Child abuse is a problem that often lurks in the shadows, protected by a veil of shameful silence or the power of fear over its victims.

Wednesday, May 02, 2001

Child abuse is a problem that often lurks in the shadows, protected by a veil of shameful silence or the power of fear over its victims. But once in a while, something happens that thrusts the issue into the spotlight, in all its ugliness, for a community to see.

Such an event apparently happened in nearby Albert Lea last week when a young boy died at the hands of an attacker. His accused killer is innocent until proven otherwise, but it’s clear that somebody took child abuse to the extreme in this case.

It’s a sad and tragic reminder that child abuse is real, and it should be a warning to everybody that it’s not just a domestic issue, something to be left up to families. As much as any assault, it can kill. In fact, the state estimates that nearly 30 Minnesota children died in 1999 at the hands of abusers, most often their own parents.

Thirty children in one year.

Families who deal with abuse need help, and they need it as fast as it can be delivered.

To those who live with abuse, you must act. There’s too much at stake to wait.

To those who know of abuse, you must not look away. You will not be meddling by getting involved, any more than a witness to a robbery meddles by calling the police.

And to those who abuse, you must stop. You must get help if you can’t stop on your own.

Children rely on adults for everything, and it’s a crime and a terrible injustice when grownups use their power to hurt them.

If any good at all can come from a tragedy like we’ve seen in Albert Lea, it’s that others will become more aware of the problem and do something about it.