The Problems our Community Faces:

Abuse in America

In the United States, every 15 seconds, a woman, man or child is abused.

Nearly 1 in 3 adult women experience at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood.

4 million American women experience a serious assault by an intimate partner during an average 12 month period.

Approximately 1 in 5 female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. Abused girls are significantly more likely to get involved in other risky behaviors. They are four to six times more likely to get pregnant and eight to nine times more likely to have tried to commit suicide.

Abuse in Texas

47% of all Texans report having personally experienced at least one form of domestic violence, whether severe physical or sexual violence, verbal violence and/or forced isolation from friends and family at some point in their lifetime.

74% of all Texans are affected by some form of domestic violence, either as victims or as the friends and family of victims. 

Abuse in Hood & Somervell Counties

Between January 1, 2010 and April 29, 2011, there were 167 Child Protective Services (CPS) abuse investigations in Hood and Somervell Counties.

Mission Granbury Family Violence & Sexual Assault Services Statistics

The Effects of Family Violence on Children

Both child maltreatment and physical violence against children occur in an estimated 30 to 60 percent of families where there is some form of domestic violence. Children who live in homes where there is family violence live in fear, confusion, and pain. Exposure to stress, trauma, and persistent fear at an early age can change a child’s brain chemistry and cause the child to have lifelong mental, psychological, and social problems.

Children are present in 41 to 55 percent of homes where police intervene in domestic violence calls. Many experts contend that any child living in a home experiencing family violence is an abused child. Children exposed to violence suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as bed-wetting or nightmares, and are at greater risk than their peers of having allergies, asthma, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, and flu.

Child Abuse

The Reality of Child Abuse & Neglect:

Child abuse and neglect is reaching epidemic proportions with disastrous consequences. Child abuse is reported on an average of every 10 seconds, and three children die every day as a result of such abuse.  Sadly, Texas has one of the highest rates of child abuse in the country. 

24-Hour Child Abuse Hotline:  1-800-252-5400

From the Office of the Attorney General of Texas:
If you have reason to believe that a child is being abused:

• DON'T try to investigate
  DON'T confront the abuser
  DO report your reasonable suspicions
• It is not up you to determine whether your suspicions are true. A trained investigator will evaluate the child's situation. Even if your report does not bring decisive action, it may help establish a pattern that will eventually be clear enough to help the child.
• The following observations don't by themselves necessarily indicate abuse. You might talk to the child a little to see if there is a simple or innocent explanation for what you have observed.

Abuse Facts - Daily National Statistics

• 4 children die from child abuse every day.
• 27 children die from poverty every day.
• 689 babies are born with inadequate prenatal care every day.
• 13,700 children are abused and neglected every day.

Abuse Facts - Every Second

• Every 11 seconds a child is reported abused or neglected.
• Every 5 minutes a child is arrested for a violent crime.
• Every 2 hours a child is a homicide victim.

Child Abuse and Neglect

Defined as any act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caregiver 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 or a failure to provide for the basic minimum needs of a child.

Suspect Physical Abuse When You See...

• Frequent injuries such as bruises, cuts, black eyes or burns, especially when the child cannot adequately explain their causes
• Burns or bruises in an unusual pattern that may indicate the use of an instrument or a human bite; cigarette burns on any part of the body
• Frequent complaints of pain without obvious injury
• Aggressive, disruptive and destructive behavior
• Lack of reaction to pain
• Passive, withdrawn, emotionless behavior
• Fear of going home or seeing parents
• Injuries that appear after the child has not been seen for several days
• Unseasonable clothes that may hide injuries to arms or legs

Suspect Neglect When You See...

• Obvious malnourishment
• Lack of personal cleanliness
• Torn and/or dirty clothes
• Obvious fatigue and listlessness
• A child unattended for long periods of time
• Need for glasses, dental care or other medical attention
• Stealing or begging for food
• Frequent absence or tardiness from school

Suspect Sexual Abuse When You See...

• Physical signs of sexually-transmitted diseases
• Evidence of injury to the genital area
• Difficulty in sitting or walking
• Frequent expressions of sexual activity between adults and children
• Pregnancy in a young girl
• Extreme fear of being alone with adults, especially if of a particular gender
• Sexually suggestive, inappropriate or promiscuous behavior
• Knowledge about sexual relations beyond what is appropriate for the child's age
• Sexual victimization of other children
• A disclosure. If you are the first person the child tells about sexual abuse, your testimony as "outcry witness" may be especially important in future legal proceedings. What you say the child told you is not considered hearsay but is admissible evidence in a trial involving a sexual offense against a child. This exception applies only to the first person the child approaches.
• You are legally responsible for the safety of your own child. If you permit your child to be in a situation where he or she may be injured, then you yourself may be prosecuted for child abuse. The fact that the abuser is a parent or other family member does not remove your obligation to protect the child.
• If you are frightened for your own safety or that of your child, call 911 or 1-800-252-5400.
• If you are uneasy about your own behavior toward your child, you can call the Parents Anonymous toll-free hotline at: 1-800-554-2323.
• You are legally responsible for the care of your child. You must provide your child with safe and adequate food, clothing, shelter, protection, medical care and supervision, or else you must arrange for someone else to provide these things. Failure to do so may be considered neglect.

According to Prevent Child Abuse Texas…

The Law

• Anyone “having cause to believe that a child's physical or mental health or welfare has or may be adversely affected by abuse or neglect” must report the case to any state or local law enforcement agency and to the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. Failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect is punishable by imprisonment of up to 180 days and/or a fine of up to $1,000. (Texas Family Code, Chapter 34)

Reporting

• An oral report must be made immediately (within 48 hours) to the nearest Child Protective Service Office, to the 24-hour Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-252-5400), or to the local law enforcement officials. Anyone who files a report is immune from civil or criminal liability - if the report is made in “good faith” and “without malice.”
• “Good faith” means the person took reasonable steps to learn the facts that were readily available and at hand.
• “Without Malice” means the person did not intend to injure or violate the rights of another person

What Happens After Reporting Suspected Child Abuse?

Several events take place after the initial complaint is filed. First of all, depending on where you live, you might report suspected abuse and/or neglect to your local child protective agency. The person responding to the call may ask you several questions about what you are reporting. This is done to ensure that enough information is available for the investigative team to be able to make decisions concerning whether or not abuse/neglect has occurred. You might be asked to give names of the family and child, your reasons for suspecting abuse, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of other witnesses, your relationship to the alleged victim, any other previous suspicious injury to the child, or for your name, address and telephone number.

Success Story

Three children were removed from a mother because of her drug use and neglect of the children while the father was incarcerated in another state.  Through encouragement and advocacy from CASA , the father was able to secure probation and transfer his probation to Texas. Through CASA’s efforts the father far exceeded the requests of CPS and the family service plan.  He was able to secure employment, establish a safe home and have his children removed from foster care and returned to him.

Domestic Violence

What You Should Know About Domestic Violence

• Domestic violence is not just a private family matter. It is a crime with serious repercussions for your loved one, her children and the entire community. Keeping quiet about what you observe could be very dangerous for your friend.
• Domestic violence can involve threats, forced isolation, pushing, punching, slapping, choking, sexual assault and assault with weapons. It is rarely a one-time occurrence and usually escalates in frequency and severity over time.
• Domestic violence can be deadly. Thirty percent of American women who are murdered are killed by their husbands or boyfriends.
• Often, we are perplexed that someone who is abused doesn’t simply walk out on her batterer. “Why didn’t she leave?” is a common question concerning domestic violence and it is based on the false assumption that leaving always means safety.
• Victims of domestic violence often remain in abusive relationships because of fear – fear for their lives, fear for the safety of their children, and fear of homelessness. Often the batterer is a parent and any decision to take children away from one of their parents is difficult. Often, a victim still feels strong emotional ties to her batterer. Sometimes religious or cultural values pressure a woman to keep the family together at all costs. The reality of domestic violence homicides, which often occur after a victim has left her abuser, means that leaving doesn’t always mean safety.

Batterers typically make excuses for their violence, claiming loss of control due to alcohol or drug use or extreme stress. External factors like these do not cause domestic violence, although they may intensify already existing violent behavior. Batterers choose to use violence in order to control their partner. There is no excuse for abuse.

Poverty

Hood County, Texas, is a resource poor, rural area. The serious socioeconomic problems faced by those living at or near federal poverty guidelines and the “working poor” have a direct bearing on the high incidence of domestic violence in our community—thus the need for Mission Granbury’s Ada Carey Center for Women & Children as well as all other Mission Granbury programs and services.

Poverty in Texas:
For information on poverty in Texas, see www.cppp.org

Are you a victim of Domestic Violence?

Child Abuse

Domestic Violence

Poverty

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