Our children are counting on us. This month, let’s all make the vow to not let them down.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This is not just a national issue; it hit close to home recently.

A cafeteria worker at Maplewood Elementary School was arrested last week after she was caught on a school surveillance camera striking and punching her 6-year-old son, authorities said.

Kristy Lynn Miller, 32, of Sulphur was charged with cruelty to a juvenile and was booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center. Bond was set at $100,000.

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kim Myers said Miller struck the child “multiple times in a violent manner,” leaving red marks on the child’s arms and face.

Video footage of the attack shows Miller beating the child up and down his body — from head to feet — with open hands and closed fists. At one point, the child falls to the ground and Miller continues to strike and punch him. The video also shows Miller walking away from the child only to return moments later and start striking him again.

The attack begs the question: why? What could be so bad that one would resort to physical violence?

“It’s pretty disturbing,” Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso said. “I think that parents should be able to discipline their children, and that includes spanking. When you take that to another level, then it becomes abuse. The fact of the matter is, this was not just a spanking.”

In 2013 in the United States, there were about 679,000 cases of child abuse and 1,484 children died because of abuse. Oasis, a safe haven for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Lake Charles, provided 4,489 nights of safe shelter for women and children in 2014. That’s 4,489 too many.

This month is the time to start actions to prevent those numbers. if you see something, say something.

Oasis offers the following warning signs a child has been exposed to violence:

l The child is irritable, fussy, has frequent tantrums.

l Child clings to caregivers.

l Child resorts back to younger behaviors such as thumb sucking, bedwetting, fear of the dark.

l

Child has difficulty paying attention.

l

Child eats, sleeps more or less than usual.

l

Child gets into trouble at home or school.

l

Child experiences frequent nightmares.

l Child becomes quiet, upset, withdrawn.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure all children are safe from any form of abuse.

We do not need a Child Abuse Awareness Month. What we need is for child abuse to be stopped, to be prevented. We need Stop Child Abuse Month.

(MGNonline)