Child Abuse Is Still On The Rise. How Do We Fix A Broken System? Time To Step UP
Every single day on the news we hear horrific stories of child abuse, neglect and child sexual abuse. As time marches on, we are now hearing more about children dying (many at the hands of their own parents), or guardians. The very people that are supposed to protect them, are harming them.
It is disturbing and frustrating to know that so many children are suffering daily, and as a society we need to do more, much much more.
Children continue to fall through the cracks of a very “FLAWED” SYSTEM.
As a community, we need to step up and fight for the rights of the innocent. Children are the beginning of everything, and we are losing them rapidly, in the most horrific ways.
The system is overloaded with countless children in need, and the services are lacking to say the least. We need to change this narrative, but how?
We need more people willing to stand up and fight, raise their voices, and push for stronger laws to protect our youth.
That age old saying, “See Something – Say Something”, still stands! Many children could have been saved, if someone stepped up for them.
Our judicial system needs to be “extremely stern & vigilant” when it comes to the safety of children. Our caseworkers need to look at the bigger picture when handling these very difficult cases. There needs to be more manpower set into place to assist the child protective programs.
I am going to share a case of a child that literally fell through the cracks of our system. This is a horrible case that is in the news right now.
Harmony Montgomery was failed NOT by one state but TWO. How could this beautiful child be lost in the system of two different states?
Who was looking out for her? Who was asking the important questions? Why was she missing for so long, (a year and a half) to be exact before anyone realized she was gone? That is unacceptable.
Harmony was born in Massachusetts to unmarried parents with a history of substance abuse. When she was born her father was in jail on drug and violence charges.
Harmony spent her first few years of life living with her drug addicted mother and several foster homes. She was KNEE DEEP in the system. Her family history was fully exposed, but somehow her drug addicted violent father gained full custody of her in a court of law! This is deeply disturbing to think, that it was so easy for him to gain access to his daughter with such a violent past.
What judge in “good conscience” would grand such a thing? What about DCF how could they allow this to happen?
Not only did Adam Montgomery gain full custody, he moved her out of state to New Hampshire without issue.
Nobody from the State of MA or NH did a welfare check to see where she would be living and if it was safe. She had special needs due to an eye condition, and again nobody came to check and make sure her needs were met. What about Harmony enrolling in school? That was never followed up on either. Was she not worth anyone’s time?
I will ask this question countless times, “How could this happen”? Two states that both failed!
As one-point, social services was called on him because he gave his daughter a black eye, so they went to his home asking about Harmony. He told them that he brought her back to live with her mother. Case closed!! Nobody ever followed up to see if that was the truth, and where she was. Nobody, asked to physically see Harmony. She had a black eye!!
As for family members and friends that witnessed him abuse her, shame on all of you for not speaking up to help this child!
Harmony was last seen alive in September 2019 by police who were called to the home, and by December 7, 2019 she was dead by the hands of her father, and a stepmother who did not protect her.
They were homeless, living in their car parked in a parking lot of an apartment complex. Many people reported seeing them, knowing them and never reporting them or bother to help the children stuck in that back seat helpless.
They had two young sons, and Harmony in that back seat while they actively did drugs.
In the same car, in front of his wife and two children, he brutally beat her to death for soiling herself because she had to use a bathroom.
He went on to hide her body in multiple locations until he found a way to dispose of her permanently. They have still not found her remains to date.
So many people saw. So many people knew, but not one person stood up for Harmony, as sweet precious innocent victim living in this nightmare. God Bless this little angel.
Latest Article about Harmony Montgomery
https://www.boston.com/?post_type=post&p=27735247
How could so many people turn a blind eye to such abuse?
How could our judicial system fail her in such a way?
How could two States fail her?
How could law enforcement, Child Protective Services allow this to happen?
Why was this child not worth saving?
Where do we go from here?
It is time to break the silence, ask the questions, and push for tougher laws that will protect our youth. We all have the ability to do something – ANYTHING – in the good of a child!
I wish I could say that this story is far and few between, but sadly I cannot. There are countless “Harmony Montgomery’s” out there right now waiting to be saved. This is the disgusting reality.
Children all of the world are being abused right this very moment. Abuse does not care about gender, color or creed, they take as many as they can without remorse.
Please remember that last statement the next time you internally question the safety of a child!
Step UP – Ask the Questions – Save a Life.
Our children deserve better.
The time is now.
Lisa Zarcone
Child Abuse Survivor
Author – Public Speaker – Child & Mental Health Advocate
Social Media Influencer – Blogger
MA National Ambassador for Naasca ( National Assoc. of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse)
National Statistics on Child Abuse
Child abuse is a horrific experience with potentially lasting effects. It’s also, unfortunately, a common experience in America. Here’s a look at the scope of the problem.
How child abuse impacts kids
The youngest children were most vulnerable. Children in the first year of their life are 15% of all victims, and more than a quarter (28%) of child maltreatment victims are no more than 2 years old.1
Breaking down child abuse by demographics, girls had a victimization rate of 8.7 per 1,000 girls in the population, higher than boys at 7.5 per 1,000 boys.4 American Indian or Alaska Native children have the highest rate of victimization at 15.2 per 1,000 children in the population of the same race or ethnicity, while African American children have the second-highest rate at 13.1 per 1,000 children of the same race or ethnicity.1
Child abuse is deadly. In 2021, an estimated 1,820 children died from abuse and neglect in the United States. Boys have a higher child fatality rate at 3.01 per 100,000 compared to girls at 2.15.4 African-American child fatalities (5.6 per 100,000) is 2.9 times greater than that of white children (1.94), and 3.9 times greater than Hispanic children (1.44).1
Nationally, neglect is the most common form of abuse. Three-fourths (76%) of victims are neglected, 16% are physically abused, and 10% are sexually abused, and 0.2% are sex trafficked.
Yet CACs serve far more sexual abuse cases, indicating a deeper problem.CACs investigated 247,543 cases involving sexual abuse allegations in 2022, around 58% of all cases our members carried through. While not all these cases resulted in a disclosure, charges, or a conviction, it’s an indication that the problem of sexual abuse may be much larger than federal statistics show. In the graph below, the data includes children who’ve reported multiple types of abuse.
