- by Julie Tam, FOX 41 News
Kentucky has received a distinction it should not be proud of. The state has the highest per-capita rate of death due to child abuse or neglect. Indiana is ranked number eight in a nationwide study conducted by the non-partisan group Every Child Matters Education Fund.
Of every 100,000 children in Kentucky, more than 40 died of child abuse or neglect in 2007 -- the most recent year with such data. And there's plenty of blame to go around.
Four children buried in Radcliff, Kentucky. Their father, Said Biyad, told police he had stabbed them to death. A baby slammed on the floor and shaken to death. Karlie Mellick's mother's boyfriend said he got frustrated while babysitting.
A little girl who said she was raped by a relative did not tell an authority until several years later, when her mother said her young life was spinning out of control. "I should have [known] that something was wrong. But you know, hey, it's just a fad, she's going to grow out of it," her mother, Darlene McNealy, of West Louisville said. McNealy says she should have known when her daughter stopped opening up to her and started using drugs, fighting at school, and running away. Mom says her abused daughter was shot and killed at a drug house at the age of 18.
"Families who have fewer resources to begin with -- those who live in poverty -- when they are finding themselves with additional stresses -- the economy and children that are just difficult to manage," some parents take their frustration out on their children, Pam Helms, Family & Children's Place chief operating officer, said. Kentucky has the sixth highest poverty rate among families with children. And it doesn't help that money for preventing child abuse and neglect is dwindling every year, Helms said.
"There are certainly issues in all of the systems -- the service providing system, the child protecting system, and the law enforcement system," Helms said. "Our Child Protective Services system is very overwhelmed. It is very difficult to make a decision."
McNealy says punishment for child abusers needs to be harsher and everyone needs to learn to recognize signs of abuse. "I just lay her on the back burner, not doing anything but feeling like I should have been doing something." McNealy's daughter left behind two young children of her own when she was killed.
If you suspect any kind of child abuse, you can call the state hotline to report it anonymously. In Kentucky, call 1-800-752-6200. In Indiana, call 1-800-800-5556.
