As a mother of an 11-year-old, an aunt to multiple nieces and nephews and a godmother to 2 additional children I can honestly say that children hold a very special place in my heart. Having raised a child from birth I honestly can’t understand why anyone would mistreat an innocent child, especially parents or adults period. It’s obvious that an adult has control and the physical upper hand when it comes to children, so for anyone to take advantage of that is disgusting and beyond comprehension. This social justice topic is important to me, because I’m a mother, I was once a child and I know what mistreatment feels like and I would never put that evil on another child no matter what.

I believe this is a topic that needs to keep being talked about and exposed. With everything that’s going on in the world today, it’s easy to forget about a ground of humans that can’t stand up for themselves or speak out against their abusers in their youth. If you have never been abused or mistreated as a child, this topic may not be at the top of your social injustice list, but for those of us that have experienced it – it’s a part of your life that you never forget. According to the CDC, it’s predicted that 1 in 7 children in the US has experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year ^[1].

I plan on sharing a few personal stories of what I experienced as well as some stories of family and friends that have had to endure child maltreatment. Now I recognize that child maltreatment looks differently and everyone’s story isn’t the same; but I feel that survivor stories are imperative for the child that is currently dealing with maltreatment and abuse so they know that things can get better. This paper will certainly discuss multiple aspects of child abuse and maltreatment. My hope is that this discussion will continue to gain traction, exposure, and more laws will be created to protect our children – because they’re not objects or pets, they are precious humans that depend on adults to protect and love them, not abuse them.

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Child Abuse & Neglect: Fast Facts.” Accessed July 31, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/fastfact.html