|
Loving the
Earth is loving humankind.
Home
Table of Contents
Social &
Environmental Advocacy
Jesus' Ministry
Getting in touch with God
God &
Creation
Opting for the Homeless &
Disadvantaged
The Faces of Domestic Abuse & Sexual
Assault
Contact &
Feedback
Conservation
Strategies
Jenny's
Photo Collection
Resources
Copyright and Terms of Use
| |
The
Faces Of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault
|
Each day thousands of children are neglected,
abused, and exploited.
Sadly, much of this abuse occurs within their
own homes. Instead of coming home to a safe haven, many children are
forced to return home with apprehension to relive the trauma.
Much of the time the child suffers in silence and isolation possibly out
of embarrassment, confusion, or fear of consequences for breaking the
silence and exposing the ugly secret.
This outcome is not God's plan for His
children. As parents we are to love our children just as God loves us.
God's love for us is both unconditional and unwavering. His love is
displayed by patience, mercy, compassion, kindness, forgiveness, and
correction.
Select scriptures
from the Bible showing God's view and love of children and our role as
parents and caregivers.
"Behold
children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit if the womb is a reward."
Psalm 127:3
"Grandchildren are the crown if old men and the glory of sons is their
fathers" Proverbs
17:6
"Fathers
do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged"
Colossians 3:21
" For whom the LORD loves
He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights." (Proverbs
3:12)
"And you, fathers,
do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the
training and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4)
Finding missing and exploited children
takes a community response. Notify the police immediately if you recognize an
abused,
missing or exploited child.
Federal Bureau of Investigations
Child Welfare Information Gateway
SPOUSAL ABUSE
For
information on spousal abuse follow the above link or visit some of the
links below. In an
emergency call 911
SEXUAL ABUSE
For information on sexual abuse follow the link
above or click on the picture.
No matter how lonely and isolated you may feel,
you are not alone.
|
|
Part
of our role in society is to take care of the most fragile and vulnerable.
This mandate includes protecting the elderly from abuse.
Physical, sexual, emotional, and verbal abuse may be occurring. This abuse
not only takes place in the nursing home setting, but takes place in the
elderly person's home. Often the elderly are brutally treated by their
family members or people who cunningly pretend to befriend the elderly
person. Because loneliness is common among the elderly, the elderly are
often easily manipulated.
True
Case: In one instance, an elderly lady who had significant vision
impairment and slight dementia was manipulated by a middle aged woman
who claimed to have been in her Sunday School Class as a small child. This woman preyed
on the elderly woman's loneliness, offered to help pay bills by filling out
the checks, and offered to file her taxes.
Upon
investigation, it was discovered that this woman was collecting social security data
and other vital information on both her and her dead husband. Credit
card data, pension information, bank account and investment information
were retrieved by this con artist. This perpetrator thought the elderly
person only had a year or two left to live, and was advancing plans to rob
the elderly woman by assuming her identity, cleaning out her banks accounts,
and applying for credit in her name. The woman even went as far to sell her
an old rusty air conditioner at the price of a new one. The elderly
persons vision was not good enough to tell that the AC unit was not new.
Financial abuse occurs
frequently and is carried out by both family members and people outside
the family. This act is despicable.
Remove
the evil of your deeds from My sight, Cease
to do evil,17Learn to do good; Seek
justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend
the orphan, plead for the widow. (Isaiah
1:17)
However,
in the spirit of being fair, children who find themselves caring for their
elderly parents, even when the best intentions are present, can lose
patience resulting in abuse of their parents.
Treating
the elderly with kindness and patience, at times, can be difficult especially when dealing with a sick person who may not be so nice
themselves. Children who find themselves taking care of a sick parent may
encounter multiple complications. Situations can easily challenge your patience.
At these times it is necessary to step back to gain your composure.
When taking care of a sick person becomes overwhelming, respite care
and support groups may provide temporary relief. For more information on
respite care and caregiver support programs visit the following links:
Respite Care Help
Guide
National Respite Network
Recommended Reading:
Elder Rage, or Take My Father... Please!: How to
Survive Caring for Aging Parents
by
Jacqueline Marcell
The Gifts of Caregiving: Stories of
Hardship, Hope, and Healing
by
Connie Goldman
|
There is hope for helping and
healing everyone involved in an abusive relationship. But, first, you must
recognize the problem and seek professional help. The following are links
to provide you with some information about the types of abuse, signs of
abuse, and how to get help for you or your loved ones.
The consequences for the unjust treatment of members who belong to a
certain class (elderly, children, orphans, or stranger from a
distant land) is death to your spirit and is frowned upon by God. As
members of a global race, we must resist the temptation to abuse the
weak, impaired, displaced, or unknown by extending a hand, when
able, to help those in need. Our focus should not be on the fleeting
temporal world. Our focus should be on the things that concern God
i.e., loving your neighbor, standing for justice, and displaying
patience, mercy, and compassion towards each other. Truly, life does
not begin until we transition into the spirit realm. The spirit
realm is eternal. Depending on how we treat God's creation while on
earth will determine whether our eternal life will be one of bliss
and life or one of hell and death. Recognize your mistakes and
contribution to the problem, get help, ask for forgiveness, forgive
the offender, forgive
yourself, and move forward. Chose life by following the way of Jesus
the Christ.
Don't delay! Get help now so
you can begin to heal and grow.
Return to the top of the page
|
Disclaimer: This site is strictly informative.
The information on this page is to help bring about awareness of the types of
domestic abuse, and provide resources to educate and help people in
need find assistance. The content of this page in no way should be viewed
as counseling or an alternative to counseling. If an individual should find
themselves in a domestic abuse situation or knows of someone who is being
abused, please contact the appropriate authorities (i.e., local police or call
911, adult protective services, licensed counselor, or elder abuse hotline.) In
addition, the above web resources are also designed to provide information and
education on the problem of domestic abuse and to provide resources for
assistance.
In an emergency call 911. |
|
|
