She Saw The Number. She Called. He Was Arrested.

A 12 year old female had just been beaten (yet again) by her father.   He left slap marks on her face and bumps on her head.  He also had taken out his aggression that day on the child's mother. Both the young girl and her mother had been suffering abuse at the hands of the child's father for a long period of time. Prior to this day, the young child had told no one; keeping her pain and terror to herself.  

On one fateful day, this young child, having learned of a resource for help, summoned up the courage to do something to change her state of life.  Thankfully, this little girl had noticed a poster with the 1-800-4-A-CHILD Childhelp hotline number on it.  Having just suffered abuse yet again, the opportunity to call the hotline occurred when the abusive father and her mother left the house, leaving her all alone.

In a very tearful and nervous state, she rang one of the expertly-trained, Masters-level social workers that mans the Hotline for Childhelp.   Once connected with the social worker on the call, the counselor immediately spent time consoling the child, and then talked the child through the different options that she could access for help.  After talking with the counselor for some time, the young girl was able to confirm that she knew what her options were for getting help, and that she was then comfortable ending the call with the Hotline counselor.  

Typically, because the Hotline is confidential, the operators of the Hotline do not have an opportunity to learn the outcome of the expert counseling that they apply. In this situation, a wonderful follow-up call occurred.  The young girl called back later that day and informed a counselor that she had called the police and that the authorities arrived and arrested her father when he arrived back home.  In an beautiful gesture from this brave little girl, she wanted the hotline team to know she was safe, and that she wanted to thank the counselor that helped her in this difficult situation.