Type 1 Diabetes Among Young Children Predicted to Rise Dramatically

An estimated 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes each year in the United States, and more than 1 million American children and adults live with the disease every day. Previously known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed among children and young adults. With this disease, the body does not produce insulin, a hormone that is necessary for the body to convert sugar (glucose) and starches as well as other food into the energy essential for daily life. In addition, having type 1 diabetes increases the risk for serious complications such as heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage.

A recent study has indicated that over the next decade, the incidence of type 1 diabetes among very young children will double in comparison to the number of cases recorded in 2005 if current trends continue. Although these indicators are based on the course of the disease in Europe, it is believed that the rate of increase will be similar in the U.S. Environmental factors are thought to be the driving force behind this increase, yet it remains unclear as to what these environmental vulnerabilities are. Researchers are looking at many possible factors including changes in lifestyles among nations with increasing wealth such as more births by caesarian section, greater height and weight, and fewer infections experienced early in life.

Christopher C. Patterson, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Ireland's Queen's University in Belfast, and colleagues, have concluded that type 1 diabetes is increasing at a much faster rate among young children and teens than previously predicted. The study results can be found in the journal The Lancet. According to Patterson, “We are likely to see more children with severe diabetes complications presenting at earlier ages if we fail to recognize and adequately treat disease in very young patients.”

During their study, the researchers analyzed data gathered from the registries of 20 centers in 17 European countries. Information was included on 29,311 children having type 1 diabetes, who were registered between the years 1989 and 2003. Findings of the analysis revealed an overall increase in type 1 diabetes incidence of 3.9 percent annually.

The largest increase of 5.4 percent was seen in childen under the age of 5 years compared to an annual increase of 4.3 percent among children ages 5 through 9 years, and a rate of 2.9 percent among children ages 10 through 14 years. If this general course of increase continues, the total number of cases of type 1 diabetes is projected to jump by 70 percent by the year 2020, and rates are expected to double for children under the age of 5.

An estimated 15,000 cases of type 1 diabetes were diagnosed in Europe in 2005. Of those cases, children ages 4 and younger accounted for 24 percent, while those ages 5 through 9 accounted for 37 percent, and children 10 to 14 years of age accounted for 34 percent. The researchers predict that number could reach 24,400 new cases in 2020. With the continuation of current trends, the total number of new and existing cases in European children under the age of 15 could jump from 94,000 in 2005 to 160,000 in 2020.

To prepare for the future case growth, Patterson wrote, “In the absence of any effective means to prevent Type 1 diabetes, European countries need to ensure appropriate planning of services and that resources are in place to provide high- quality care for the increased numbers of children who will be diagnosed with diabetes in future years.” Source

Unvaccinated Children at Much Greater Risk for Whooping Cough

Whooping cough, known medically as pertussis, is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory system that is marked by severe coughing spells that end in a “whooping” sound when the person breathes in. Before a vaccine was available, whooping cough was a major cause of childhood illness and death in the U.S., but with the introduction of a vaccine in the 1940s, the number of cases fell from approximately 200,000 a year to an all-time low of 1,010 in 1976. Since then, however, the number of whooping cough cases has been steadily increasing, reaching 25,827 in 2004; the highest since 1959. Experts believe this trend could be due in part to the rising number of parents who refuse some or all of the recommended immunizations for their children—a theory confirmed by a recent study. To get a better idea of the impact immunization refusal has had on whooping cough, Dr. Jason Glanz and colleagues analyzed the records of children 2 months to 18 years enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Colorado health plan from 1996 to 2007. They looked for children who had laboratory-confirmed cases of whooping cough, and for those whose parents had refused at least one of the initial series of DPT—diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus—immunizations for nonmedical reasons. The researchers found that unvaccinated children were 23 times more likely to get the infection than those who received the full course of immunizations. Additionally, a second analysis of 27,748 children from 2 to 20 months of age who were continuously enrolled at Kaiser Permanente, there was a similarly high risk of infection among the children of parents who refused the vaccine. “This study helps dispel one of the commonly held beliefs among vaccine-refusing parents: that their children are not at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases,” Dr. Glanz said. “It also shows that the decision to refuse immunizations could have important ramifications for the health of the entire community. Based on our analysis, we found that 1 in 10 additional whooping cough infections could have been prevented by immunization.” While the study did not examine the reasons why parents refused to have their children vaccinated, the researchers say it could be because as many vaccine-preventable diseases, such as whooping cough, polio and smallpox, become rarer, parents are shifting their focus from disease prevention to issues of vaccine safety. Though numerous studies have found no link between vaccines and autism, the fear is still prompting some parents to refuse vaccinations. Other parents believe their children are at low risk for infection and that many diseases aren’t a severe enough threat to their children’s health. “These findings stress the need to further understand why parents refuse immunizations and to develop strategies for conveying the risks and benefits of immunizations to parents more effectively,” the researchers write. Dr. Gregory Poland, director of Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group in Rochester, Minnesota says the findings are consistent with other studies and agrees that “parents need to know they place their children at a documented and real risk, as well as others, when they refuse vaccines based on inaccurate information.” He added that “there is plenty of pertussis out there and it is highly contagious.” The bacteria spread from person to person through tiny drops of fluid from an infected person’s nose or mouth. These may become airborne when the person coughs, sneezes, or laughs. Others then can become infected by inhaling the drops or getting the drops on their hands and then touching their mouths or noses. Experts believe that up to 80 percent of non-immunized family members will develop whooping cough if they live in the same house with someone who has the infection. Dr. Glanz and his colleagues say they are concerned that the decreased immunization rates could also lead to other disease outbreaks across the country. For instance, in 2008 there were 131 cases of measles, the most in 12 years. The study will appear in the June 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics.
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Parent speaks out about Shaken Baby Syndrome

By Jamie Rogers
Morning News Reporter

Child advocates are warning Pee Dee residents about a form of child abuse that may seem harmless to some but can cause the death and serious injury of children.

Violently shaking an infant or small child is a form of abuse known as Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to child advocates for Keeping Kids Safe at Home, a program of Prevent Child Abuse Pee Dee.

An infant to a 5-year-old child can be a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome, said Erin McDaniel, whose child died as a result of the syndrome in 2007.

“Their brains aren’t formed enough to fill up the area (inside their skull) and so the brain hits the skull when you shake them,” she said. “The first minute they have been shaken, their brain hits their skull more than 100 times. It literally takes 60 seconds to kill a child.”

The result of that impact is bruising, bleeding and swelling of the brain.

Child advocates say caregivers or parents shake babies because they have lost self-control and have become frustrated or angry about the child’s behavior or constant crying. It can take as little as 10 second to harm a child by shaking him, McDaniel said.

Because babies have weak neck muscles, large head and soft brains, even shaking a baby for a few seconds can cause substantial injury, according to Prevent Child Abuse Pee Dee.

“Just to shake them very briefly to the point where someone says, ‘Please just shut up’ and just shake them very vigorously, it can give them cerebral palsy. They can be deaf, blind, never speak or never walk,” McDaniel said. “It can cause any type of learning disability It can cause a lot of problems.”

Child advocates say about 75 percent of Shaken Baby Syndrome victims suffer traumatic injuries that need 24-hour-care. The remaining 25 percent of victims die, according to Prevent Child Abuse data.

McDaniel’s son David Zachery is among that 25 percent. Authorities said the 3-month-old’s nanny, Steven Austin Joye, shook him violently, then left him unattended for hours, ultimately causing his death in February 2007. Joye was convicted of homicide by child abuse and unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person by a legal custodian one year after Zachery’s death.

McDaniel said anyone can harm a child by shaking him but, statistically, young men like Joye who are between the ages of 17-21 are more likely to shake babies.

Parents should instruct their child’s nanny or caregiver to lay the child down if they become frustrated, McDaniel said.

“They should call the parent and let them know the child is too fussy to be dealt with that day and that they need a break,” she said. “That something I always said I wish Steven would have done, just picked up the phone.”

If a parent finds themselves becoming frustrated by a child’s incessant crying, they should walk away from the situation and get help, McDaniel said.

“If a baby is fussy, then lay them down,” she said. “That’s what a baby has lungs for, to cry.”

Caregivers can also try bathing a child, offering him a pacifier or speaking and singing softly to calm him. Rocking or dancing with a child as well as wrapping him in a blanket and gently tapping his back also can quiet a child.

If all else fails, the caregiver can call someone they trust to watch the child until composure can be regained.

Caregivers can also call the 24-hour ChildHelp Pee Dee line at (866) 867-9857. A telephone counselor is available to talk about the situation and find a solution.

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Baby's crying will end; brain injury won't

They're cute, they're tiny and they're entirely capable of driving their new parents crazy with frustration.

Every mom and dad knows that newborns, those little bundles of joy, can be angels or demons. When asleep, they're so easy to love, when awake and smiling they're just adorable -- but when it's 2 a.m. and they've been squalling for hours on end, they can be very hard to take.

And when they squall for such a long time, bad things can happen.

In the last year, Maine, tragically, saw 12 cases of babies with "shaken baby syndrome," the term for a brain injury caused by the violent shaking of an infant or small child. That's triple the number of cases during the previous year.

During just the last two months, Bangor's Eastern Maine Medical Center has had four cases of babies with serious head injuries. All were victims of actions by parents or caregivers that could cause longstanding or permanent brain damage or even death.

The increase in shaken baby cases is matched by another gruesome statistic: Between 2006 and 2008, the number of cases of severe physical abuse of children reported to the state has increased 40 percent. The state defines severe physical abuse as cases of children with broken bones, bruises and other evidence being treated violently.

And that increase isn't an artifact of increased public attention to the problem. "It's not just better surveillance or making the diagnosis more often," Maine child abuse expert Dr. Lawrence Ricci told reporter David Hench. "It's that more kids are coming in."

The No. 1 cause of shaken baby syndrome is prolonged crying by the child. So a new effort is being mounted in the state to help parents of newborns learn about crying and colic in babies while still in the hospital or birthing center.

The effort, spearheaded by the Maine Children's Trust and funded by private donations, uses a program developed nationally to fight shaken baby syndrome. It includes a video that features a number of families describing their experience with an inconsolable baby, their frustration and sense of powerlessness. It's paired with coaching by health care workers, both in the hospital and during home and doctor visits, on how to deal with the crying.

Prime among the lessons of the program is the message that a baby's incessant crying is normal and that it will pass in time -- and that parents who are at the end of their rope need to walk away to calm down.

The effort is an important one and we wish it much success. In New York State, one region that undertook a similar program saw a 50 percent reduction in abusive head traumas over five years.

But while we're encouraged by the tackling of this particular aspect of the problem, we're also horrified at the increase in child abuse cases in Maine and recognize that while we may be able to tackle one small -- but significant -- part of the problem, there's an even larger one that desperately needs to be solved.

Editorials represent the opinion of the Editorial Board of this newspaper: Publisher John Christie, Executive Editor Eric Conrad and Opinion Page Editor Naomi Schalit.

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Deadly Child Abuse Cases Double In Central Florida

ORLANDO -- Child abuse is on the rise in Central Florida.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the number of fatal child abuse cases in Central Florida more than doubled in the last year from 14 to 30.

Already this year, the deaths of 59 children are under investigation.

The chairwoman of the state's Child Abuse Death Review Team believes we will see another increase next year. Major Connie Shingledecker believes the recession may be a contributing factor as unemployment and financial problems are increasing people's stress levels.

Men are usually the perpetrators in abuse cases, while women lead in neglect.

Statistics show the most typical abuser profile is the boyfriend of a single mom, 18 to 30, and unemployed.

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Washington Worker Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse Nonprofit Scam

WASHINGTON — A national non-profit group that helps victims of child sexual abuse has become a victim itself — of a scam by its own employees.

Federal court documents say three employees of the National Children's Alliance in Washington orchestrated a payroll scheme that cost the nonprofit group more than $50,000.

A staff accountant, Michael Young, pleaded guilty today to taking nearly $10,000 in five extra paychecks. He told the judge he now has a new job at another nonprofit.

Earlier this month, the agency's former finance director — Sharon Martin — pleaded guilty to stealing eight payroll paychecks totaling more than $15,000. She and Young each face up to six months in prison.

And the group's former chief financial officer is scheduled to plead guilty next month. Marvin Perry has been charged with stealing $27,000 in additional paychecks.

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Despair is no excuse for violence against children

Parents are responsible for protecting their child, and allowing any abuse to continue is unacceptable

Claudia Jones (Damned by despair, 6 May) argues that women who allow their partners to abuse their children do so "because they are in utter despair" due to the lack of love they have experienced in their lives, and that "unless we can understand that despair ... we will not be able to address seriously the problem of child abuse".

I am a survivor of intra-familial sexual child abuse, and I find her sympathies misplaced. Few abuse survivors would disagree with her that "we are not training ... enough social workers" qualified in child protection work.

Similarly, I agree that the idea "the child is best with the natural family" needs to be questioned where the child is known to have been abused by an adult family member, and I'd support her view that it is "time to fund a significant expansion of our non-medical mental health service staff", not least for those of us dealing with the after-effects of abuse.

But the starting-point for any discussion should be that there is no acceptable level of child abuse. The real victims are abused children - it is we who have to overcome the devastating effects of being raped as a child by a parent or other caregiver who we thought was supposed to love us.

When this is compounded by another parent who allows the perpetrator to get away with the abuse, the damage to the child's self-esteem is incalculable. The trauma to which we were subjected leads us to suffer from depression, difficulties in forming intimate relationships, loss of family, terrible flashbacks and many other wounds, from which it is a lifetime's work to recover.

Researchers estimate that at least 10% of people were sexually abused as children. Incestuous abuse of children by parents is known to be far more common than anyone would have believed 20 years ago. Intra-familial abuse is not confined to economically marginal households: it also occurs in outwardly respectable families.

My abuser was my father; when I disclosed the abuse to my grandmother as a child, my mother insisted that the police should not be called and told me never to speak about it. My parents were both Catholic school teachers. They continued to live together as a married couple until my father's death. Today I am on a journey of healing and have recovered a sense of my own self-worth, but it has been a long and rocky road.

I want to see a world in which it is unthinkable for an adult to inflict the pain of abuse on any child - and for another adult to stand by and let it happen. This cannot come about if we give the message that mothers who tolerate the abuse of their children by their partners are to be pitied or condoned.

The overriding responsibility of any parent is to do everything in their power to protect an abused child from further suffering. When there are reasonable grounds for suspecting abuse, it should be immediately reported, and carers should take action to keep the child safe without delay.

• The writer is an incest survivor who is actively recovering from the effects of the abuse he experienced response@guardian.co.uk

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Child abuse terms reduced on appeal

A couple who severely abused their nine-year-old daughter had their sentences reduced by three years yesterday by the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal.

The case of the Emirati girl was highlighted by authorities in a move to raise awareness of child abuse.

Her father and stepmother were originally sentenced to 10 years in prison on April 26 by the Criminal Court of First Instance and fined a total of Dh160,000 (US$43,570).

The public prosecution appealed, demanding the maximum penalty of 15 years. The parents also appealed in hopes of reducing the sentence.

The Appeal Court hearing was closed to the public at the request of the father. The father, dressed in blue prison overalls, walked up to the judge as the verdict was delivered. With no expression on his face, he returned to his seat. His wife, who is believed to be pregnant, was not present. Despite the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department’s renewed call for transparency, the judge declined to give any reason for reducing the sentence.

The girl, who has been recovering in Al Mafraq Hospital, was admitted in February when her father claimed she had fallen off her bicycle. She had severe bruises, burns and scars on her body. According to medical reports she was 80 per cent physically disabled.

Doctors who examined her doubted the father’s claim and contacted the police who arrested him and the girl’s stepmother.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, visited her in hospital along with his daughter. Both he and Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Minister of Interior, spoke out against child abuse and have personally committed themselves to the wellbeing of children.

The April 26 hearing received nationwide attention in an effort to bring the issue of child abuse to the surface. It marked the first case in which journalists were invited by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to attend court proceedings.

At the initial hearing, the father insisted he was “protecting” his daughter. The stepmother, who was accused of doing most of the hitting, confessed to beating the child to teach her not to “touch herself”.

In an emotional outburst, the man’s mother recounted how her granddaughter would confide in her about the abuse by the stepmother. The man’s family condemned him in court for failing to stop his own daughter being abused.

The reduced sentence came as a surprise to Dr Leena Amiri, a child psychiatrist and lecturer at Al Ain University Medical School, who is among a team handling the child’s healing process.

“I am shocked, to be honest,” she said. “It really sends the wrong message that we are too lenient about something that surprisingly came out in public after a long time. It raises more questions than it answers.”

Asked if the child was expected to make a full recovery, she added: “It’s too early to tell at this stage, but we are hopeful because she is getting the best attention possible. I just hope we can all learn from this tragedy.”

This case has opened discussion on the Child Rights Act, which is being proposed by the Ministry of Social Affairs. The draft law promises to criminalise child abuse and institute a foster care system in which abused children can be taken into state custody. It further sets penalties on people who know of abuse and fail to report it, such as housemaids and family members, with fines of Dh2,000 to Dh10,000. While the proposed law has yet to be introduced in the Federal National Council for debate, there are existing laws under which parents can be prosecuted for abuse. The new law would be the first comprehensive legal document dedicated to children’s rights.

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'Is it really child abuse to slap your own kid?'

Q: My 15-year-old son mouthed off to me the other night. I cannot stand his filthy mouth anymore and I slapped him. He told his assistant principal and the next thing I knew, the county was called in. Is it really child abuse to slap your own kid, even if he is wrong?

A: It is not illegal in Pennsylvania to slap your child as long as it doesn't leave a mark or cause lasting pain, the Help for Families panel says. However that doesn't mean it's morally right.

''Something that isn't legally abuse, could be philosophically abuse,'' says panelist Marcie Lightwood. ''There is a fine line between what's abuse and what isn't abuse.''

A child is typically taken from parents only in extreme situations, the panelists say.

''Children die as a result of child abuse so they have to have official laws to protect children,'' says panelist Bill Vogler. ''However I think the law is stacked in favor of protecting parents' rights.''

The panel agrees there are better ways to deal with your son.

''If you strike someone in anger, there is no way to control the outcome,'' says panelist Ann Friedenheim. ''If his language is that disturbing, maybe you should get help for both of you.''

Every time you use violence to discipline a child you're overlooking all the other options adds Lightwood. ''When you lose control, your child wins,'' she says. ''He has knocked you off balance.''

''Some people actually think it's OK to hit a child because 'I was hit as a child and turned out fine,' '' Friedenheim says. ''But meeting anger with anger doesn't solve any problems.''

Pick a time when tempers are cool, sit down with your son to talk and set up household rules, the panel suggests.

''Set a consequence, and then impose it unemotionally and rationally,'' says Vogler.

Slapping your son also could be a stepping stone to abuse, says panelist Denise Continenza. ''Violence is what people resort to when they are frustrated,'' she says. ''If you keep resorting to violence, it could destroy the parent-child relationship.''

''There's no excuse for slapping a child,'' agrees panelist Rochelle Freedman. ''Learn stress-reduction techniques to cool down whenever you feel the rage mounting.''

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Authorities Speak Up Against Child Sex Abuse

The phone call to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was unusual. The caller, who refused to identify himself, asked Putin to crack down on pedophiles and then quickly hung up.

Putin, who took the call during a televised call-in show in December, promised to toughen penalties for people who sexually abuse children and pointed to State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, who happened to be in the studio at the moment, as the man who would spearhead the legislative effort.

The spontaneity of the call is disputable. Putin's staff preselects all calls to his call-in shows, and media reports have suggested that the staff orchestrated some of the calls on that December day.

But one thing is for sure. Since the call, the government has adopted a harder line on child abuse -- at least in words.

On Monday, International Child Protection Day, Kremlin supporters campaigned heavily against child abuse. Senior officials with United Russia, the pro-Kremlin party that Putin and Gryzlov co-head, held a Moscow round-table on measures to prevent child abuse. Young Guard, the party's youth branch, held street rallies in 45 cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, to educate children about ways to protect themselves from abuse, the group said on its web site. Another pro-Kremlin youth group, Nashi, held a rally against pedophiles in Moscow.

Statistics on sex crimes against children are scarce. The number of children who were nonviolently sexually abused by adults increased sevenfold from 2003 to 2007 to 5,405, according to legislation under consideration in the Duma that would make good on Putin's promise for tougher penalties on child abusers.

In 2007, the most recent year that statistics are available for, 8,805 children were victims of violent sexual abuse, the legislation says.

Meanwhile, the number of criminal cases involving suspected pedophiles that were sent to court grew from 35 in 2003 to 351 in 2006, it said. The figures do not indicate, however, how many suspects were involved and how many were convicted.

But even a conviction does not necessarily mean that a child abuser will serve much time in prison. In March, a former United Russia lawmaker with the Perm regional legislature, Igor Pastukhov, won early release after being convicted of raping a boy. Pastukhov had spent three years in prison after being sentenced to six, and his release on parole stirred up anger in Perm. Regional prosecutors said his release was legal.

Curiously, the former lawmaker was freed just days after President Dmitry Medvedev ordered law enforcement agencies to step up their efforts to prevent child abuse. "Proper work to prevent the most terrible and cynical crimes in this area can only be done through the combined efforts of all of society," Medvedev said at the meeting at his Gorki residence outside Moscow.

Medvedev said Russia needed "a system of childhood protection" that included new legislation, measures to prevent child abuse and social services to care for abused children.

Russia's current system of fighting child sex crimes is ineffective, especially when compared to that of the United States, Russian and U.S. experts concurred at a recent conference on fighting child sexual abuse.

"It is typical for a pedophile to get three or four years or a suspended sentence, and when they get out, they are not controlled in any way," Vladimir Ovchinsky, adviser to the chief judge of the Constitutional Court, told the April 20 conference, which was organized by the Public Chamber.

In the United States, in contrast, an Atlanta doctor arrested in 2004 on suspicion of traveling to Russia to have sex with boys and later convicted on separate child sex charges received 35 years in prison, said Alexandra Gelber, a lawyer with the U.S. Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

Gelber also told the conference that convicted U.S. offenders usually are monitored by authorities for the rest of their lives and restricted in their contact with children.

"If a criminal violates any of these rules, they will go back to jail," she said.

Duma deputies are considering legislation that would extend the maximum prison sentence for people convicted of nonviolent sexual abuse of children from the current four years to 10. The bill would bar a convicted offender from working with children for 20 years instead of the current five.

A separate bill would extend the maximum prison terms for producers, dealers and buyers of child pornography from eight to 15 years. The bill also introduces a legal definition of child pornography.

A third bill would bar such convicts from applying for early release, a right which many prisoners have after serving half of their terms.

The Duma is scheduled to consider the bill on early release in a first reading this month. The other bills have not been placed on the agenda yet.
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Awareness of child abuse is aim of national ride

A ride to raise awareness of child abuse will pass through Walker County later this month.

The National Katelynn Stinnett Memorial Ride will be June 13. One of four participating rides in Georgia will head from Dalton to Rome and finish in LaFayette at Cherokee Farms.

While the ride is planned to roll through the picturesque Georgia countryside, the reason behind the event is a gruesome story and something organizers also want people to remember.

Two-year-old Katelynn Stinnett of Lexington, Ky., was raped and brutally beaten, allegedly by an 18-year-old that was babysitting her Nov. 25. With nearly every bone in her body broken and more than 400 staples or stitches, she was listed in extreme critical condition and died Dec. 3.

A group of friends nicknamed the Steel Horse Cowgirls stepped forward to provide a proper burial and an honor guard for the funeral, even becoming pallbearers that did not leave the child’s side. They slept in church pews overnight to ensure she would not be left alone.

Interest in the cause grew to a point where a nationwide ride was possible, and currently 42 states are involved. Georgia has the most planning to ride that day. The ride, which will be held annually, has even drawn international interest, with events planned in Germany and Australia.

Cathy Hopper of Chatsworth signed on as the organizer of the Dalton-to-LaFayette ride. She was emotionally drawn to the cause after having been abused as a child.

She was even inspired to become a volunteer for CASA, or Court-Appointed Special Advocate, which will benefit from the ride.

“I have walked in the same shoes as these kids,” Hopper said.

The trip will be approximately 123 miles, and will start at 12:30 p.m. at the Dalton Mountain Creek Harley Davidson location. Hopper anticipates more than 300 riders to participate. Riders will donate $15 to participate, and more money will be raised through vendor and auction items.

Overnight camping will be available at Cherokee Farms. Several local bands will perform that evening, including Chad Lewis, Jeff Rogers, the Fly Brothers and the Molly McGuires.

Pre-registration will be possible June 12. For campers that ride in and set up, the gates will open at 1 p.m.

To learn more about CASA, visit www.nationalcasa.org. For more on the ride or to register, call (706) 280-3218 or visit www.orgsites.com/ga/katelynnride2009.

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hild Abuse Council celebrates new location with ribbon cutting

Press release submitted by Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce

RE: Ribbon Cutting

WHO: Child Abuse Council

WHERE: 400 – 16th Street, Rock Island

WHEN: Friday, June 5th

TIME: 1pm

DETAILS: The Child Abuse Council (400 – 16th Street, Rock Island) invites you to celebrate their new location with a ribbon cutting on Friday, June 5th at 1pm. There will also be an Open House from 1-4pm.

The Child Abuse Council informs, educates and supports children and families in the bi-state metropolitan Quad Cities and surrounding areas. They exist to lead community efforts in eliminating child abuse and neglect by protecting children and strengthening families through treatment, education and prevention. The Child Abuse Council was established in 1977 and employs 25 people.
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The fight against child abuse

by Paul Mones, guest opinion

Tuesday June 02, 2009, 8:30 AM

Our state legislators are in the midst of dealing with one of the worst fiscal crises in recent memory. No doubt they will have to make many tough, unpopular decisions this year. However there is one legislative decision they need not fret over because it is a no-brainer. House Bill 2827 is a simple piece of legislation that gives an extra measure of justice to victims of child abuse.

In the words of one of the bill's co-sponsors Chris Garrett (D-Lake Oswego ) - the other sponsor is Rep. Andy Olson (R-Albany) - this bill "will ensure an effective civil remedy for victims of child abuse."

The bill extends the present statute of limitations by giving victims until the age of 40 to file an action against their abuser, requiring that claims be initiated by the time the victim turns 40 years old or within five years of when the injury or the connection between the abuse and the injury is discovered. The bill has unanimously passed the house but curiously has not received the same overwhelmingly positive reception in the Senate.

The extension of the statute of limitations makes common sense because it recognizes that most child victims of sexual abuse cannot confront their debilitating problems until they are mature adults. Moreover, most victims can't even make the connection between the abuse and their psychological problems until they have some real distance from the time period of their abuse.

Child abuse is the perfect crime because its victims are too powerless, too confused to help themselves when they are actually being abused. These children travel quietly through their days interacting with teachers and passing police officers, friends and neighbors, never revealing the anguish of their existences. And if by chance someone asks them how they are being treated at home their responses will be uniformly the same: OK.

As adults we expect all human beings to escape or at least want to escape when someone injures them, but for victims of abuse, the reverse occurs. And that is in fact perhaps one of the most insidious aspects of child abuse: It binds the child closer to the abuser. The abuser's threats and intimidation engender in the child not only fear but self-blame and embarrassment - all of which turns a child's survival mechanisms topsy-turvy. Emotional attachment and sexual violence become so inextricably confused that even when the abuse is reported, the child will often kick and scream as they are being removed from their draconian environment by a social worker.

The other aspect that makes child abuse a perfect crime is that most adults continue to believe that child-rearing is a private matter. They don't want a relative, friend or neighbor telling them how to raise their child so they won't intervene in someone else's family. While we all cherish our right to privacy, our devotion to this cornerstone of democracy is strangling the lives of thousands of children every year. Abusive parents and caretakers thrive on isolation and that is exactly what their relatives, friends and neighbors give them.

Daily, people turn a blind eye to the screams, bruises and frightened eyes of battered and molested children. Their reaction actively reinforces the offender's omnipotence and tells the child you're on your own, no one is going to help you. By powerful social training we are more likely to intervene on behalf of a dog being kicked by its owner than a child being mistreated by a parent. As Americans we routinely gawk at the suffering of car accident victims but we avert our eyes and ears when we see a child being backhanded in a supermarket.

It is often only when a child becomes a mature adult that he or she has the strength and emotional resources to confront the scourge of their past.

We have done much in Oregon over the past few years to protect victims of abuse, the most recent example being the passage of HB 2062, which will prevent schools from silently moving sexually abusive teachers one district to another. If the Senate saw fit just several weeks ago to join the House in ending the scandalous practice of allowing sexually abusive teachers from negotiating sweetheart deals with their school districts, then it surely should see the wisdom in HB 2062.

Paul Mones is an attorney and a children's rights advocate.
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