Before you sprint into the fire without any firefighting equipment, consider the title and think. How can a college student take action against child abuse? Before we take action, you need to know the case, the facts and why you care before you dive in. It all starts in Phoenix, Arizona.
Normally when a child’s out in the heat, they’re enjoying the water and playing in the shade. You wouldn’t picture a child out in 110-degree heat, barefoot and free of those simple pleasures except the Simmons family. Let me paint you a picture. On July 12th, KTLA 5 and KPNX report, the boy’s father, Mark, attempted to fan the heat of accusations against him by saying it was a punishment. There have been debates on what serves as child discipline methods such as soap in the mouth for swearing but no parent could have been prepared for this.
You know the father considered it as punishment but what about the stepmother? Would she be angry at him, kick him out, call the police? If you were a guardian of your child and you heard that your husband put your six-year-old out in 110-degree heat making him stand there for ten minutes giving him burns, you’d be outraged. This stepmother chose a different route and agreed with her husband as well as cutting the boy’s already bruised and blistered skin for crying according to the child. This child wouldn’t dream of his family being any more than caring. Imagine yourself as that child and wonder why some people have trust issues or why some people build up walls. The very people out of the whole world who were supposed to love him and keep him safe purposely threw that out the window.
Since she and her husband were in it together, she waited an entire day before reporting it because she wanted to keep her stepson. However, at the Arizona Burn Center where she called in the child’s injuries, she claimed her husband told her not to call because no one would believe her side of the story. To soften the simmering anger of the authorities who found out at the center, she told them the child’s wounds were cleaned up with medication for extra care but she left out the fact she waited until the wounds were infected to call.
Sarah Simmons had a few run-ins with the police prior to this. No, she didn’t rob someone’s house or run around public indecent. She had a run-in with the Arizona Department of Child Safety, one time. Then, add 29 more incidents to that. One time should have enough. Twice should have been a charge and third should have been jail time. It’s clear the mother knows what she’s doing. She understands the boy is injured and she understands his emotions and she knows her intent to hurt him because she was home the entire time. The charge? Suspicion. Nothing more. Mark Simmons is slammed with a suspicion of two counts of child abuse and Sarah has just a mere intent to commit it.
This can’t be the end of the story so I turned to ABC 15, Fast News, The Daily Mail and WQAD 8 for more facts. The husband admitted to using a belt on the child causing bruises. Detectives learned the family kept all the children (number unreleased) locked inside a room when they were grounded. All it offers is that they were arrested and not charged but what about the child? What about the other children? According to Do Something’s sources, 4 children die a day in the US down to child abuse and 70% of those are under 3 years old and that there are 2.9 million, not 29 but 2.9 million child abuse cases every year. Here comes your call to action.
Since I will be a freshman at UW-Stout, I will be providing volunteer places less than 10 minutes away from campus to volunteer to help children or adults with a range of disorders or disabilities and rough backgrounds. It starts with you in the community, you can start the ripple effect. For anyone religious, there are American Lutheran Homes which is a non-profit for adults with disabilities. Aurora Community Services is a group home for adults with disabilities and they offer services in a wide, diverse range. Bridge of Hope is another nonprofit to empower those affected by domestic violence. You can even volunteer for tutoring at the library, after school activities, Girl Scouts or volunteer at the church if you're religious. The opportunities are endless. Child abuse, loneliness are not things that go away as you grow older. Everyone needs kindness and someone to talk to. Branch out from your friends and don’t be afraid to help different age groups. The change starts with you and even though volunteering may not seem as gratifying as saving someone from a burning building you will be making a difference and that is what counts. College is the first priority but once that becomes less of a problem, I will be considering volunteering as these issues are very close to my heart, and I hope you will consider them as well.
