Not so silent: McConnell exhibits speak of child abuse prevention

Published April 10, 2008
By Airman 1st Class Jessica Lockoski
22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE, Kan. -- People may notice crowds of "abuse victims" stand quiet and motionless at various locations though the base in April in honor of Child Abuse prevention month.

While these victims may not talk, they will share personal stories of abuse with McConnell members in hopes of preventing others from suffering their fate.

Several McConnell volunteers created the exhibits as part of the Silent Witness Program, founded in 1990, to make a national and global impact against domestic violence homicides.

"Silent Witness is a public awareness campaign that gives people a visual reference of victims who have been killed because of violence such as child abuse or neglect and domestic brutality," said Alisa Norlin, Outreach Manager at 22nd Medical Group Family Advocacy.

The exhibits are life-sized, red, wooden, human-like silhouettes, each with a breast plate that tells the story of an individual whose life has been taken by abuse. Volunteers have created 30 figures. In addition to the program's initiative, volunteers have also included representations of children, to symbolize they too can become victims.

"The goal of the free standing exhibits is to grab attention with their physical presence and make people read about these real-life deaths of children and parents in the local surrounding communities," Ms. Norlin said.

Five exhibits are displayed throughout McConnell and will be moved to different locations during the month.

"The 'silent witnesses' are transported in real body bags," said Cheryl Webb, Wichita YWCA community outreach coordinator. "It makes it a profound experience for people who have never seen it before because it personalizes it in a way you can't describe with words."

The women hope that the exhibits will make domestic and child abuse prevention a priority.

Raising awareness of child abuse can help parents and adults find programs that can prevent abuse from starting, Ms. Norlin said. Often times, adults don't recognize the difference between discipline and child abuse.

Some people assume that parents become abusive because they were abused as children, Alisa added. Though it can be a statistical trend, it is not always the case.

"We can't assume people are immune from learning and taking on unhealthy behaviors as adults," said Ms. Norlin.

"Stress and family tension, lack of education, low tolerance and inexperience around children can cause abusive behavior," Ms. Webb. "Fatigue is a huge factor, and babies do not come with a how-to manual, so sometimes people lose sight in taking care of themselves emotionally while taking care of their children."

When people don't take care of themselves emotionally, they can sometimes become susceptible to abusive tendencies, Ms. Norlin said.

McConnell Family Advocacy offers programs to help parent balance caring for themselves and their children. The also offer classes that promote healthy families and provide resources on child abuse prevention, protecting children from risk of abuse and assessing risk and protective factors.

Some people believe intervention only occurs in dysfunctional families, Ms. Norlin said. These stereotypes keep them from seeing the positive benefits of attending parenting or stress and anger management classes.

"Our programs help families overcome issues they are dealing with, including family preservation, to help families have healthy lives," Ms. Norlin said.