Today there are so many ribbons, so many colors, and so many causes.  Can one really keep up with them all?  In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we wanted to share this little ribbon’s story.  It is a story that is difficult and hard to share at the same time.  It originated after the death of a very young child.  In spring 1989, Bonnie Finney, a Virginia grandmother, received the devastating news that her beloved grandson had died of injuries inflicted by his parents.  Bonnie Finney tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her van as a way to remember the bruised and battered body of her grandson and to alert her community to the tragedy of child abuse.  The Blue
        Ribbon has become a reminder of the bruises left by abuse.

 When you look at this ribbon, know that it represents EVERY child that has suffered from
 abuse and neglect, but also signifies HOPE and ENCOURAGEMENT that no more children
 will have to suffer.

The Exchange Club Family Skills Center, a non-profit agency, in Birmingham wants to encourage individuals and community members to help in the fight against child abuse.

You can do this by:
*Learning how to recognize and prevent signs of abuse and neglect.
*Taking a parenting class or attending a support group.
*Reporting abuse and neglect.
*Inviting a speaker to your place of employment or social group to speak on child abuse
  or parenting.
*Volunteering for, and contributing financially to, organizations that help families and
  children.
*Communicating with local elected officials about supporting parent education and child
  abuse prevention.

The Blue Ribbon was created to remind us of the bruises on the bodies of children who have been, and are currently being abused. 

What is child abuse? What is neglect?
Child abuse and neglect occur when a child is mistreated or not provided basic necessities of life, resulting in injury or risk of harm. Abuse can be physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual. Neglect can be physical, emotional, educational, or medical.

What is physical abuse?
Physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment. It is defined as any act that results in a non-accidental physical injury such as punching, kicking, beating, biting, burning, twisting of limbs, cutting or otherwise torturing a child. While these types of injuries can occur by accident, child abuse should be suspected if the explanations do not fit the injury or if there is a pattern of repeated injury. Also, existence of several injuries in different stages of healing make it obvious they did not happen as a result of an accident. A child who is consistently withdrawn or overly aggressive, who complains of soreness or wears inappropriate clothing for the weather, or who is a chronic runaway may be a victim of abuse. Physical abuse most often represents unreasonable and unjustifiable punishment to a child from a caregiver.

What is sexual abuse?
Children of all ages are sexually abused very day in this country. In most states, the legal definition for the sexual molestation of a child is an act of a person (adult or child) which forces, coerces or threatens a child to have any form of sexual contact or to engage in any type of sexual activity. Sexual abuse includes both touching and non-touching offenses. In its most extreme forms, it includes sexual intercourse and its deviations. Sexual abuse also includes indecent exposure or pornographic material, and masturbating in front of a child. Physical offenses include fondling, making a child touch an adult's sexual organs or any penetration of a child's vagina or anus- no matter how slightly by any object that does not have a valid medical purpose. The sexual exploitation of a child for the purposes of prostitution or use in pornography is also a criminal offense. Most child protective service agencies address only inter-familial sexual abuse. Other forms of sexual abuse of children are addressed by law enforcement.

What is neglect?
Child neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment/abuse reported to child protective service agencies. Child neglect is defined as deliberate failure by a caretaker to provide a child with shelter, food, clothing, education, supervision, medical care and other basic necessities. Unlike physical and sexual abuse, which can occur once or infrequently, neglect represents an ongoing pattern of inadequate care. Indicators of neglect include poor hygiene, poor weight gain, inadequate medical care, dressing inappropriately for the weather, chronically late or absent from school, constant complaints of hunger or rummaging for food and severe developmental lags. Child neglect is not necessarily related to poverty. It reflects the absence of proper household management and a lack of concern and care-taking for the child.

What is emotional abuse?
Emotional abuse is commonly defined as a pattern of behavior that can seriously interfere with a child's positive emotional development. It is the systematic tearing down of another, whether its subconscious or intentional. These harmful behaviors can include constant rejection or terrorizing of a child, refusal to provide basic nurturing, refusal to get help for a child's psychological problems, failure to provide the physical or mental stimulation that a child needs to grow, and exposure to domestic violence, drug abuse or criminal activity. Children who are constantly shamed, terrorized, humiliated or rejected suffer at least as much as children who are physically abused.

Why do people abuse children?
It's hard to imagine that anyone would deliberately inflict harm on a child. many times physical abuse is the result of excessive discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate for the child's age. The parent or caretaker may be unaware of force with which he or she strikes a child. Most parents want to be loving and effective, but they sometimes lose control or have poor coping skills. Factors which contribute to child abuse include the immaturity of the parents, lack of proper parenting skills, unrealistic expectations about children's behavior and capabilities, a caretaker's own negative childhood experience, social isolation, problems with substance abuse and frequent family crises. child abuse is a symptom that parents or caregivers are having a difficult time coping with their situation.

Who should report child abuse?
All persons (including doctors, police, mental health service providers, teachers, child care providers, dentists, family members and friends) must report suspected cases of child abuse. If you suspect a child has been abused or neglected, call your local Department of Human Resources, Department of Children's Services, or chief law enforcement officer in your area.

Statistics

Alabama

National