'Citizens must help authorities stop child abuse'

Welfare officer: Every member of the community has a responsibility to report suspected child abuse to the authorities.

By RUTH EGLASH
child abuse 88 (photo credit: )
child abuse 88
(photo credit: )
Every member of the community has a responsibility to report suspected child abuse to the authorities, including a private citizen who notices unusual behavior in a neighbor's family, according to Hannah Slutzky, national supervisor for child affairs at the Welfare and Social Services Ministry. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post following the recent spate of extreme child abuse and people murdering their young children, Slutzky said that a law existed obliging private citizens, as well as social service, health and educational professionals, to report any suspected child abuse. "The social services are not enough to stop these incidents from taking place," she said. "There has to be a joint effort with a wide variety of bodies both private and public." The ministry had made great efforts in recent years to raise awareness of the so called Good Samaritan Law, to encourage people to report abuse. "We can't emphasize enough how important it is for people to contact us if they believe there is anything unusual with a neighbor or family members," said Nurit Kaufman, director of Violence against Women at the Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO), which runs the National Hotline for Battered Women and Children at Risk together with the ministry. Emphasizing that the hot line assured anonymity to callers, Kaufman said it was essential for those who did call in to provide full details on any suspected abuse so that counselors could pass details onto the authorities. "In August alone, we passed eight leads along to the authorities," she said, adding that the call center could also give families that needed help valuable information about support networks. "There are many bodies, official and private, that can help those in need." Slutzky said social services ran many programs, including options for those whose children have special needs. "If people don't ask for help then we don't know that they need help," she said. "People need to know that together with various private initiatives and charities there are a lot places they can turn to for help." The National Hotline for Battered Women and Children at Risk can be reached at 1-800-220-000.