This whole entire week has had me ranting about one thing or another, but the issue with the largest presence in my mind is Child Abuse... or abuse of any sort, really.

How can a person look at a child of any age, whether it is their child or grandchild or a friend's child or whatever and hurt them? How do you look into wide, loving, trusting, innocent eyes and suck all that out of them, one punch at a time? How do you bring them pain and not react as they cry out?

How do you put on a kind smile around your neighbors, fake as vegan cheese? How do you hug that child around other people, whisper threats into their ear, pretend everything is alright? Does it effect you at all to see tears in their eyes? To see the cuts on their wrists? The bruises, purple, blue, green and yellow, all over their body?

How can you swear at them, yell at them, shake them when they are so young, so fragile under your rough, strong grip? How can you call such a miracle "ugly" or "stupid"?

So many questions circle around in my mind, creating a whirlwind, a tsunami, a hurricane of disgusting, painful images. Song lyrics, book quotes, movie scenes. Posters, hand-outs, business cards. This horrible thing is everywhere, yet nowhere. Nobody ever thinks it'll happen to them, or happen near them. No one ever suspects that it is happening just four doors down or across the street. When you hear the screams at night, what do you think they are? Just a tantrum, because something was taken away. Just a tantrum, just a bad dream. What if it's something more? What do you do? Do you report it as suspected child abuse... or do you just let it slide by, because "somebody else will get it"? Do you fear for the child's safety if you report it, so you don't say anything, and let yet more harm come to the child? Do you hear about it years after someone saw, and didn't report it, and wonder if it's still going on or if it's an exaggeration or maybe somebody else already reported it? Do you report it anyway, just in case? Or do you forget about it, or ignore it?

Do you know that every second could mean death for that child? That every minute matters, and every day that they are still alive is a miracle? That over 25% of abused children are under the age of three and over 45% of abused children are under the age of five? That 70.3% of the children who died as a result of abuse in 2012 in the United States were under the age of three? If you research and you ask questions, it is not your duty to prove that child abuse is taking place, it is only your job to report suspected child abuse. Every second you hesitate puts the child in more and more danger. If you're worried a report will bring them harm? Mention that in the report, but report it!

What do you do after receiving this information? What do you do the next time you hear those screams, or the first time you see that punch? What do you do when you hear another rumor about that one neighbor that is "just too nice, that couldn't be him"? Do you report it, or do you ignore it? Do you confront him or run and hide?

"My little girl asked me why everybody looked so sad. The lump in my throat grew bigger with every question that she asked. Until I felt the tears run down my face, and I told her that Alyssa wouldn't be at school today. 'Cause she doesn't lie in the classroom. She doesn't lie anymore at school. Alyssa lies with Jesus... Because there's nothing that anyone would do." -Alyssa Lies by Jason Michael Carroll.