In 1983 April was proclaimed Child
Abuse Prevention Month by the president. I don’t know how April was chosen but
it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that we have a month where there is
an extra effort made to stop this awful behavior that is so rampant in our
society.
According to Children’s Bureau (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) there were
686,000 children abused or neglected in the fifty U.S. states, DC, and Puerto
Rico. Of those, 1640 died. Many of those could have been prevented with good
community programs in place such as early childhood development programs,
parental support, and maternal mental health.
The Child Welfare Information Gateway
provides some good information on how to help your community prevent child
abuse.
This is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. I
have spent a great deal of my life fighting this battle. I worked as a child
advocate for many years and I continue to do what I can to prevent child abuse.
This is a cause you can join as well. Many businesses are joining this fight,
and for those of you who can, getting personally involved is the best way.
There’s a wonderful program called Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
that offers hands on volunteer work through the juvenile court system. It’s a
great way to provide direct help to abused children.
So, what does this have to do with writing? Writing about
the juvenile court system is what I have done for the past ten years. I write
mysteries to entertain. I chose the subject matter not only because I have
first hand knowledge of it, but also because I hope to raise awareness of the
problem.
Writers: Do you include tidbits (or vast amounts) of
information that help educate the reader?
Readers: Do you read novels for pure enjoyment or do you
hope to glean some knowledge from your fiction as well?
Teresa Burrell
Author of The Advocate Series
