Connie Mercado in her own words...
"Imagine a child riding in a car with a social worker that they hardly know. To a town that they have never heard before. Their mothers last words ringing over and over again in their head...."they're sending you to jail". "They're gonna beat you in there". Imagine how frightened they must be. Imagine, if you will, this child getting out of the car with that social worker, walking up a huge set of stairs. Their little fists are clenched tightly, their heart is racing and tears are filling their eyes. As they walk up those stairs with their head hung low all they can think is "What did I do to deserve this?" Now picture the look on their face as they look up and see the words "All who enter here find love", shining brightly above two enormous wooden doors. For much of my young life, I had been physically abused by my mother. And just 4 days after my 7th birthday, my father sexually abused me. At the age of 3 my mother slammed my head into the corner of a glass coffee table. And one time I refused to get my mother a beer, she place my hand on an electric stove, burning my hand so badly that I had the circular pattern seared on my tiny hand for weeks. Both of my parents were alcoholics and used drugs. So when they were high, they would fight and when they fought it got bad. My father would end up leaving and every hour that my father was gone my mother would beat us more and more. She would beat us just for looking like him. It wasn't until a teacher approached me on the school yard, in my yellow little dress and asked me "What happened to your legs?", that someone realized that something horrible was going on at home. So after multiple foster homes and even Juvenile Hall (McClaren), because there were no foster homes with available beds, there I stood just 9 1/2 years old, looking up at those bright words...All who enter here find love. That is my first memory of Children's Village (Childhelp ). Not the jail that my mother told me that I was going to, but a safe haven, a place where I could be a child and not have the constant fear that I was going to be hit. The Village is where I was LOVED, unconditionally and where I was nurtured. It is where I flourished and it was there that I learned that love does not hurt. I survived all that I was put through because I was LOVED.I was loved by by people , who believe they can make a difference in the life of a child, people like yourself who go out and encourage family and friends that there is a need to abolish this preventable epidemic. At 35, I am the proud mother of 4 beautiful children. I am raising them with my fiance and his incredible loving family in Massachusetts. It was here (at Childhelp ) that I learned everything I know now. How to parent better, how to love unconditionally, how to forgive and accept that we are all human and that we all make mistakes. The best three years of my young life."

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Recommended Reading

"A Child Called 'It'' We highly recommend reading this book! It is the story of David Pelzer.

Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities
Study Number: 9

How many children died in 1995 as a result of maltreatment?
According to information from 34 states representing 67.3% of the U.S. population under the age of 18, an estimated 1,215 child maltreatment deaths were confirmed by child protective service (CPS) agencies in 1995.¹ This figure undercounts the actual number of maltreatment fatalities, however, as some number of accidental deaths, child homicides, SIDS cases and deaths attributed to undetermined causes should be labeled child maltreatment fatalities.² According to a 1993 study by McClain et al., an estimated 85% of deaths due to parental maltreatment were coded as due to some other cause on the child's death certificate.³

Is the number of child fatalities increasing?
Over 3 children died each day last year as a result of parental maltreatment.⁴ A national survey conducted by Prevent Child Abuse America early in 1995 suggests that the number of confirmed child abuse fatalities increased 39% over the last 10 years. This trend is not surprising given the increase in poverty, substance abuse, and violence experienced by many communities.⁵

Is there a corresponding increase in child abuse reports?
Based on reporting data collected from 37 states and the District of Columbia, a little over 3 million children were reported for child abuse in 1995, approximately 2% more than had been reported in 1994. Overall, child abuse reporting rates have risen by an average of 4% each year between 1990 and 1995. The total number of reports has increased nationwide by 49% since 1986.⁶

What children are most likely to die from maltreatment?
Young children are at the highest risk. Research indicates that between 1993 and 1995, 85% of fatalities occurred to children under the age of five, with 45% to children under the age of one.⁷ Other studies have found that child abuse ranks as the second leading cause of death, after accidents, for children between one and five years old.⁸

How and why do these fatalities occur?
It is difficult to pinpoint one main cause for all fatalities attributed to child maltreatment. Between 1993 and 1995, 37% of all fatalities were the result of neglect, 48% from abuse, and 15% as a result of both forms of maltreatment.⁹ As a result, a few factors related to these fatalities seem to present themselves year after year. According to a 1995 report by Prevent Child Abuse America, states reported that substance abuse, by the abuser, was involved in anywhere from 4% to 65% of all substantiated cases.¹⁰ Additionally, 46% of children who died between 1993 and 1995 had prior or recent contact with CPS agencies.¹¹ This may signify that these are the only deaths that are investigated by many states. As a result, we can expect that a high percentage of reported deaths involve such children. Also, however, there is much difficulty in providing sufficient services to all victims which may also contribute to child maltreatment fatalities.

How can more child abuse fatalities be prevented?
Improving the ability of child protective service agencies to assist their clients by reducing caseloads, expanding training of caseworkers, and funding more treatment services for victims will help reduce fatalities. Child protective services, however, cannot prevent all fatalities single-handedly. Other formal institutions such as schools and hospitals as well as informal, personal networks should play an active role in identifying and assessing families at risk of abusive or neglectful behavior. Finally, alcohol and drug treatment services need to be expanded and made more accessible to pregnant and parenting women.

One of the most promising prevention strategies for reducing early childhood injuries is the provision of comprehensive home health visitors to all expectant and new mothers, or at the very least, to mothers in high risk neighborhoods.¹² In 1991, Prevent Child Abuse America introduced Healthy Families America, a comprehensive home visiting initiative. Such services offer instruction and support regarding prenatal care, parenting skills, household management, and coping with environmental dangers. As a 1996 report on Hawaii's Healthy Start home visitation program concluded, home visiting produces measurable benefits for participants in the areas of parental attitudes toward children, parent-child interaction patterns, and type and quantity of child maltreatment.¹³ Evaluations of other home visitation programs also are underway, specifically evaluations of Healthy Families America sites. This form of primary prevention demonstrates not only a social commitment to a child's well-being from the point of birth, but also a strong commitment to the welfare of society.