuse have risen 71% in the past decade. Shawnee State Representative Kris Steele reports that 51 children died in 2006 due to abuse or neglect. Oklahoma averaged 4.8 child abuse fatalities per every 100,000 children.

DHS was blamed in the Joshua Minton death. Remember? That Duct Tape incident in a licensed day-care facility. The bureaucracy of our government contributed to a young boy's death. The day care provider legally could not be closed and parents could not be warned, due to our system. It must be changed. Who would imagine our culture would need such measures in the first place? That a human being could do such a thing to another is chilling. Why aren't we all up in arms, screaming for a solution?

Nearly seven out of 10 deaths involve children not previously involved with the Department of Human Services or Child Protective Services. Society could and should not depend only on the government to rescue these children. Families must be strengthened. Education must be a priority. Job opportunities must be available for all our citizens. Welfare should be temporary so pride and responsibility are guaranteed all individuals.

Drugs in our society are destroying innocent lives. We must look at early intervention and monitoring of high risk situations and dangerous home environments. A dear friend who works as a maternity nurse often places newborns into the arms of parents who she knows for a fact are unequipped and ill-suited to leave the hospital with an infant. Attitude; overheard conversations; comments; substance abuse; poor hygiene; and improper provisions for the baby to even leave the hospital; she has seen it all. Yet she must place the newborn in the arms of its waiting "family."

Is there a quick fix? Organizations in our own community at least give these children a voice, once they are in the system. CASA and Kid Space provide counseling, temporary shelter and advocates. Monarch and the Courts are offering young Mothers the opportunity to get clean and sober without being separated from their children. Parenting Classes are offered at Muskogee High School and at the Pregnancy Resource Center. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Services and Muskogee County Health Department also offer classes and practical assistance.

There is lots of help out there. The question is, why didn't it help children like Kelsey Briggs? How does a young boy in Braggs, Oklahoma exist in conditions worse than dogs and cats in a pound? How could little Tripp Scott of Muskogee be used as a human tug of war by his teen parents? Over and over again our most vulnerable are subjected to a horror unimagined by most of us. We shake our heads and then, put them back in the sand.

Parenting can be difficult and stressful, especially when compounded with job loss, isolation, divorce, and substance abuse.The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, combining with 350 child advocate groups from around the state suggests research based, affordable strategies to build families and build protective barriers to prevent harm to children. The five strategies suggested are the following:

1. Provide access to health care
2. Reduce teen pregnancy
3. Provide high quality child care
4. Provide substance abuse treatment
5. Provide education and support services to parents
(6. Not on their list but I would add job training, career counseling and job placement for parents.)

Go to http://www.oica.org/ for the complete report, with an detailed explanation of each strategy.

It is easy to say that families are responsible for their children. It is hard to say that many families don't have a clue about doing so. Our society must address this epidemic of child neglect and abuse with specific programs and interventions. Mothers and Fathers must be taught to parent. Mothers and Fathers must be held accountable. Sadly, Mothers and Fathers must even be taught how to love.