To the editor:
In the late 90s, the Kaiser Institute completed a study called the ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experience) study. The findings of the study demonstrated an association between physical, mental, and emotional health problems over a lifespan with childhood trauma such as abuse, witnessing domestic violence, and neglect.
The study showed that the more ACEs a person endured the higher their probability of heart disease, cancer, lung disease, and diabetes. Furthermore, the study linked ACEs with high risk behaviors such smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, promiscuity, and poor diet. The study has served as a springboard to promote trauma informed communities and systems and it is a potent reminder of the cost of child abuse.
In northeast Georgia, children are being abused and neglected on a daily basis. These ACEs that are occurring now may feel very distant to most people. Perhaps the abuse is unseen or intentionally ignored to avoid an uncomfortable confrontation between neighbors or relatives. Perhaps it is that a person does not know how to intervene so they abstain from acting at all. Regardless of the reason, eventually all chickens come home to roost and our communities will deal one way or another with the abuse of children in our community. We will feel the effect on health care systems, social services, disability funds, unemployment and public housing. We will see it in our crime rates and our schools. Our failure will reveal itself in our workforce and our homeless shelters. But if we become a trauma informed community, if we all work to stop abuse, then we can make a huge difference for all of the children that will one day take the reins.
The idiom “a stitch in time saves nine” is one a resilient, trauma informed community will live by. The sooner that abuse is discovered and brought to light, the sooner our social services can intervene, and the sooner these children and parents get help the greater our chances to ameliorate the problems that lead to ACEs. Every citizen and every business that cares for the community has a vested interest in preventing the abuse of children. What a person’s role is, or how actively they are involved, is something that they have to decide for themselves. But let no person believe they are beyond the consequences of neglected children.
There are many opportunities in our community to aid abused and neglected children in northeast Georgia including being a foster parent or a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for children. If you have an interest in becoming a CASA please contact me (706-886-1098 or Chuck.taylor@northeastgacasa.org) or visit www.northeastgacasa.org
Chuck Taylor
CASA Outreach Coordinator