Preventing child abuse and neglect a year-round effort

When Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly sentenced Sandra Faye Smith to six months in jail for endangering her two small sons, she drove home the message that child abuse cannot be tolerated in a civilized society. Police found one of Smith's children -- a 3-year-old -- in the snow, filthy, barefoot, bruised and wearing only a diaper. His 1-year-old brother was found in a dirty crib in a house strewn with trash, cigarettes and animal feces.
Tragically, hundreds of area children are found in similar circumstances every year. It's not a pretty picture.
In Ohio, April is recognized as "Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month," but the month-long focus should not suggest that child abuse is not a daily tragedy.
Annually, some 2,000 reports of child abuse and neglect are recorded by agencies in the Mahoning Valley -- and thousands more, no doubt, go unreported, as witnesses fear repercussions or choose not to get involved.
Reporting essential: But the sooner signs of abuse are reported to authorities, the sooner the child -- and his or her family -- can get needed help. Sometimes, counseling or parenting classes are enough to change caregivers' treatment of the children in their charge.
In cases of extreme abuse or neglect, the courts must intervene.
Decent parents cannot comprehend the kind of mentality that would inflict emotional, sexual or physical abuse on a child. It is almost impossible to comprehend why parents or other caregivers would not feed their children adequately, would leave them in squalor or would withhold necessary medical care.
Teachers, neighbors and family members who suspect abuse or neglect should report their concerns to the appropriate children's services agency. Children should be no one's victims -- let alone the victims of those who are supposed to love them.