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Home › Articles › Safety › Witnessing Child Abuse

Witnessing Child Abuse

What Should You Do?

By Michele St. Martin

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Police officer Ron Reier agrees with McHenry. "Call 911," he says. "Be prepared with a description of the parent, and if you witness abuse in a vehicle, the license number." 911 operators may have had other complaints about the abusive parent, he adds. And both McHenry and Reier note that the family may be "in the system," meaning they are already receiving help and/or monitoring from a social service or law enforcement agency.

In any case, they agree it's critical that you make the call to 911, and you can be anonymous. If you witness something in a store and don't have a cell phone, ask the cashier or manager to make the call for you.

Personal Experience
Lottie Karns* of Valley Park, Mo. has witnessed abuse multiple times in her professional capacity as a retail manager. Lott says that she always takes action, most often calling 911. "Sometimes I have hoped that the customer would pay with a check so that I can give the information to 911 when I call," she says.

Pamela Candy* of Columbus, Ohio once heard a parent slap a child while shopping. "I really didn't know what to do," she says. "I wasn't sure I could do anything since I didn't actually seethe abuse – they were in a different aisle. I felt terrible about it, and I have often thought about it."


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