Comments for INVISIBLE CHILDREN

Comment on The Most Powerful Suicide Note Ever by Deadpan PUDDING _Nickname from my dad

Deadpan PUDDING _Nickname from my dad — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:45:06 +0000

I am searching why people feel so depressed to take their own life…I have a person in my home who has threaten to do the same. I am pulling my hair out to help this person….I was taught by my single mother “YOU HAVE TO DO THE BEST THAT YOU CAN WITH WHAT YOU GOT!…I have sent this person to talk to professionals and have come away from the secession with no help at all…I RRAY every night this person will in time heal himself and snap out of it. It is so sad to read there are so many children and young adults encountering so much pain and dispare. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-odevise strategies to helplds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after accidents and homicide. It’s also thought that at least 25 attempts are made for every completed teen suicide. I plan read, talk, and listen to the person in my home who wrote a sucide note and be at their side everytime they feel depressed, sad, and unhappy. I hope it works…To tell the truth of the matter I thought the perosn who wrote the sucide note who gave it directly to their teacher was simply fishing for a way to get of of completeing a homework assignment…NOW I know it is more complicated than just mearly homework…Pray for me…

Comment on Institutional Bullying & Suicide; Bishop Gene Robinson by Stephanie D. Hursey

Stephanie D. Hursey — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:36:08 +0000

It is indeed heart breaking to read. The attempt to mold our next generation to fit the status quote of some organization belief system is shameful in every aspect. Especially when the price that is being paid is the life of that very child. The personal belief and thinking system that the child sexual orientation came about by adaptation without concrete evidence is due to a mixture lacking the necessary knowledge and compassion. Yet, to attempt to reverse it by coersion and mind washing is an outrage in itself. When the only mental parallel these children have of their live’s is a dark box, are we supprised that they indeed physically place themself in the grave. In contrast, we strive to teach our children to be open minded and acceptant of diversity in a human being, to look past certain characteristics and minor flaws. Where do we strike a balance between those we can see and those we deliberatly choose to keep invisible?

Comment on New ACE Study DVD 3 Minute Preview: by Theresa J Kaijage

Theresa J Kaijage — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:16:38 +0000

I am interested in all studies on OVC.

Comment on World’s Best Foster Child Blog by Foster Care Survey

Foster Care Survey — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:21:52 +0000

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https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7VMX8XJ

Comment on Institutional Bullying & Suicide; Bishop Gene Robinson by Kelley Hazen

Kelley Hazen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:58:58 +0000

That any child or human should feel lost, alone, helpless because of how they choose to love is unthinkable. Thank u to all religious groups who bring us together. Love one another.

Comment on Universal Rights Of The Child; All Talk No Action by Tracey Jackson

Tracey Jackson — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:19:34 +0000

Awesome article Michael – and you are so correct. We are an Australian company who specialise in Child Protection training – but with a difference. We’ve had years of experience as police and investigators of abuse and as case managers of serious abuse matters, and also have experience in law, education and psychology. Our training is real, and based on our experience and knowledge – and this topic is something a text book can’t teach. Your article is proof of that – you have to live it to believe it. We became despondent about child safety departments all around the country and the world losing the battle and running out of funds – and we believe we need to have a massive shift in perception about who’s responsibility it is to prevent abuse. We spend so much time in our schools teaching our children maths and grammar and history and geography – but it’s time we moved the responsibility for child abuse prevention away from embattled, underfunded and overworked child safety departments, to our education departments – and approached Child Protection with a whole of population attitude – the same way that we fought sun cancer here in Asutralia. If we’d just put all our efforts into treating the cancer after it happened, like we currently do with child abuse, then we would be losing that battle. To prevent sun cancer education programs were targeted at the whole population – not just those at risk with fair skin and freckles or sun spots – but all people. That teaches people that everyone has a responsibility to keep safe and ensure others can keep safe from the sun. So when we set about teaching Child Protection, whilst out of necessity we also teach early intervention and response strategies – our primary goal has been teaching true prevention using our 7 Steps 2 Safety program. We know through experience that this program works. If it was implemented on a widespread basis using a whole of population approach and as the responsibility of education departments not child safety departments, then we would make real inroads into preventing abuse, and ensuring that children can either protect themselves or are at least aware that they have a right to make choices and be safe and free from harm – because this belief, as you would know, is imperative when trying to ensure victims recover and move on to enjoy the kind of life many of us take for granted.

Comment on America; The Worst Child Abuse Record In The Industrialized World by Jake Rob

Jake Rob — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:01:28 +0000

I have a 3 year old boy that I hate most of the time. He has two sisters, 3 and 12. Raising the girls has been no problem for me and I like to be fair. But did you ever know a kid that came into this world “marked” for evil? I have one of those kids. He is so bad that no one else will take him..only me. He isn’t bad like a naughty siamese cat. He has an abnormal level of curiosity and a motto that he should be able to make the rules and do what he wants. Therefore, he is clever and sneaky. It has become a waste of time trying to childproof the home without installing big shelves all around the house and putting EVERYTHING up high. Locks on everything. Cameras. It’s insane. But he truly is that bad. My wife didn’t think so for the longest time until she spent more time at home. Now she is a believer. We have always been good people. But my son has made me angry all of the time and I have lost some self control.

Blame the parents huh?

The biggest problem resides in America and its stinking corporate culture. This wasteland has become a continent where every one is selfish. We have to fit the mold of society, else we have constant struggle. Living in America sucks for most people. If you hear someone say otherwise, they are one of the fortunates that have hefty bank accounts. Money is everything in this country. Family doesn’t matter to America. Therefore, the BUSY Americans will continue to see children as a burden. This is the country the Bible refers to as the big evil.

Comment on The Most Powerful Suicide Note Ever by j.k.

j.k. — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:16:04 +0000

Sad,and so true…if I had only had a chance to meet you bill….I am so mad about this story! I have been there,and sometimes it does haunt me still. I’m sorry bill. I’m sorry that this brought you down…I desperately want to say something about this,but I’m in awe right now…I will continually pray to my lord and savior for your soul bill.he is the only person who has NEVER!Failed me in this sometimes cruel,heartless world. Godspeed bill………

Comment on Thank You Indiana by Monica

Monica — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 01:34:04 +0000

It’s so true is all I can say. The forgotten voices that should be heard!

Comment on The Commonality Of Child Sex Abuse by Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 23:40:56 +0000

Hi Mike,
I’ve heard about you, from an ‘ole acquaintance, and I finally stumbled across the Invisible Children web site, today. I could go on and on but, more pointedly, I felt compelled to comment. Your thesis and arguments RE: Child Sex Abuse — causes — I would never argue, ever. I know the pain and have seen it with my own eyes: horror, shame, and sufferings that this autrocity perpetuates upon the victim(s) and their progeny, if they do ever have children.

I have for years and years in the halls of 12-step groups heard the horrors and traumas of this appalling legacy upon mankind. I had endless conversations with a former neighbor from Uganda, whom informed me over 13 years ago of the barbarity of Mr. Kony & kind. Finally, while visiting and travelling through SE Asia and Oceania going back 25 years in over 6 countries, sad, unnerving and compelling narratives and discussions I’ve had with: victims; NGOs; police; a few perps; and one pimp, so sad to say. This shamed me to devote energies and funds to the few organizations(then, 25yrs back) working to end the child sex-trade overseas.

But, here at home. I still, after over 30 years in the halls of recovery witness and hear the results of child sex abuse. This matter will not go away. A sister-in-law, shortsightedly, has requested that I stop discussing — such disgusting matters. But, I won’t. The epidemic is all to present with no end appearing.

Gratefully, I was not a victim of child sex abuse, and I came from a dysfunctional but very loving family system. However, I was a victim of an attempted murder and rape upon me, when I was a very young adult. I still survive and pray. Day by day; Day to day. My health is not the greatest, yet, I recently retired from work. May I be of some assistance.

Peace,
Jim Murphy

Comment on Stop The Rape & Abuse of America’s Children – Get Involved In Invisible Children’s Mission by sharon campbell

sharon campbell — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:17:31 +0000

Skyshayjewel will like to get involve with helping kids around the world including here in the USA. I believe if you help other achieve their dreams then you will acheive yours.

Comment on The Most Powerful Suicide Note Ever by Smita Dikshit

Smita Dikshit — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 07:04:21 +0000

I feel extremely sad that a young life had to encounter so much pain and still went on bottling all that hurt inside. Its tragic to say the least but more tragic is that the monster who inflicted such trauma on a tender child goes unpunished. How many more children are being subjected to the same fate? I guess its time we redefine our approach towards dealing with child molestation cases. Let there not be a repeat of this pain.

Comment on Child Sex Abuse & The Most Powerful Suicide Note Ever by Sherri Davies

Sherri Davies — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:32:31 +0000

How absolutely awful. And yes, I can identify with just about all the comments in the suicide note. I am also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and have been suicidal several times over the course of my life. Psycotherapy has helped. Writing my story in third person as if it happened to someone else helped, I still feel disconnected from most of the world and I believe the living Christ is the only true answer.

Comment on Back To School & In Support of Education by child day care centers

child day care centers — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:15:16 +0000

Depending on your goal, you might have lots of options open to you, or very few. No nation will maintain leading status in the world without a workable educational system.

Comment on Thank You Judge Kevin Burke by Kevin Burke

Kevin Burke — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 23:19:39 +0000

Thanks very much for your kind words. As I said to some friends this week: Children need more champions. Kevin Burke

Comment on Save Enormous Downstream Costs (Listen Carefully To David Strand’s Advice) by Janmejoy Patel

Janmejoy Patel — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:40:13 +0000

So this is also happening in the fabled U.S. of A. And we in India (Odisha state) thought only our government leaders are insensitive towards children’s rights of health and education. Just sample this-
This current year (2012-2013) the Odisha State budget, maintaining its shameful trend, has proposed 2.51% of GDP for school education and 0.70% for heath sector. These allocations are traditionally branded Social Sector expenditure, not futuristic investment for human resource.

The situation in our part of the world is more frustrating in that around 50% of the general population is illiterate and poor. Hence voiceless. The vocal minority has abandoned the public education & health systems in favour of expensive private options. This leaves our representatives free to do whatever they choose with taxpayers’ money, unlike in the U.S.

Comment on Bad Teacher, It’s All Your Fault by Ashley Victoria

Ashley Victoria — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:43:22 +0000

Dr. “Bad Teacher”,
I really like how concisely and precisely you wrote, “If you give some students green fields, glossy textbooks and lots of attention, you can’t measure them against another group of students who lack all of these things. It’s bad science.” I think you can put any given factors in there “If you give some students x, y, and z, you can’t measure them against another group of students who lack all of these things”. I think this not only applies to a lack of materials and resources, but also the things we forget about that our students with special needs lack, and work on. Typical students can understand the significance of rules, the depths of concepts, and manage the range of stimuli in a classroom. Our special needs students can’t necessarily juggle these elements, leading them to constantly be compared to and fail against the norm. It’s a shame that your evaluators were unclear about the depths of your work, and even further that they didn’t seem to understand that what you do for students with special needs doesn’t show on standard evals. These are the kinds of mistakes that we need to use to show administrators that they need to take a more productive action in this delicate regard.

I don’t know if you’ll read this letter, but I appreciate your honesty

Comment on The Most Powerful Suicide Note Ever by Tanya English

Tanya English — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:21:35 +0000

Powerful. I have recently shared my truth, publicly, of the abuse I suffered during childhood and I can tell you the only way I’ve found to deal with it, and this is over about the last 40 years is to confront the fear of telling with someone qualified to listen. And then get on with healing. After being in healing practice for the last 25 years here’s what I know for sure – healing can happen. I use many different methods to heal and help others heal too. If only he had told someone that could have helped so much.
Do not stay silent. The price is too high.

Comment on Bad Teacher, It’s All Your Fault by Michele Lucian0

Michele Lucian0 — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:06:50 +0000

Hello My name is Michele Luciano and I am a Doctor of Education in Counseling Psychology (candidate)of Argosy University. I like the words “invisible children “and find this to be an appropriate title as it relates to how children with behavioral issues are viewed. Yes, we know the children’s behavior is inappropriate, but what are we doing about this problem? To many times I have seen professionals, who get paid to help these children, turn their heads in an attempt not to see the behavior or give up on a child. As Mental Health Professional’s we need to address the issues and work with the child to change or eliminate the behavior. The problem is not everyone wants to take the TIME and put forth needed efforts. Behavior modification is remarkable and it works. I am an advocate of changing negative behaviors and never giving up on a child. They are young, vulnerable and impressionable. They learn from role modeled behaviors and they behave and act in ways that reflect their upbringing and/or peer pressure. For those that need medication due to the genetic component, this should not be the last result or the end of the process. The child deserves a chance and the only way he or she will get that chance is by making ourselves “catalyst of change agents.” If we entered the helping profession to help than we need to uphold this fact. Look at it as a chance to make a difference in someone’s life besides our own. It takes a village to raise a child, and a strong, educated, dedicated team of mental health professionals to change a child. Actions speak louder than words. When we make even the slightest difference in this helping profession it makes it all worth while. Thank you!

Comment on Lying To Ourselves About Caring, Children, & Religion by John

John — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:26:02 +0000

As a late in life victim of child abuse, under the auspices of moral and safe parental corporal punishment, who found the denied pain of sexual abuse hidden within it, who then sought and recieved professional psychological help I can only say we as a state would be much better served financially and our children protected from the psychological and physical effects of child abuse I we had the courage to announce to our state’s parents that corporal punishment in any physical form was off the table for discipline. Many other forms of discipline are effective in changing negative behavior and wont’ risk long term psychological illnesses. Violence removed in the home by legislative action, even if ignored by the slow to change habit of a good parent ignorant of the risks that take would lessen the harm to our state’s population of children and it would increase the efficiency of “sorting” out the repeat offenders. The scientific facts are undeniable, child violence is life long harmful and breeds generational violence. Let this science support the anxious legistlative official afraid of challenging the bad habits of old parenting and religious misinterpretations of how we discipline our children. Our state’s future will be one of happier children as adults inheriting a less taxed social services system with less fiscal burden.

Comment on Lying To Ourselves About Caring, Children, & Religion by David Marsh

David Marsh — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:11:31 +0000

Are children safe in your comunity?Yours Tom Thumb.

Comment on Giving Voice To Abused & Neglected Children At Private Schools by Mike Tikkanen

Mike Tikkanen — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:41:49 +0000

Vennetta, I have found that it takes a few tries to find the thing that suits us best that we will stay at long enough to make a difference. My only advice is to volunteer in an field that serves abused and neglected children and uses your talents. I always tell people that decisions are reversible (you can change your mind). The important thing is to look until you find that thing that feels right to you.

I like CASA, Prevent Child Abuse, and a host of others (many listed on our site on the right hand side).

Warm wishes,

MikeT

Comment on Giving Voice To Abused & Neglected Children At Private Schools by vennetta

vennetta — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:02:20 +0000

For each child that is born into this world is a gift most priceless&irreplaceble..And to think that they are ever vunerable or subject to being treated in anyway other than the true blessings that they (our children)are ment to be to us is most atrocious.. I have thought long and hard of becoming a voice for our most precious humanbeings,all i ask is where do i sign up and what wolud you have me do,i”m here..THANKS

Comment on Race To The Bottom, Untrained Social Workers, Over Work & More Dead & Suffering Children In Indiana by Eric

Eric — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:33:24 +0000

Hi all, not sure I like where this is going. “THIS AGENCY HAS BEEN RIFE WITH AN ILL REPUTATION FOR YEARS” ill reputation does not kill children, complacency does. “WHAT CAN WE SAY? WHEN YOU HAVE UNWANTED CHILDREN AND ADULTS HAVING UNWANTED AND PLANNED CHILDREN…THEN SOMEHOW YOU END UP IN THE HANDS OF SO CALLED PROFESSIONALS WHO WERE UNWANTED AND CAST A WAYS AS CHILDREN THEMSELVES” Please, where does this view come from? Certainly not anyone who has researched this issue. “WILL A “REAL GROUP OF PSYCHIATRISTS PLEASE STAND UP AND HELP US ALL OUT!!” We need to step bak and look at the realities of child protection and safeguarding as a whole.

I completely agree with Sheri’s coments. Ultimately, not to be too blunt but, social workers need to pro-actively do there job, managers need to pro-activly manage. It is not benificial for anyone, least of all the child, to play the “Blame Game” Managers need to manage the process and ensure their staff are actualy doing something when they visit a family. Doctors and consultant’s need to take their head out of the clouds and accept that, theory does not always work in practice. Lets not forget that a doctor examined baby Peter a day before the child died. When asked why he missed the injuries to the child he stated “Baby Peter was very agitated so when I tried to take his clothes off so I left him alone” If my child was Not agitated by a stranger trying to take his clothes off I would be concerned. Ultimately Baby P was found to have a broken back, multiple bruising, broken ribs and other injuries, no wonder he was agitated.

Ultimately we, as a profession need to accept that we are going to “lose some”. We also have to accept that child abuse happens, it is not rare, niether is it going away. The answer is not just financial, social workers, certainly in the UK, are paid large somes of money for what they do, it has not stopped child death.

Better training and better staff selection, better management and ALL professionals taking responcibility would be a good starting point.

Comment on Race To The Bottom, Untrained Social Workers, Over Work & More Dead & Suffering Children In Indiana by Sheri Hundley

Sheri Hundley — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:46:31 +0000

Rick, has there been any studies done on children who have been part of the dependency process rather than just being the child in the process? I have found that when case workers talk to children, listen to them, and encourage visitation with not just the parents but the extended family and even friends, the child appears to do much better. Grades improve, self-esteem is strengthened, and the child is healthier. We can’t just take care of safety issues without bringing the child (with age appropriate dialog, of course!) into the process. They often are ignored because case workers don’t know how to talk to them. They need to understand the court system, the issues within the home, and what we are doing to help things. They also have information on extended family so foster care can be avoided. I was just wondering if this would help them long term?