I Want To Help Stop Abuse, So How Can I Make A Difference?

Question

I want to be active in helping people facing problems, such as abuse or some kind of segregation, whether it be against sexual, physical or child abuse. I live in Texas and I want to know if there are any groups that I can join, or maybe some kind of online group I can join?

Answer 1

First, let me say that is very nobel of you to want to help.

Second, I would suggest you speak with the division of family services in your local area, they can direct you to the availability of volunteering for 'safe houses' that house people of exactly this description.

Also consider big brother/big sister organizations to reach out to young people who do not have a healthy role model to look up to.

As well as believing in the "ability awareness" for the handicapped, so many people segregate those with disabilities, or become afraid of disabilities and the social inabilities can segregate more than many are aware.

Answer 2

The National Exchange Club is another organization that includes the prevention of child abuse as one of its missions. Sometimes local club affiliates actually provide financial support for "Family Centers" where parents can go for help. Perhaps you have a center like that near you where they could use your help -- you don't have to be a trained counselor or anything. Maybe you could help a hour or so each week by keeping their resource library organized, for example.

I also like the idea of volunteering to work with animals. This is what I'd do if I had the spare time during the day, definitely. So many poor animals end up shelters that have been abused or neglected, or they are otherwise unwanted. Lots of Humane Societies use volunteer walkers so that these poor dogs and cats get daily exercise and spend some quality time with humans prior to -- hopefully -- getting adopted.

Good luck! I hope you find an opportunity that fits you well.

You can also try www.volunteermatch.org to explore opportunities in your area.

Answer 3

Abuse of any kind is a serious issue. I did a workshop a few years ago about stopping the cycle of abuse. Boys who grow up in abusive households are 7x more likely to be an abuser, girls who grow up in an abusive house are 10x more likely to be abused. Research has found thatin the last ten or so years every child that has gone into a school and acted out with violence (school shootings) has had a known history of abuse. Specifically animal abuse. The cycle of abuse is that the individual will have abuse in the home - then start by abusing animals then grow to larger and larger victims until they are an adult and act out abuse in their own home with either a spouse or child. In my oppinion we need to break the cycle of violence by identifying children who are at the first stages of the cycle and stop it there. Check out the first strike website from the Humane Society of the US. Like I said I did a workshop on this, and hope that I touched a few folks. I received a letter form the Governer of our state commending me on my efforts and by makeing him aware of this issue, and a soft thank you but he could not attend because of prior commitments. If you feel so strongly about this - work with your local humane society or SPCA and organize a workshop. My target group for my workshop was teachers, school administrators, government officials, those that work in the abuse or neglected animals, and of course those that work directly with abused humans. I got alot out of the program. If you wnat you can contact me and would be happy to help guide you.

Answer 4

I really appreciate you for having such thought on victims of abuse. In the Philippines we have Bantay Bata for abused children and we have Women's desk in every municipality. I just hope you live in the Philippines, surely you have a lot of things to contribute. Keep up that concern on the people around.

Answer 5

As odd as it might sound, think about volunteering at the humane society. No one is born an abuser - they learn it. and it has been well documented that abusers will harm animals, in fact, they usually first harm animals.
Get into schools and educate children about animals - the animals get thier attention, they learn its wrong to hurt other creatures with feelings.
An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of therapy.
Just an idea....
Another
Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Many abusers lack role models of appropriate life skills.

Answer 6

Thanks for the wanting to help. If you'd like to just help out, contact any of the abused woman shelters and see what you can do, or go for professional training on counselling so you can get even more involved.
Perhaps get places to do some public speaking at about the topic? Think up some adverts, and get your name heard around the community. Every bit helps!

Answer 7

May I suggest a local Kiwanis club. They are a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world (or your little corner of it) one child and one community at a time.

Answer 8

Most communities have shelters for battered/abused folks. Give them a call and let them know you would like to volunteer in some capacity. They should be able to hook you up. Thanks for being willing to lend a helping hand.

Answer 9

Contact your local volunteer center. They can help you find specific agencies in your community that can help you get started.

http://www.handsonnetwork.org/our-network/
http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/centerlist.cfm?State=TX

You can also try the United Way. They can also help connect you with specific agencies in your area that may need assistance.
http://national.unitedway.org

Good luck!

Answer 10

Im sure there are. Contact your mental health center, they should be able to put you in touch with people you can work with.