TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The statistics are overwhelming.
Of the approximate 3.6 million referrals made to child protection agencies nationally, nearly 700,000 are found to be actual victims of child abuse.
To put that in perspective, said Ali Kern with Tinker’s Family Advocacy Program, the number of child abuse victims in the United States annually would fill the University of Oklahoma’s 86,112-seat football stadium roughly eight-and-a-half times.
“So if you’ve ever been to an OU game and it’s jam packed and you think ‘wow, that’s a lot of people,’ imagine those being victims and kids of abuse,” she said. “That is just crazy to me. We don’t talk about it because it’s an uncomfortable conversation to have, but we have got to talk about it.”
It is vital to discuss child abuse not only during April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month, but all year long. Kern recently sat down with Tinker Talks to discuss child abuse prevention.
Abuse can be in the form of physical, sexual, emotional and neglect. In fact, Kern said neglect is the most common form of abuse with 1 in 7 kids having suffered some form of neglect in their lifetime.
“Nationally, that’s 3/5ths of victims,” she said, adding that many children suffering from abuse will likely be polyvictimized, meaning they are victims of more than one form of abuse.
“That’s a pretty significant statistic,” she said. “But if you want to talk about who is doing the abuse – 78% are parents.”
Kern said she’s counseled families in the past who said they never thought abuse would happen in their households.
“It’s true,” she said. “Abuse doesn’t just touch poor people, it doesn’t touch just rich people. It impacts everyone in between.”
Children who suffer from abuse, or anyone who witnesses child abuse, can call 911 or the Oklahoma Department of Human Services hotline at 1-800-522-3511 to report it. Or, they can call Tinker’s Family Advocacy Program at 405-582-6604.
“Specifically on base, Family Advocacy works with families that may experience any form of maltreatment and if it’s something that may need more intensive treatment or long-term treatment there are some incredible agencies in the OKC metro area that we can refer to,” Kern said.
Listen to the entire conversation here: https://www.dvidshub.net/audio/65987/tinker-talks-child-abuse-awareness-month