By Staff
YouTube has become the new addiction of the Internet. It's a web site that allows anyone and everyone to post their home videos. Some chose to give advice on how to do hair and make-up, some perform comical skits and show off their singing skills. Others post videos to send a message, whether it's good or bad.
A new video has surfaced and is the talk of the browsing network. The video tells a story about a little girl named Kelsey Briggs.
Kelsey was a happy girl. She loved to play and swing and do things any young child her age would like to do. Unfortunately, Kelsey's life ended too early. At just 3 years old, Kelsey was killed in the home where she was supposed to be safe by someone she was supposed to trust – her mother and stepfather. After a broken collar bone, two broken legs and many bumps and bruise, Kelsey's final beating, a hard blow to her stomach, was all her small body could handle.
Kelsey's father was serving his country in the military while most of this went on. Just days before he was scheduled to return home, her father learned that instead of a happy homecoming, he would be burying his daughter. He referred to Kelsey as "his little soldier."
While the loss of his child was more than he could handle, he believes his daughter had a purpose on earth. Her purpose was to bring awareness to child abuse and if the YouTube video that was created is any indication, this will definitely draw plenty of attention to the problems of child abuse.
According to The Children's Center (www.childrenscenter.org), it is hard to tell how many children are abused in the United States each year, as child abuse continues to be a "silent crime."
A significant amount of child abuse cases go unreported every day. Different data systems across the country collect data in different ways.
The most recent national data released by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems indicates that child protective service agencies receive and refer an estimated three million children in one year.
To help bring more awareness to child abuse and help eliminate the number of children who are abused, your help is needed. If you know of a child being abused, or a child has confided in you, take action with local law enforcement immediately. If you notice marks on a child that are unexplained, question the child as to what happened.
Other signs abused children may show include poor self image; sexual acting out; inability to trust or love others; aggressive, disruptive, and sometimes illegal behavior; anger and rage; self destructive or self abusive behavior, suicidal thoughts; passive, withdrawn or clingy behavior; fear of entering into new relationships or activities; anxiety and fears; school problems or failure; feelings of sadness or other symptoms of depression; flashbacks, nightmares; drug and alcohol abuse; and sleep problems.