wfn.org | TCN: Child abuse case shocks church and society into action

["Lydia Ma" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>Taiwan Church News

>2983 Edition

>April 27~May 3, 2009

Child abuse case shocks church and society into action

>Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong, Chen Wei-jien

>Written by Lydia Ma

The news of a father who threw his 10-month-old daughter into a pot of  boiling water after an argument with his wife reverberated across  Taiwan. Huang Ling-chi has been charged with murder after doctors at  Changhua Christian Hospital tried to treat the child without avail. The  baby later died.

Not long after, news of a father in Kaohsiung who bound his two-year-old  child to a chair and beat the child to death made headline news in  Taiwan and shocked the nation once more.

These two cases, which occurred in quick succession, have left many  wondering why biological fathers would do such horrendous things to  their own children. According to a report by Taiwan Fund for Children  and Families (TFCF) last year, over 85% of abused children suffer under  the hands of their own parents. The reasons cited for abuse include lack  of awareness or parenting skills, lack of support systems, marital  problems, and poverty. Most abuse cases occur when parents are under  extreme pressure and children become unfortunate victims when parents  vent their frustrations.

Not long before these two cases, TFCF had introduced five steps to help  parents relieve stress and remain calm during confrontations with their  children. These steps include: Don’t get angry and take 10 deep  breaths, close your eyes and cool down for 10 minutes, call TFCF hotline  at 0800-078585, hug your child for 10 minutes, and take ten hearty  laughs with your child.

Upon hearing about these two cases of abuse, TFCF issued a press  conference and urged the nation to become good neighbors involved in  protection of children by following “Three C Steps”: Care for  children. Contact others when you notice a problem. Call a hotline to  seek help and resources.

These two cases of child abuse involve fathers between the ages of 30 to  49. Information about child abuse cases from the Ministry of the  Interior released last year showed that 60.7% of child abuse cases are  perpetrated by adults within that age range and 26.1% of abused children  are less than 7 years old. Only 19.3% of informants were friends,  relatives, or neighbors, revealing a need for every person to become a  protector of children’s rights.

TFCF Executive Director Wang Ming-jen said that children under six are  most vulnerable to abuse because they are unable to protect themselves,  unable to seek help, and stay at home most of the time. Because small  children are inside their own homes most of the time, it can be  difficult to spot cases of abuse and abuse leading to death among this  age group has reached 40%.

Commenting on these two tragedies, Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT)  Program Secretary for Education Ministries Rev. Lian Yen-Yen urged local  churches to get involved. Lian said that there are about 2,000  volunteers nationwide involved in PCT Children Life Education programs  that reach out to children.

However, she also pointed out that comforting and praying with children  is not enough, especially knowing that these children must later return  home and face abusive parents. Volunteers hope to reach out to parents  by establishing close relationships with students and using classroom  materials to educate parents as well. They also plan to hold a summer  carnival to increase awareness on children’s rights and connect  with parents.

Upon hearing about baby Huang’s precarious condition, Changhua  Christian Hospital chaplains visited the baby and stayed by the  family’s side to provide moral support and pray for the family.  Hospital nurses also sang hymns to comfort the baby.

Chaplains were also by the family’s side moments before the  baby’s death and witnessed a touching scene when the baby’s  half-brother, overcome by sorrow at his sister’s death, requested  to have the baby’s bandages removed so that he could change his  little sister’s diaper one last time.

Hospital chaplains have befriended the baby’s family in recent  weeks and organized a memorial service on April 28th. They will partner  with a local church and continue to help the family walk through this  tough period.

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