Ame Deal, a 10-year-old girl, was discovered dead in a locked airtight storage bin outside her family’s house in Phoenix, Arizona, and despite her relatives’ claim that she had accidentally locked herself inside while playing hide-and-seek, the authorities suspect foul play and said she is the victim of child abuse.

DETROIT – A DNA test confirmed that the charred body of a young girl found in a burned-out Detroit house was a 5-year-old who was reported missing by her mother, Detroit police said Friday. Detroit police had been hesitant to link the missing girl to the burned body until the return of the DNA test. But the results from the Michigan State Police Crime Lab confirmed it was Mariha Trenice Smith, police said in a news release.

OUR GOAL: Petition the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the President of the United States to pass the “Zero Tolerance” bill into Federal Law.

WHO: Dreamcatchers for Abused Children is an official non-profit 501(c)3 child abuse & neglect organization dedicated to educating the public on child abuse symptoms, intervention, prevention, statistics, reporting, and helping victims locate the proper resources necessary to achieve a full recovery. We need YOUR help to petition the government for mandatory sentencing for child abusers and pedophiles.

In the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF)’s new report, The State of America’s Children 2011, we give a comprehensive overview on the well-being of America’s children. But just who are America’s children and families today? Children make up almost one in four of the people living in the United States today. More than one-quarter of our nation’s children are young — infants, toddlers or preschoolers. They are the poorest age group in America. And the younger they are, the poorer they are — cheating them in the years of greatest brain development. In chapters on child population and family structure we take a closer look, and a national child and family portrait begins to emerge.

Many are getting upset over Facebook spy ware software for parents. I was looking at one, Spector Pro, the other day to understand what it was all about. The software allows you to secretly record emails, instant messages, and chats. It also prevents private information from being revealed (how is that possible) and can set restrictions like time allowed on the child. It also filters adult-related web chat and emails.

When a two year old toddler girl was brought into a hospital outside of St. Petersburg, Florida on Wednesday, medical personnel found that she had extensive injuries that were indicative of horrendous child abuse. The baby had blistering on her tongue and cracked lips which are signs of severe dehydration and malnutrition. She also had a broken left tibia and numerous bruises with swelling all over her body including her head. Some of the injuries could very well cause permanent disabilities for the child.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Veronica Coriell expressed shock Friday that her ex-husband allegedly kidnapped, raped and tried to murder their 8-year-old daughter. She never saw it coming, she said. “Did something happen along the line that made him not be right in his head?” Veronica Coriell said Friday morning. “Maybe he snapped somewhere.”

A Hastings man has been arrested after authorities say he broke a 4-month-old’s leg when the infant would not stop crying and delayed taking him for treatment. Jay Louis Bergeron Jr., 21, was charged Thursday with aggravated child abuse and is in the St. Johns County jail on $500,000 bail. The state Department of Children and Families investigated after the child was hospitalized in February.

ALBERT LEA, Minn. – There may soon be harsher punishment laws on the books for child abuse cases in Minnesota. Recent cases in our area as well as across the country are prompting state lawmakers to take action. State Senator Dan Sparks from Austin is planning to meet with Mower County Attorney Kristen Nelsen next week. There they’ll discuss introducing legislation that would create harsher punishments for child abusers, a topic Sparks says he’s heard a lot about recently from constituents.

LAS CRUCES, N. M. — A Las Cruces father was arrested Thursday on child abuse charges after police said he struck his 9-year-old daughter multiple times.It all began Wednesday, when Las Cruces police said 26-year-old Reyes Francisco Perez was injecting himself with a hypodermic needle while his 9-year-old daughter was watching. That’s when police said Perez became angry and repeatedly hit the girl.

OGDEN, Utah—In an emotional court hearing, an Ogden woman pleaded guilty to murder in connection with the death of her infant son. Jewell Hendricks, 27, pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder in the death of her infant son. In exchange for the plea, Weber County prosecutors dismissed a child abuse charge. “Are you doing it because you are, in fact, guilty?” Second District Court Judge Michael DiRida asked Hendricks.

PHOENIX, Arizona — Police have arrested four people in the death of a 10-year-old girl who suffocated inside a footlocker used to punish her for taking a popsicle without permission. The victim, 10-year-old Ame Deal, was found dead on July 12 in the home where she lived with an aunt, grandmother and two cousins following what police said at the time may have been the tragic ending to a game of hide-and-seek.

DALY CITY — A Daly City man was convicted Monday of burning his 17-month-old son in a hot stove while trying to teach him that ovens are dangerous.Gregory Colver Jr., 21, was remanded into custody after a San Mateo County Superior Court jury convicted him of felony child endangerment and cruelty to a child. He faces 12 years in state prison when he is sentenced Aug. 16.

Unrealistic expectations of parenthood, differences between what we want and what we actually have, a strained relationship with our marriage partner, too much to do and too little time, financial problems, drug abuse, alcoholism, and a history of being abused as a child are examples of problems that can cause parents to take out anger and frustration on their children. Even very loving parents can lose control to the point of child abuse.