Annual Safeplace walk-a-mile set for April 20

For the past 10 years, Safeplace, Inc. and their supporters have walked hundreds of miles in order to take a stand against child abuse and neglect through their annual Walk a Mile for a Child event.
This year’s Walk a Mile for a Child in Franklin County will take place on Friday, April 20, at noon on the steps of the Franklin County Courthouse, and it’s something Suzanne Fuller, Safeplace’s volunteer and transitional program manager, is hoping the community will come support.
“The main purpose of this event is to raise awareness and shine a light on this tragedy that we know as child abuse,” Fuller said. “Many things take place in the dark that no one knows about, but when she shine a light on something as horrible as child abuse, we have a better chance of helping these children who don’t have a voice to help themselves.”
According to the National Children’s Alliance, nearly five children die every day in the United States from abuse or neglect.
The Child Welfare League has reported that each year in the United States approximately 1,560 children die as a result of abuse suffered from the hands of parents, family members or care givers.
They also report that in 2010, thirteen of those children were from the state of Alabama. In the same year, Alabama had 20,159 reports of abuse and neglect, and of those numbers, 19,900 were referred for investigation. These numbers represented a 15.9% increase since 2009, and it is also believed that in approximately 70% of the homes where domestic violence occurs, a child is being abused.
Safeplace breaks those numbers down further to show that in 2011, Safeplace had a reported 452 victims in Franklin County alone, 41 of those being children. They received 157 calls to their 24-hour helpline, had 386 in-residence referrals and housed 29 adults and 22 children.
With numbers like these, Fuller said it’s hard to ignore this growing problem.
“The Walk a Mile event is just our way of pulling the community together and saying that we’re not going to tolerate child abuse in our county,” she said.
Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing knows all too well the devastating affects child abuse can have on children and families when he sees cases come through his office regularly.
“Over the past 15 years, we’ve prosecuted many child abuse cases and sometimes I will see these children or their families years later and you can still see the psychological and physical effects their abusers have left on their lives,” Rushing said. “The sad thing for me a lot of times is that an abuser or the person charged with child abuse is a good person but they have allowed themselves to lost control of a situation and let their anger build up until they do things they’ll regret for the rest of their lives.
“There’s no question that child abuse ruins many lives and it’s such a shame because it could easily be prevented.”
Knowing how devastating this crime can be, Rushing said he is more than glad to participate in Walk a Mile.
“If we bring awareness to this issue, maybe it will help someone who is struggling and knows that they have a problem and can get help before it escalates out of hand,” Rushing said. “But we also want to send a message that no matter what reason a child is abused, those actions will have consequences in this county.”
Fuller said in addition to the event raising awareness, it is also an opportunity for Safeplace, Inc. to raise funds for the programs they offer in Franklin, Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion and Winston counties. The programs include a 24-hour helpline, a shelter program and transitional housing, school programs, court advocates who assist victims in court, and batter’s programs to help prevent the cycle of abuse.
“We’ve seen our school programs really be beneficial because lots of children will come up to us after we’ve spoken about good touches and bad touches and let us know something that’s going on with him that they didn’t realize was wrong and that’s major for these kids,” she said. “Our 24-hour helpline is also always staffed by a real person who can help someone who is being abused.”
Everyone in the county is encouraged to put on their walking shoes on April 20 and head down to the Franklin County Courthouse to show their support for this cause. Fuller said there will be a short program right at noon followed by the walk, which will take participants south on Jackson Avenue, left at CB&S Bank and then north on Coffee to return to courthouse. She said even those who aren’t up for the walk are still encouraged to attend the program.
“We hope there will be many concerned citizens who take their lunch break that day to come out and take a stand against child abuse,” she said. “So much more can be done when we all band together.”
For more information about the walk or information on becoming a Safeplace volunteer, call 256-767-3076. The helpline can be reached by calling 256-767-6210 or 1-800-550-9215.