Like all of you, a Gay and a Gal have listened with horror and shock as the details of the abuse of young boys at the hands of the Penn State football coach have been revealed. At times like this, it's easy to focus on anger, in large part because you feel so helpless in the face of such an atrocity.
A couple suggestions:
As a former social worker and now a high school teacher, I have several times been in situations where abuse has been suspected and have had to make a call to protect a child. I am what's called a "mandatory reporter", meaning by law, if I suspect it, I have to call about it. However, I urge anyone who sees anything that does not seem right to make a call to the appropriate authorities. In these cases, better safe than sorry.
Each county and state has their own child abuse hotline you can call, or you can just call Childhelp's National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD. The Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional
crisis counselors who, through interpreters, can provide assistance in
170 languages. The Hotline offers crisis intervention, information,
literature, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and
support resources. All calls are anonymous and confidential.
We also suggest making a donation to one of the many organizations dedicated to helping victims of abuse, such as RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network).
BEAT OHIO???
ReplyDeleteReally? That's what you've got to say about this, Mrs. P???