VIEW from the top
Concerned adults: the abused child's only defense
LELAND ACKER chreporter@mediactr.com
Martina McBride is one of those artists who seems

to sing a lot of socially conscious songs, one of which is called "Concrete Angel."

The first time I heard "Concrete Angel," I was caught off-guard. The song chronicles the plight of a young, neglected and abused girl whose abuse goes unnoticed or unreported by the adults who are in her life. Teachers don't notice she wears the same dirty dress to school every day, the bruises are not noticed, everyone looks the other way. The result is that the little girl dies as a result of her abuse and her gravestone features a concrete angel (hence the name of the song.)

Child abuse is a difficult situation to face. First, there is the uncertainty of whether or not suspected abuse is real. Second, there is the fear of involving Child Protective Services. This is especially true when the suspected case involves friends or family. What will the fall-out be if the friends or family discover that you were the one who called? What effect will this have on your life? Job? Profession? Ministry? Third, there is the fear that your call will result in a child being placed in foster care, or in a home.

Child Protective Services provides numerous resources explaining what the state considers abuse. These resources include their Web site, http://www. dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Protection/ AboutChild_Protective_ Services.

Secondly, CPS investigators are not sitting around waiting on the chance to snatch a child from a home and place him with strangers. The ultimate goal of CPS, according to documents I have obtained and interviews I have conducted, is to fix the situation, help the family, educate the parents and rebuild the family.

The fear I would like to focus on is the second one, the fear of involving CPS. While it may seem simple to call CPS on someone with whom you have no real relationship, the idea of calling on a friend or family member can be a gut-wrenching one. While there are no legal consequences to such a move, if the one reported suspects that you called, you have a battle on your hands.

While this is a real fear, and legitimate, it is selfcentered. On one hand, you have a child who may be suffering from neglect or abuse. On the other hand, you have a grown adult, fully capable of standing up for himself, who is worried that someone may be mad at him. Grow up. Standing up for abused children may involve battle, but what more worthy cause to fight for than that of a defenseless child. If you call, CPS will investigate. If your report was made because you truly thought there was a problem, then you will face no legal consequences. If the one reported gets angry, then tough. They need to grow up. They should be more horrified that someone noticed a behavior they thought needed reporting than they should be that it was reported.

More people should stand up for abused children, because they don't make concrete angels anymore, and no one likes granite.