Help a Child:

Be Someone Who Does Something

Have you ever seen a child being mistreated and thought, “Someone should do something?”

You were right -- and you are that someone!

You can do something about abuse and neglect. You don’t have to be a superhero or a magician or a law-enforcement officer. Anyone can help. You can help.

Is it your business? Yes -- child abuse and neglect affects everybody. Don’t stand by and let a helpless child be abused or neglected.

American Humane -- the only national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals -- offers these tips for becoming that “someone” who does something…

• What if you saw your neighbor’s young children playing in the street, unsupervised?
• What if you saw an adult hitting a child who was having a tantrum?
• What if you saw an infant left alone in a parked car?

Take action. Don’t delay. Be part of the solution to ending child abuse and neglect!

Whether you know it or not, you play a big role in the positive development of children right in your own community. You have an influence on children, even if they’re not yours, and even if you don’t think they’re watching.

Most parents want to be good parents, and they usually are. But sometimes parents have problems, like losing their job, substance abuse, mental health issues, lack of information, lack of parenting skills, stress and coping issues, or having been abused themselves as children. Sometimes parents just need a little help.

• If you witness a minor situation, like a parent having trouble controlling his or her child in public and getting frustrated, you might be able to help diffuse the situation by taking time to calmly offer help and support.
• When approaching a parent, be supportive, not judgmental or critical. Strike up a conversation and show empathy. Say something like, “My kid did that the other day.” Or, “Taking care of a kid can be tough sometimes, can’t it?” Offer to help. This could be all it takes to prevent abuse.
• Don’t interfere if it would put you in danger, or if the adult is extremely violent or has a weapon. And don’t be violent yourself. Call for help. In such extreme cases, where life or limb is at stake, call 911.
• If you witness serious or violent abuse, if a child tells you he or she has been abused, or you see signs of abuse, you can report it. If you didn’t actually see it happen, you don’t need to decide whether abuse or neglect occurred, you just need to report your concerns. Depending on your locality, you might report it to your local child protective services agency (sometimes called social services, human services, human welfare, or children and family services). Look online or in the government pages of your phone book.
• Most states have hotlines set up to take calls related to child abuse and neglect. Those numbers can be found online or in your local phone book.
• The child protective services agency has the legal authority to investigate and evaluate the situation. Once you make a report, the agency will take it from there.
• In most areas, professionals who work with children and families -- like teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers and, in some places, even veterinarians and photo processors -- are required by law to report suspected child abuse and neglect. Some states require every citizen who suspects a child is being abused or neglected to report it.
• All states have laws that protect the reporter of suspected abuse from legal liability, as long as the report was made “in good faith” and not maliciously. All you need to report is “reasonable suspicion” based on what you have seen firsthand or heard between a parent and child.
• You also can do something about the toll that neglect is taking on our children and our society. Notice the children in your community and ask yourself whether any of them seem hungry, look uncared for in their appearance or personal hygiene, are frequently at home when school is in session, or are often playing in the neighborhood with no supervision. If you have concerns, contact your local child welfare agency and make a report.

Learn more about protecting children, from the American Humane Association.