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Special Problem Prompts Specialty Tag Purchase

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BY ERIC HILL

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 25, 2008

Last year, I bought a new (used) car. My last car was brand new, and with that vehicle I order a personalized license plate: NUJERSY. That's right I am from the great state of New Jersey - The Garden State.

Having added to the 100-plus specialty plates in Florida, I decided that for my new (used) car I would go with a plate that resonates within my soul: STOP CHILD ABUSE.

It seems to me that each day we hear of a story on child maltreatment - being physically and emotionally abused, abducted, exploited, neglected or lost in the system that is designed to protect the welfare of children. The sun is not so sunny in the state of Florida on this topic. Information from Florida's State Plan for the Prevention of Child Abuse, Abandonment, and Neglect reports that compared to other states, in 2002, Florida was among only three other states and the District of Columbia in having the highest child maltreatment rate. In 2002, the rate was 33.6 children maltreated out of 1,000 children. The data are unavailable for 2003, but in 2004 the rate was 32.3.

The Child Welfare League of America reports that the maltreatment rate for Florida in 2005 was 32.1. While these are good numbers, trending down, please note that in 2005, 117 children died as a result of maltreatment; and estimates on re-abuse are between six to nine percent.

We are witnessing a tragic, if not possibly the greatest, illustration of maltreatment of children in West Texas, where a massive custody case will determine the parents of 437 children. So far this year, we have had three instances of maltreatment by teachers in Hillsborough County. We are losing one of our most precious resources: our future generations.

I have even heard someone argue that our best national defense is our investment in our children, especially their education and welfare. You see, maltreatment can have long-lasting and major effects associated with physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral development.

So my observation about this topic is not off-base. It is possible, with the data on child maltreatment in Florida, for us hear or know about a case every day. The legendary Marvin Gaye once wrote a song titled "Save the Children," telling us: "If you wanna love, you got to save the babies. All of the children."

Eric Hill is a husband and father and lives in Tampa.

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