Although there’s never a bad time for a conversation on how to prevent child abuse in one’s community, a program on the topic held in Slippery Rock this week comes at an important moment.

Studies have shown that social isolation can be a risk factor for child abuse, and researchers have found that children are more likely to be exposed to domestic violence or abuse during times when families are forced to spend more time together than usual and deal with added stress, financial problems or unemployment, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, which is part of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Sound familiar? COVID-19 has forced people who live together under the same roof to spend more time together. For those already at risk for abuse, that’s a horrific prospect.

So, it’s great to see workshops such as the one held Tuesday by the Butler County Alliance for Children’s leadership.

During the workshop, the alliance’s directors said child abuse can occasionally be difficult to detect because it can take different forms. They noted that, in the past, community members would more frequently speak to one another from their porches and, in the process, safeguard vulnerable members of the community, such as children.

“There was an unspoken responsibility to make sure your community was taken care of and safe,” said Joshua Strelbicki, the alliance’s assistant director. “Through community efforts, through an individual’s watchful eye, they can prevent child abuse before it happens.”

This concept of community participation is a great one, especially during the pandemic.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that despite the known risk for child abuse during pandemics, official reports to child protection agencies mostly declined during COVID-19.

However, one of the possible reasons for this is that the pandemic caused children to have significantly less in-person contact with teachers, social workers, physicians and others referred to as “mandated reporters.”

In other words, abuse that was going on during the pandemic may be unaccounted for because people outside of a child’s home who might look for signs of abuse had less contact with those who may have been suffering from it.

This is why events, such as the one held by the Butler County Alliance for Children, and the concept of working with your neighbors to keep a watchful eye on the community are important.

The safety and well-being of the community is dependent on the engagement of all.

We hope Tuesday’s workshop provided inspiration for its attendees to get involved.

— NCD