The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
For many of us, trying to understand any reason for child abuse is inconceivable. Imagine being a community trying to figure out why it has some of the highest per capita rates in Georgia for child abuse cases.
That’s the dilemma facing Lanier County.
This relatively small South Georgia county leads Georgia in the per-capita number of neglect cases, and ranks second amongst all of the state’s counties in physical abuse.
The state Division of Family and Children Services and the Community Partnership for Protecting Children are trying to understand why. Together, these agencies are hosting meetings in Lanier County with hopes of recognizing causes and establishing solutions to lower these numbers.
At the meetings, organizers pose questions, such as, Why do you think Lanier has the highest rate of neglect and second highest rate of abuse? What is the greatest challenge in the community? and Where do you turn for help?
“We are about strengthening families and communities,” Natalie Wall, interim director of Lanier County DFCS told The Times. “Taking kids is the last option. Neighbors and families need to step up and help before we have to get involved.”
Family and community involvement may be the key.
Extended relatives may need to set younger parents straight on the responsibilities of raising a child. Neighbors may need to do the same by either letting parents know what their children are doing, offering a helping hand, or by even reporting potential abuse or neglect.
Yet, realistically, we no longer live in a world where neighbors look out for one another. Quite often, neighbors don’t even know each others’ names.
Gone are the days when a neighbor could comfortably approach a neighbor concerning a child. Nowadays, even people who are aware of bad situations keep this information to themselves for fear the neighbor may curse them or worse.
In the past, grandparents have often stepped up to watch grandchildren when the adult child lacks the responsibilities or abilities to be a parent. For years, some have wondered, what happens once this generation of grandparents is gone? Who will watch and care for the new generation of children? Perhaps, the generation of grandparent-parents is vanishing?
These thoughts are as dismal as the child-abuse numbers. But there are no easy answers for DFCS, the Community Partnership for Protecting Children, and all of Lanier County. There are no easy answers for any place dealing with rising child-abuse cases.
Yet, by simply asking the questions, as these meetings are in Lanier County, maybe solutions will be found. A growing number of children are depending on those answers.
