Abuse Prevention Should Be First Step

Washington has some of the strictest sex-offender laws in the nation. One in four Washington prisoners is a sex offender, far above the national average of one in seven.

Rachel Carver’s death proves that we still have work to do. But incarceration isn’t the only answer. From the way our community has pulled together in the wake of this tragedy, I think we’ve all begun to realize that there’s a more fundamental issue we must address - the prevention of child abuse.

As the details of Rachel’s senseless death unfolded, one article in The Spokesman-Review reported that child welfare officials knew Rachel ” was in serious danger before she was 3 months old.”

Could Rachel’s life have taken a different path if, for instance, her mother had a place to teach her how to care for her newborn and deal with stressful situations? This kind of simple solution has worked in other states and could have stopped the cycle of abuse that Rachel was a victim of.

We already have many such resources in our community, like the Spokane Child Abuse and Neglect program (SCAN), but they’re stretched so thin it’s impossible to keep pace with our rapid growth. Even the simplest of solutions require financial support.

I have fought for such common-sense laws as background checks of people who care for children and for more resources for children. But government can do only so much.

I agree that government should allow parents to raise their children as they see fit, but sometimes the family isn’t the safest place for a child to be - that’s where government and the community can help.

The show of concern I have seen in Spokane for Rachel gives me hope that together, we can stop the abuse.

xxxx

This sidebar appeared with the story: Brown represents the 3rd Legislative District in the Washington state House of Representatives.