Child Abuse and Neglect: Recognizing and Preventing Child Abuse

Child abuse is more than bruises and broken bones. Other types of abuse, such as emotional abuse or child neglect, also leave deep, long-lasting scars. By learning common types of abuse and where to get help, you can make a huge difference in a child’s life. A training aide and informational video for those working with children, or the general public, on how to detect and report child abuse:

Child Abuse Hotlines:

To get help or report abuse in the US or Canada, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at  1-800-4-A-CHILD ( 1-800-422-4453 ).
In the UK, call 0800 1111 (NSPCC Childline).
Australia: 1800 688 009 (Child Abuse Prevention Service).
New Zealand: 0800-543-754 (Kidsline).
Or visit ChiWorld.org for a list of other international child helplines.

Bethany Loerke, 20, was abused by Doctor James Loerke from age of 5

A young woman who suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of her adoptive father has courageously revealed her identity to help other victims.  Bethany Loerke, 20, spent her early childhood in the foster care system before being adopted by a doctor and his wife, a nurse, to be raised with their three biological children. However behind the facade of a privileged upbringing, Miss Loerke was sexually assaulted by the man who was supposed to protect her from the age of five.  READ MORE HERE

Nashville, TN – Becky Burlison, a 39-year-old Tennessee woman was jailed Thursday after she allegedly raped a toddler with a 4-inch long brush handle. According to police, Burlison was babysitting a friend’s 2-year-old child when she forced a 4-inch long brush handle into the child’s rectum.  READ MORE HERE

LOUISVILLE, KY — A restraining order, against a fourth-grader?  It’s almost unheard of, yet that’s exactly what one parent says she needs to protect her 9-year-old from being bullied at a Jefferson County public school. While JCPS teachers prepare for state testing, consequences may be the lesson of the day at Foster Traditional Academy.  Attorney Teddy Gordon explains, “We want to make sure the school does what it’s supposed to do, which is keep all of our children, especially this young little lady, safe in a school setting.  Free of bullying and intimidation and threats and if they won’t do it we hope the court system will.”  READ MORE HERE

A teacher at a Connecticut day care center was arrested and charged after being accused of molesting two children while they slept. According to authorities in Norwalk, 44-year-old Harold Meyers of Bridgeport has been charged with two counts of third degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.  READ MORE HERE

Doctors are warning parents about a dangerous new trend after six teenagers drank hand sanitizer and ended up in Southern California emergency rooms with alcohol poisoning. Dr. Billy Mallon works in the emergency room at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center. He said he’s seen too many young people come through the hospital’s doors because they tried to get drunk by guzzling hand sanitizer. READ MORE HERE

Most Recent Victim: 15-YO Girl

LOS ANGELES , CA — The LAPD is asking for the public’s help finding the so-called “teardrop rapist,” believed to be responsible for 28 sexual assaults in the South L.A. area since 1996. The man has been linked through DNA to a series of attacks in Los Angeles over the last 15-years, the latest occurred in November. READ MORE HERE

A toddler suffered terrible brain injuries and the man living with him may be to blame. Jarrod Rudder, 24, is going to jail in connection with the death of a 2-year-old boy who suffered skull fractures and internal bleeding after being thrown by the arm through a lamp and into a wall. READ MORE HERE

A New Jersey dad has a bone to pick with teachers who mocked his autistic child. A video posted by Stuart Chaifetz gives incriminating evidence against some teachers at Horace Mann Elementary School who were caught mocking and abusing his son, Akian, who has autism. According to NJ.com Chaifetz sent his son to school with a recording device after he was warned about Akian striking some of the teachers. READ MORE HERE

For more audio and information, please visit www.hnva.net/teacherbully
Contact info: Akian5@comcast.net

BALTIMORE -Baltimore City police are investigating how a mother was able to enter a Department of Social Services building with a knife that she later used to stab her infant child.  The stabbing occurred at the DSS building in the 3000 block of East Biddle Street shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday.  Officers said when they arrived they found a child, who is about 8 months old, with multiple stab wounds to the chest and neck. READ MORE HERE

STOP EDUCATOR SEXUAL ABUSE, MISCONDUCT, EXPLOITATION (S.E.S.A.M.E.)

Dream Catchers for Abused Children is joining forces with the Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct and Exploitation Campaign to urge Pennsylvania’s elected officials to pass legislation prohibiting the practice of “Passing the Trash.” This loophole, whereby school employees accused of sexual misconduct are allowed to resign and move to another unsuspecting school district where they are likely to abuse again, allows predators to remain in the classrooms and potentially threaten even more students. Please join us in signing a petition at calling on Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett to support the legislation that will strengthen background checks for school employees. You can help spread the word about this important legislation by joining us on  Facebook and Twitter pages.

A Temecula man allegedly raped and abused a girl for more than a decade and kept photographs of himself wearing her underwear, records recently released show. Javier Cortez, 45, was arrested on suspicion of sodomy and lewd and lascivious behavior involving force with a person younger than 14, continual sexual abuse of a child younger than 4, forced oral copulation, driving without a license, speeding, failing to appear and misdemeanor indecent exposure, according to jail records. READ MORE HERE

Maybe it’s his doleful look that snagged Pecos a dream job, which basically entails sleeping. “Kids think if he can sleep here, it must be a safe place,” said his handler, Michele Thames. The place is the Child Abuse Program at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, and Pecos is a Labrador and golden retriever mix who helps Thames in her job as a forensic interviewer. Pecos sits with children on a carpeted bench while they tell their stories of abuse, allowing them to rub his ears or bury their faces in his neck. He also lets children walk him to the exam room, where he sits with them while they have physical exams. READ MORE HERE

A two-year-old boy slipped into a coma after his mother’s boyfriend allegedly slapped him hard in the face repeatedly. Mohd Danish Aiman was playing in the 31-year-old man’s house in Kampung Tualang, Manir at about 9pm on Friday. The man became angry with the boy and slapped him until he lost consciousness. The boy’s 22-year-old mother was at the man’s home at that time. READ MORE HERE