April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

In Alameda County from October 2006, to September 2007, there were 11,679 referrals of reported child maltreatment.

Unfortunately, no child or community is immune to the tragic effects of child maltreatment. Child abuse is rooted in American history. Its earliest documentation can be traced back to New York City, in 1874, with a little girl named Mary Ellen Wilson, a nurse named Etta Wheeler and Henry Bergh, the founder and president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Mary Ellen's father died shortly after she was born, and her mother boarded her with a woman named Mary Score. When her mother could not make payments, Mary Ellen was turned over to the Department of Charities. The Department placed Mary Ellen with a married couple, Mary and Francis Connolly.

Mr. and Mrs. Connolly beat Mary Ellen on a daily basis. Her cries could be heard by neighbors who called police; but no help came. One of the neighbors told a visiting nurse, Etta Wheeler, who contacted an animal cruelty investigator, Henry Bergh. The investigator confirmed Ms. Wheeler's story, and Mary Ellen was removed from the home. She appeared in court dressed in ragged clothing with bruises all over her body and a gash over her left eye. She testified that her parents were dead and she did not know her age. She could not remember when she did not live with the Connolly’s, who whipped and beat her every day. She also said, "I do not want to go back to live with mamma because she beats me so." Mary Ellen was permanently removed from the Connolly home.

Mary Ellen's case led to the establishment of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In the 1960s, the U.S. government passed legislation requiring child abuse reporting in all states. In 1974, The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was signed into law and established the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect.

The Blue Ribbon campaign, now widely recognized as a national symbol of child abuse awareness, started with a Virginia grandmother named Bonnie Finney in 1989. Ms. Finney's three-year old grandson, Michael "Bubba" Dickenson's battered body was found at the bottom of a canal. He died from injuries inflicted by Ms. Finney's daughter's violent boyfriend. Ms. Finney tied a blue ribbon on the antenna of her van in memory of her grandson and her silent statement spread and led to what we now know as the Blue Ribbon Campaign. When asked why she chose the color blue to make her statement, she replied "I never intend to forget the battered and bruised body of my grandson. Bruises are black, then eventually turn blue; therefore, blue serves as a constant reminder to me to fight for our children."

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was used in the first child abuse case. A grandmother was the one who started the blue ribbon campaign. Each of us can join in honoring all children and in promoting the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Together we can make this world a safer place for our children.

To find out how you can become involved with efforts to prevent child abuse contact: Janette Bormann, Coordinator, Alameda County Child Abuse Prevention Council @ 780- 8989 or WWW.ACCAPC.COM To report child abuse call: 510-259-1800.

Historical facts provided by Janette Bormann.

Hurt Lasts a Lifetime.
Every Child Matters, Every Person Helps.