The overall theme of the Child Abuse Prevention and Education Campaign is "To Break the Cycle of Child Abuse – We Have to Break the Silence." The campaign includes radio, newspaper and billboard messages.

The ads address child abusers, as well as the general public They work to heighten awareness about what child abuse is and its frequency, as well as offer steps potential abusers might consider employing to avoid situations that can get out of hand. Decidedly persuasive without resorting to tactics that might arouse anger or outrage, the ads contain a variety of perspectives.

Radio Spot

Imagine trying to fight back when you’re not even old enough to talk back.

Last year in America, one million children lived in a nightmare. They needed to defend themselves from the very people who were supposed to protect them. But they couldn’t. Kids can’t fight back. We have to fight for them.

One of the most important ways we can help is to educate people on how to be better parents. Education doesn’t mean preaching or punishing. It means helping parents find ways to change their behavior. Here are some starting points.

If you ever feel like lashing out, stop. Count to one hundred. Close your eyes and imagine how you would feel if this were happening to you. Call a friend. Always remember that children are people. They are just like you, only more fragile. They behave in certain ways because of certain needs. Just like you do. At times, what they need conflicts with what you need. When that happens, remember...

Radio Spot

(SOFT MUSIC TRACK UNDER)

Listen to what many people have done to stop child abuse lately.

(MUSIC STOPS, LONG PAUSE OF SILENCE)

Many of us have kept silent. Hoping it would go away. But keeping silent about child abuse is what keeps hurting children, and the abusers. If you think you need help yourself, you’re not alone. Being a parent isn’t easy for anyone. Maybe you never learned that there’s another way to treat your children. If you’re afraid of what you might do, now’s the time to break the silence. Talk about your problem. Help comes when you start talking. Or, if you suspect someone else is abusing a child, it’s time to speak out. You’ll be helping them as well as the child. Child abuse hurts everyone. But it can be prevented. Call CANCO, the Child Abuse and neglect Coordinating Office in South Bend at 232-3344. If we’re going to break the cycle of child abuse, we have to break the silence...

"People who abuse kids are hardly ever malevolent, evil people," said Dr. White, "They’re just people who lose control. And they’re good people 99.9 percent of the time, who let their temper get away from them...It’s a fine line between somebody who has justifiable anger and keeps it under control, and somebody who loses it."

This attitude of understanding the complexities that can lead to abuse stands out, not just among Memorial’s staff, but in the message of the ads as well. A large focus of many of the radio spots is to encourage people to talk about problems they may have, or speak out on a child or family’s behalf. Recognizing the natural challenges every family faces, the ads then go on to promote healthy outlets to resolving frustrations.