In a small California town tucked away in Tulare County, a woman died this morning. The victim of a violent attack she was stabbed repetitiously. The motives for the crime are unknown. The woman was a mother of four, but her kids had been removed from her care months prior to her death. She was a drug addict, hopelessly devoted to the pleasures of methamphetamines. She was a stripper and a prostitute. She was bipolar and she was a battered wife. She was somebody's daughter, somebody's sister, and she was the product of a system failure.
The war at home is a forgotten one. The un-scrubbed faces of our neglected youth lack the celebrity endorsements of Africa's children. Meth and mayhem mark the battlegrounds of urban streets and rural dwellings, yet they fail to receive the attention the oil-laden areas of the world do. Crime is on the rise in this nation; however, as most reprobates are not linked to terrorist cells funds are not allocated en masse. The impoverished of America lack the glamour and corporate sponsorship of other global communities and as a result it is our children that are suffering and ultimately we're raising a generation of broken souls.
“It shouldn't hurt to be a child” or so the saying goes, yet for almost ten percent of Tulare County's youths under the age of eighteen, hurt, neglect, and abuse at the hands of those who are supposed to care for them is a daily occurrence. To look upon them one might not be immediately aware that there are kids among us whose existence is comprised not of the joy or blithe of childhood but rather they are marked by the repercussions of their parents substance abuse or mental health issues. You have to look closely to see the dark circles under their eyes, the pangs from hunger, the constant state of worry, but if you look closely, you'll find them.
Once a year, in April, Americans formerly recognize the violence imputed upon our children with National Child Abuse Awareness Month. This is the one time a year when those who live blissfully unaware of the grass on the other side are confronted by the crimes against our children that take place everyday of the year, including Christmas. In Tulare County, California most families are unconscious to the conditions facing over 10,000 of our local kids every year. Of this number over a thousand child abuse referrals that are investigated will be found true. That means ten percent of reports made to county Child Welfare Services regarding physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect will be substantiated and action taken to prevent these children from having to experience one more instance of exploitation.
Tucked in the Central Valley of California, Tulare County is an agriculturally based community comprised of extreme poverty and methamphetamine production. With a total population of less than 500,000 Tulare County economics is dominated by farm labor, ag-business, and supplying the world with some of the finest fruits and vegetables available. The area is predominantly Hispanic with a 52% Latino base. Tulare County's unemployment rate was one of the highest in the state having reached 14% at one point. Financially many of the inhabitants are dependent upon government aid, social security, and other public funds.
When talking of child abuse most people conjure images of kids that have been tortured, starved, or beaten to the point of death. However, in Tulare County the main sources (eighty percent of all referrals made to Child Welfare Services) of ill treatment against minors is neglect due to substance abuse by the parents. The media accounts and statistics that refer to the rising problems of methamphetamine are not an exaggeration used to sensationalize a seedy topic. Methamphetamines are the number one problem in Tulare County as well as other American counties and cities and it's not just an issue for the untold numbers of those who are addicted, but also for their children.
“Meth” is not a sinister force that is sneaking into the collective conscience through the back door of a degraded society. It is seductive by nature. It is euphoric and energizing, it is responsible for incredible feelings of exhilarating highs and an untamable libido. It is effective at weight loss and unlike those drugs that are frowned upon such as heroin due to the filth of the proverbial needle, meth can be snorted, it can be smoked, and it can be drank. Numerous addicts start their day with a caffeine product laced with methamphetamine and look none the worse for wear until the ravages of their compulsion began to mark their countenances.
Meth isn't limited to the street whores and poverty stricken, soccer moms and business executives are partaking looking for that quick “fix” that will help them to make it through their day. It is easily attainable and cheap to procure. With some ephedrine, a recipe, and few other chemicals meth can be produced just about anywhere. In Tulare County “meth labs”.
