The Army is committed to preventing child abuse through its Family Advocacy Program. While the substantiated number of cases involving abused children in the Army has fallen steadily for the past several years, family advocacy officials still work hard to educate soldiers and prevent child abuse. To heighten awareness, the family advocacy staff sponsors Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Month of the Military Child activities in April. Each installation coordinates activities to fit its specific needs. Our job is to try and ensure health, harmonious families that contribute to readiness and retention.
Research shows that most child abuse occurs within the home.
Parents, siblings, and visitors can all inflict abuse. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, in 87 percent of child abuse cases the abuser is one or both of the parents. The most recent figures released in April 2000 by the Department of Health and Human Services reveal that in 1998 there were 903,000 substantiated cases of child abuse nationwide. These children were physically, sexually, or emotionally abused as well as neglected. To educate parents, installation Family Advocacy Program staff schedule a variety of classes that cover parenting, child and spouse abuse awareness and reporting, and child self-protection skills.