Coalition Message

“Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime” ~ Herbert Ward

Douglas County is over 5,000 square miles of beautiful tree filled mountains, meandering steams, rolling rivers and tranquil shorelines. We have just over 107,000 people residing in our county, the majority in Roseburg but others spread out in quaint towns like Glide, Myrtle Creek, Canyonville, Drain and Elkton to name a few. We are a community of life long residents and new comers from all over. Farmers, ranchers, business owners, medical professionals, shift workers, students and families all working and living together and enjoying all Douglas County has to offer, and it has a lot to offer.

Yet, in this big county with the small town feel, we have children who are suffering abuse every day.

In 2015, 647 cases of reported child abuse were investigated by the Child Welfare Department according to the 2015 CWP Data Book. Of those 647 reported cases, 471 were either unfounded (no abuse present) or unable to determine. That’s the good news. However, 176 cases did involve proven incidents of mental injury, physical and sexual abuse. The majority of cases involved neglect.

Generally, child abuse violations are defined as an act (or failure to act, such as neglect) that results in imminent risk or serious harm to a child's health and welfare, affects a child (under the age of 18), and is committed by a parent or caregiver who is responsible for that child's welfare.

Child neglect is defined as a type of maltreatment related to the failure to provide needed, age-appropriate care. Unlike physical and sexual abuse, neglect is usually typified by an ongoing pattern of inadequate care and is readily observed by individuals in close contact with the child. This includes but is not limited to failure by the caregiver to provide adequate medical and/or dental care, supervision, food, clothing appropriate for the climate and clean and safe shelter.

The effects of child abuse are wide spread and long lasting but there is a solution and every community member has a role to play. It takes a village to not just raise a child, but to save a child who is experiencing abuse. Someone who will make the first phone call to services, someone who will counsel and assist in healing, someone who will protect, someone who will guide and so forth. A community taking a stand and no longer looking the other way. You have a role to play.

Up2UsNOW

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