child abuse- the world's scourge

pedophilia, prostitution, torture, neglect. not very nice words- especially when used to describe what happens at any given moment to the world's children. statistics worldwide say that children from across the globe are subjected to abuse by adults in increasing numbers. my question is- why?

here in america- and here locally- children are conceived and born for a variety of reasons and not all of them are altruistic. to keep a marriage (or relationship) intact; to feel unconditional love from another; rape or incest- the list can go on and on and none of them are the child's fault. sometimes the there is drug abuse by the parent or caregiver, etc, etc. we all know the 'reasons and cycles' and whatever other excuses people come up with. the bottom line is- there is no reason for child abuse at all. not the kid's fault that you had him or her. whether it was an intentional pregnancy or not- not the kid's fault- whether you live in a developing country or america- not the kid's fault.

people who abuse or exploit children are evil and deserve to be locked away forever. killing them is too kind. people complain about pedophiles, in particular, getting out to commit another crime. i posit that being a pedophile is no worse than starving your kid or chaining them in a closet. no difference. beating a kid with a cord and leaving scars or burning your child- or selling your child into slavery and prostitution deserves the same fate as a pedophile. the only reason americans latch onto the pedophiles is because the image of a predator is that of a dirty old man. most sexual abuse happens within circles of family and friends.

parenting isn't a right. you don't get to have kids because you can have sex. if you have children, you should go into it knowing that you have signed on for a lifetime and that it is hard. you can't divorce your child as you can a spouse- that child is your child forever- whether it lives with you or not. if you can't provide a stable, nurturing, teaching environment- you should think about remaining childless. believe it or not- children are not accessories of the parent- they are people and should be treated as such. why we look at children as less than is beyond me. just because they are small and not fully developed does not mean they are disposable.