Ensuring Children’s Safety Essay

News headlines about the heinous parent acts against children such as abuse, assault and rape are more than just disturbing. They are shocking. Most of us can’t imagine what would make adult use violence against children, and the worse the behavior is, the more unimaginable it seems. It is only right that we bring forth the issue of these despicable acts. Protecting children from harm and violence is not just the duty of the authorities concerned. Society has to play its part as well. For starters, action needs to begin with neighbors. Neighbors must be vigilant for the warning signs of abused children like shrinking away when an adult approaches, serious physical injuries and children frequently plays in the street, unsupervised. They need to watch out for children often stay outside their house because the children may be hurt or afraid of their parents. Besides, neighbors should report their concern to the proper authorities like police and Child Protective Services (CPS) so that preventive measures can be taken in time. Other than that, the government should keep children safe within their own families. The government should give heavy penalty to parents as a warning to alert them on the heavy offence of child abuse. Besides, the government should carry out a campaign on child abuse to strengthen family ties. Moreover, the CPS should visit every house to promote the integrity of the family, protect children from harm and assure the needs and rights of children to live in a healthful situation. Lastly, schools should place special emphasis on child safety education. Programs on safety should be held from time to time to educate them on the seriousness of child abuse. Moreover, schools should organize caring school programs to help build children’s self-esteem and teach them about respect among peers and the others so that they can behave well and learn about healthy relationship. In a nutshell, family violence and child abuse is on the increase. The cause of which is a breakdown in the family structure. A safe place for children to live and grow can only be realized when all parties, including schools, communities and the authorities work together to help reduce the cases of child abuse.