Bigger Than I Am: A Poem about Violence Against Children

The World Health Organization states that globally, it is estimated that up to 1 billion children aged 2-17 years, have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence in the past year. According to the CDC, at least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year in the United States. In 2019, 1,840 children died of abuse and neglect in the United States.

Physical abuse is one of the most common forms of child abuse. The act results in physical injury to a child or adolescent, such as red marks, cuts, welts, bruises, muscle sprains, broken bones, even if the injury was not intentional.

It might be hard to fathom that someone you might know is being abused or that an adult that you know is abusing a child. This might be a sensitive topic for some people to read, but change doesn't start with being quiet. Change is when you have not just one person speaking up ,but many people speaking up and coming together to create change.

Change starts with education around hard to think about topics such as this one. The more educated that each individual can become, speaking up instead of "minding your business" the more impact we will have to reduce the violence against children.

What are the symptoms of a child that is being abused?

• Withdraw from friends or usual activities

• Changes in behavior - such as aggression, anger, hostility or hyperactivity

• Depression, anxiety or unusual fears

• An apparent lack of supervision

• Frequent absences from school

• Reluctance to leave school activities, as if he or she doesn't want to go home

• Attempts at running away

• Rebellious or defiant behavior

• Self-harm or attempts at suicide

If you are unable to relate to what it is like to be a victim to childhood violence, I hope that this poem will help create a picture of what it is like through a child's eyes.

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Bigger Than I am

By: Susan Evans

When I Feel threatened

I began to grow

For I will not stay small

An object that you can throw

You have met your match

Fearless I have become

There is no amount of pain

That will make me succumb

I have this superpower

I am able to disassociate

Not able to feel this inflicted pain

Which just makes you even more irate

You hold back from using full force

I pray that you will not snap

I straddle this fine line

Knowing I have you trapped

I spat the repercussions

While looking at you in the eyes

Daring you to break a bone

Something that you can't deny

I no longer even batted an eye

I'm not afraid of you

You are a pathetic coward

I can handle black and blue

My ass was whooped often

I didn’t give a fuck

I knew the upper hand was a mental game

I continued to push my luck

While cutting off my air supply

I listened to you shout

I brought you into this world

I can take you out!

I knew you were serious

It was the first time I put myself first

I could not protect if I was dead

Death cannot be reversed