Dear Supporters,
It is commonplace to say that children are our most precious resource, that the future belongs to them, that they will inherit the challenges and opportunities left by previous generations. Throughout our community we have numerous organizations are trying to save the children. However, despite perennial rays of hope, headlines in the media remind us of the mountains we must climb to achieve our goal, which is to protect the children.
Recent headlines in The News-Press tell of the brutal deaths of three children in our community. Each was a story of continual abuse and missed opportunities to address the root causes of the problems. I felt sad, angry, outraged, helpless and hopeless. That same day I read the UNICEF report titled “No Respite for Iraqi Children”. I thought about Michelle Fontanez, Zahid Jones Jr., and Joshua Jenkins. Is there no respite for Lee County children?
The UNICEF report claimed that an estimated two million children in Iraq continue to face threats of poor nutrition, disease, and interrupted education. Almost one million children had their education interrupted while essential health services, safe water, and sanitation were no where to be found.
Another UNICEF headline read, “Children of Darfur live under a mantle of fear” and noted that since 2003 over 1,000,000 children have lost their homes and are currently living in refugee camps in Sudan and Chad. A recent front page picture in The New York Times showed the grave-sites of two children killed in ethnic violence in Kenya. The report noted that ethnic segregation is driving students and teachers out of school and adding to the millions of “conflict refugees” around the world.
This is unacceptable! The most vulnerable among us deserves better. Those entrusted with their care from parents, to teachers, to social service workers, to counselors, to medical professionals must be forever vigilant to insure that the children are protected.
Congratulations to The News-Press for its tenacity in reporting stories about child abuse. Let us get behind the efforts of the Children’s Network of Southwest Florida and do our part to implement the TEN SOLUTIONS which the Child Welfare and Protection Roundtable recommended. There is no more powerful statement about who we are as a people than the size of our investment in our children. They are the future and our most precious resource.
Our responsibility to protect the children is best stated by Marian Wright Edelman, an American child advocate, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, “If we don’t stand up for children, then we don’t stand for much.”
Sincerely,
Larry Byrnes
To see Larry's full editorial in The News-Press click here.