I can honestly say it would be scary being a parent in today’s world. You take your children out and they act up, people accuse you of not discipling. If you discipline, they accuse you of child abuse. Now a campaign is under way in Virginia in which the “aim is to better educate the community about child sexual abuse and to connect children and possible offenders with services that could help them.” (Source, HamptonRoads.com). Take a look at the campaign advertisement below and tell me your first reaction:



Do you see a father holding his child’s hand? Do you see a sexual predator? Or, does the wording chosen by the so-called campaign founders influence your thoughts and feelings? Since when did holding a child’s hand constitute the possibility of sexual abuse? Clearly the campaign is aimed at men/fathers. When a person calls the toll free number, they will be connected to a “professional” who will guide them in looking for “signs” of abuse. I’m so glad anyone, including over-zealous people with nothing better to do will now have the authority to walk up to anyone and immediately accuse them of abuse, with nothing more than a voice on the other end of the phone-not seeing the situation, telling them what to look for. I don’t take abuse lightly. I also don’t look at a father and child and automatically suspect the father is an abuser. My dad held my hand when I was little. I felt protected when he did. To me, the poster alone accuses before any information is known. What do you think? Would you call a hotline and report possible abuse based on hand-holding alone?