The first US child abuse case involved a little orphan girl from the early 1900's. A social worker found her in an apartment standing on a stool scrubbing pots/pans. She had bruses, burns and scars all over her. In the beginning the social worker was unable to do anything because there were no laws protecting children from abuse. But animals did have rights and legal protection from abuse. So the social worker and a bright attorney declared the little girl an animal and filed charges on the foster parents for abusing an animal. They WON!! The foster parents went to prison, the girl was put in a loving home and grew up, got married and had kids of her own and she never abused them.
shortly after her case laws protecting children were put into effect. This was less than 100 years ago. Less than 50 years ago blacks were jailed for drinking from a white water fountain. Less than 30 years ago some US states allowed a husband to disipline his wife with a stick as long as the stick was 1/4 inch thick or less.
We've come a long way as a nation, but there is still a lot more to change.
"Evil prevails when good people do nothing"
