Child abuse class

We talked about child abuse today.  Hard to think about but near and dear to my heart.  The one thing that struck me the most about what we learned today was the statistic about how many children have suffered some form of abuse.  I wished I would have written down the exact numbers but I will get them later when the slides are posted.  Of course all forms of abuse is bad, but for some reason sexual abuse scares me the most.  Maybe its because sex is such an adult thing and children are so vulnerable and innocent.  I feel like I can forgive someone who has been physically abusive to children, and in fact I have.  But I don't think I can ever forgive someone who has sexually exploited a child, nor could I have faith in their rehabilitation. 

I was extremely glad, however, that there was an emphasis on resiliency in children.  It reminds me that there is hope and the possibility of a normal happy life at the other end of this trauma.  In fact, I would be very interested to learn more about how to help children who have been victims of abuse.  I have come across a few in my line of work (preschool) and usually CPS is already involved.  Unfortunately, sometimes its very hard to get a hold of the caseworker or to get them to return your calls.  And when they do, they seem stressed out and overwhelmed.  I fully imagine that they had the best of intentions and ambitions when they became social workers, but they have one of the toughest jobs out there.  They need more support, we need more support, and the children need all the support anyone can offer.