Violence in Child Abuse Ads Criticized

A series of billboards showing anger and violence is being criticized by an organization that counsels parents about child abuse as a desperate attempt to help children in abusive homes.

Members of Parent Help, USA said at a press conference Friday that the billboard campaign by the Children’s Bureau, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse, is misguided.

The billboards, in Los Angeles and Orange counties, show exaggerated images of an angry parent, screaming, “Stop crying now!” and “If you ever tell . . !” The images are intended to shock passersby and induce them to call the bureau’s information line.

Parent Help co-founder Ruth Purdy said that such ads disgrace parents rather than make them feel as if they can call for help. Because most child abuse cases can be addressed with counseling, it is important to reach out to parents rather than demonize them, she said.

“What a parent has to understand is, ‘Why did I hit my child?’ Parenting is stressful, and they should not feel like they are being judged or condemned for it,” Purdy said.

Using anger and violence as themes on billboards is not the way to reach out to abusive parents, who may have been victims of child abuse themselves, said Rudy Garcia, director of Sole Support, another family help organization in Orange County.

“If you want someone to come out of the dark and pursue counseling, you’re not going to do it by raising an awareness of violence,” Garcia said.

But the billboards have had a positive effect, said Alex Morales, executive director of the Children’s Bureau of Southern California. Five hundred billboards are posted in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and 1,600 posters are due to appear on buses and on bus shelters, he said.

So far, the Children’s Bureau has received 200 calls, 37% of which were from people asking for help, Morales said. About 16% of the callers complained about the billboards, but after hearing the purpose of the ads, half changed their minds, Morales said.

Purdy says child abuse has increased in recent years, especially among single parents and low-income families. Reported cases of child abuse nationally rose 67% since 1983, she said.

The increase is precisely why a campaign encouraging communities to get involved is necessary, Morales said. “We want to challenge the community to prevent that horrific nightmare that they see on that billboard,” he said.