In America there is a common misconception that children runaway from home because they are societal delinquents who want to be free of authority. The media depicts homeless and street kids as "rebels without a cause", as children who have no regard for society, who have no dreams and no aspirations for life but to get high.
We know this portrayal of homeless and street kids to be false. In fact we know that 90% of children who run away have encountered mental, physical, emotional, and/ or sexual abuse. No child wants to live on the streets. No child wants to have to beg, steal, sell drugs, and/ or themselves just to survive.
More than half of the children on the streets are still under the age of 15. Unable to legally work, these kids get involved in criminal activity just to survive. Based on current estimates, there are more than one and a half million children, teenagers and young adults trying to survive on the U.S. streets today. Children now make up 27 percent of the fastest growing segment of the U.S. homeless population.
For more info: www.turnpurple.org
The Turn Purple Campaign is the nations' first campaign against child abuse and the resulting problem of youth homelessness.
DON'T RUNAWAY - TELL SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST
Though harder to spot, emotional abuse is easier to deny. But just as physical and sexual abuse have signposts to mark their presence, emotional abuse, being a systematic attack on one's sense of self, has common traits. Just as physical and sexual abuse come in degrees of severity, emotional abuse runs the gamut of intensity and damage.
Anyone who had the misfortune of being raised by a parent who is cruel, vicious, vindictive, calculating, manipulative, a liar, cheat, selfish or neglectful may benefit from reading some of my favorite books on the subject:
Emotional Blackmail: When the People in Your Life Use Fear, Obligation and Guilt to Manipulate You by Susan Forward AND Why It Is Always About You? The Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism by Sandy Hotchkiss
Understanding the Borderline (Parent) Mother Helping Her Children Transcend the Intense, Unpredictable and Volatile Relationship by Christine Ann Lawson OR Surviving a Borderline Parent: How to Heal Your Childhood Wounds & Build Trust, Boundaries and Self-Esteem by Kimberlee Roth and Freda Friedman
A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive by David Pelzer OR Switching Time by Richard Baer OR The Angry Heart: Overcoming Borderline and Addictive Disorders by Joseph Santoro and Ronald Cohen
How to Journal for Therapy:
http://arar.essortment.com/therapyjournali_repu.htm
Healing Anxiety and Depression (7 types of anxiety and depression) by Daniel Amen and Lisa Routh OR Getting Help: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Self-Assessment and Treatment of Mental Health Problems by Jeffrey Wood
If you tell your problem to someone that you can trust and still feel unhappy, unsafe, or uncomfortable, or if you don't trust anyone that you know, then you should CALL these numbers until you speak with someone you can trust:
National Runaway Switchboard 1-800-RUNAWAY or 1-800-621-4000
Covenant House Nine Line 1-800-999-9999
Child HELP USA 1-800-4ACHILD
Stand Up for Kids 1-800-365-4KID
Volunteers of America www.voa.org
If you are unhappy or uncomfortable with something in your life it is up to you to change your situation and tell someone that you can trust.
Hope it helps!
(Original Air Date: 02/13/08) When people think of sexual predators, they often envision a pervert wearing a trench coat walking the streets. But research shows that a family friend, helper or relative is often the person who victimizes innocent children. Heidi was sexually molested by her stepfather, John, for 12 years. Her mother, Susan, knew it was happening because she walked in on an attack when Heidi was 9, but she stayed with her husband for years after, even as the molestation continued. When Dr. Phil confronts Susan, will she apologize to her daughter? After two decades and years of mental anguish, will Heidi receive answers from her mother? The sparks fly as mother and daughter go head to head. Will they heal their wounds and reunite? Then, the man who Heidi accused of molesting her joins the show. Find out what he reveals and why Dr. Phil doesn't believe him. And, why does Heidi say she has more respect for her abuser than her mother? The twists and turns in this story will shock you. Share your thoughts, join the discussion.
