Thinking back, Senior Emily Holland realizes that overcoming her experiences with child abuse have made her a stronger person in the end. Holland was abused by her mother, and her relationships with any woman began to become extremely tense. After her mother passed away, Holland had an extremely hard time developing relationships with any of the women her dad was with.

“All of the women my dad dated or had a relationship with had the same attributes as my mom. They were very strict, grounded me a lot for no reason, and abused their own children,” said Holland. “Plus, I was still upset that my dad was with other people instead of my mom.”

Holland’s mother suffered from mental problems that created memory loss and damaged her nervous system in her spine which caused her a great deal of pain. Holland’s mother was a victim of child abuse herself when she was little and along with drugs and alcohol, Holland believes these factors are why her mother abused her. After her mother’s passing, Holland had to choose whether or not to forgive her mother.

“I was numb really, and I didn’t have any emotions going through me,” said Holland. “But I loved my mother so very much, even when it hurt, and I still forgave her and will always treasure our happy times together.”

Holland’s father remarried a few months ago and after some time, Holland has come to develop a great relationship with her new step-mother.

“I hated her at first because I felt like she was trying to replace my mom,” said Holland. “But she is a wonderful person and I feel that I can talk to her about anything.

Mayor Doug Sprouse declared April as “Child Abuse Prevention Month.” According to The Children’s Safety Center in Springdale, 604 cases of child abuse were reported in Washington County last year. There are many different ways a child can be abused, and many cases go unnoticed each day.

Junior Aly Shuster was neglected by her biological parents at a young age. Her father was not around during her childhood, and her mother would leave for long periods of time, leaving Shuster alone.

“My mom would give me my bottle to drink from, but I couldn’t actually hold it on my own,” said Shuster. “If I dropped it, then to her, that meant I was done with it.”

She was taken to the hospital multiple times in order to be treated for malnourishment. She would stay there to be fed and cleaned up, but a few times, Shuster came close to losing her own life as a toddler. Along with her struggle of neglect, Shuster had to overcome the obstacle of being in the middle of a battle.

“She also would sometimes use me a weapon against my grandparents that I live with now,” said Shuster. “If they made her mad, she’d take off with me and they wouldn’t see me for a long time.”

Now living with her grandparents, who Shuster is proud to call her parents, she realizes that even when things seem to be at the lowest point, there is always a better life to be lived.

“Always keep hope because when you find that better life, you find that you value it more than if you hadn’t gone though all of those struggles,” said Shuster. “It may be tough now, but you’ll be among the strongest people around in the end.”

The Economic Opportunity Agency (EOA) Children’s House has been providing aid to young victims of child abuse since 1978. The EOA offers therapy and long-term care to children, from six weeks to six years old, who have been abused, according to www.eoawc.org.

Chonda Ralston, Director of Development at EOA, believes Child Abuse Prevention Month will be a wonderful opportunity to help more and more victims.

“The national recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month is another opportunity to shine the light on something that needs the nation’s and our community’s attention,” said Ralston. “Child abuse and neglect is not necessarily something people want to talk about, but it must be addressed.”

Elizabeth* and her brother decided that it was time to do something about their abuse. Both saw the school’s counselor and were able to get help from people willing to aid them.

“I talked to my counselor and they reported the abuse,” said Elizabeth. “Some people came to our house and talked to my parents about it and threatened to file charges.”

Child abuse is a topic that should not be passed over and victims of abuse should speak out and seek help for themselves and their families.

“You don’t have to take it anymore. It was never even your fault, so don’t blame yourself,” said Holland. “If you have faith in yourself, you can overcome anything.”

*Name changed