10 Year Old Starved to Death then Burned Right in Your Home Town, Atlanta

AJC Article - 10 Year Old Emani Moss Starved to Death in Atlanta then Burned

32lb., 10 year old girl dies from starvation, and is then burned by the father and step-mother in an attempt to cover it up...

The most disturbing piece to this tragic ending to Emani Moss's short life, "the Georgia Division of Family and Children’s Services saw upheaval after a revelation that the agency had previously investigated allegations of Emani’s abuse without removing her from the home." (AJC)

These are the kind of incidents that cause you to wonder why celebrities buy expensive plane tickets to third world countries to adopt children in need, when they could be saving children from their own psychotic, selfish parents in America's own back yard.  This horrific story of this poor little girl may not prove that point to Hollywood at all, but the least we can do to ensure she didn't die in vain is shed some light on this ridiculously HUGE problem in our country of child abuse & neglect, which do typically go hand in hand.  Emani's story can help to bring home the gravity of the situation on a large scale that is all to often avoided and skirted around in the international news media. 

It is disheartening to read about stories like Emani's, where someone HAD a chance to make a difference in a kid's life and for whatever reason decided to leave the kid in a life-threatening situation that ultimately wound up ending in the child's death.  Obviously there is some terrible disconnect between what these "professionals" are learning in college (or pretending to learn), and what they really should be learning.  That being said, it is not only the social workers and law enforcement officials that need to be better educated and informed on child abuse and what to look for in order to save the lives of kids like Emani, and myself.  Kids that are being abused need to be educated as well, on what is right and wrong when it comes to parenting and providing for a child, because if their own parents don't even know, or choose to ignore it, how can we expect a kid to be able to properly defend themselves and ESCAPE if they believe that every child in the world is being treated this way, secretly?

I will never forget that feeling, and ultimately, it is the memory of that feeling that keeps me plugging away at this blog and a larger dream I have that some day it will all make a difference in the life of at least ONE kid.

Back to the worst part of the entire article (aside from the obvious, the death of a poor, innocent little girl), shouldn't we be asking what our tax dollars are being spent on in the Department of Family & Children Services?  It's obviously not being spent on proper education and training of social workers, who barely make enough to survive as it is, much less tend to their overflowing caseloads appropriately.  I recall vividly the heavy issue at hand 13 years ago when I was in the system, so I can only imagine how overworked and underpaid they are nowadays.

What drives these women and men to pursue this career given the circumstances and low quality of life derived from such poor working conditions in some of the most impoverished and dangerous cities in our country?  Even in small towns, like Gainesville, Georgia, the men and women who choose these career paths each day of their lives are subjected to some of the most traumatic, dangerous situations and obstacles anyone can face in their professional lives.  Not only do they see neglect on a massive scale, but somehow they have to train themselves to prioritize which kids are really in the worst situations, so that they can divide their time appropriately.  That being said, while there is a tremendous amount of respect for the sacrifices they make to ensure that stories like Emani Moss's do not make headlines often... maybe it's time they should ensure these kind of stories make national headlines for much longer than they ever do, and really help to shed some light on this horrific epidemic.

I know I am only one person, with only one story, and one heart... but together, we can build an army of advocates to actually make a difference!  If not in the entire country or world, maybe we can band together to make the difference in the life of one little Emani out there!!! 

Please "like" our new Facebook Fan Page www.facebook.com/abusedchildrenescape.com or CLICK HERE to follow the on-going updates and stories that are helping to shape our soon-to-be non-profit "Abused Children - Escape!"  We will need all the help we can get and hope that in sharing stories like Emani's, that she will be immortalized in the fight against child abuse and TAKING BACK CHILDHOOD for what it is supposed to be... happy, innocent, fun and free.

In honor of the stolen soul of such a beautiful little girl, R.I.P. Emani Moss... May your spirit live on through the hearts of us all as we fight for the voice you never had.

How Easily We Forget

How easily we forget...

the kid with the black eye
the kid with the torn clothes
the kid that twitches when you raise your hand quickly in their presence
the kid with the eyes of a doll... plastic, lifeless

I used to be that kid... and a short 13 years later even I forget. I feel ashamed when I realized I've forgotten, because that kid is everywhere.  I have a hard time believing I was one in a million.

If you are that kid... please keep up with this blog because it's the least I can do.  I owe it to you.  I owe it to myself.

GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE!!!

If I had known at 10 what I wound up knowing at 15, I would not have wasted 5 years of my life being abused by A-holes that I thought really loved me.  "Oh they're just showing me tough love.  This is what it's like to have parents that really care about you" I would tell myself all the time, subconsciously... But I was SO WRONG and if you're thinking that, then you are wrong too.  In the grand scheme of things I was one of the lucky ones, because 5 years compared to 18 is near nothing, so I feel like the least I can do is hope that this blog somehow makes it to those of you who are suffering through it right now, and that it can do one thing, if nothing else, and encourage and inspire you to get out!

Some places and people may discourage this, but I can damn near guarantee that they've never been through it themselves, and sometimes in life you are gonna have to take that risk to save yourself cuz I can assure you... no one else will.

If this doesn't reach a kid in need for another 5 years, just the fact that I'm putting it out there when it weighs on my mind is enough to make me feel a little bit of relief.

At 28 years old, I'm finally ready to lay it all on the line, show my cards and fight for what's right in an attempt to save one kid from any more horror than they have already experienced.  Child abuse is real, and it could be lurking just next door... STAY ALERT PEOPLE!!!