Dear Future President:   

Every day there are children being mistreated by their parents, children who don't deserve this abuse. As our president, you must do more to end child maltreatment and rescue our future posterity from the wrath of irresponsible parents.

 Child neglect, abuse or maltreatment can lead to stunted development in adolescents and adults. According to Childwelfare.gov "There is now scientific evidence of altered brain functioning as a result of early abuse and neglect." This evidence is significant because it has been proven that early abuse and neglect can lead to problems in brain development. Our brains are extremely important our lives, not only do they provide complex thought, but also have an effect on our heart rate, blood pressure, appetite, sleep and emotional reactivity. This article on brain development from Childwelfare.gov also states, "children’s experiences with child maltreatment or other forms of toxic stress, such as domestic violence or disasters, can negatively affect brain development."  

    Some parents may think that physically harming your child instills discipline and insures that they won't make the same mistake, but it turns out most 'disciplining' is actually mistreatment and can seriously harm a child. There are some cases that parents who mistreat a child were also mistreated as a child and end up abusing their own kids.  It's important to understand why parents mistreat their children, it isn't always on purpose. A parent could be uneducated in the ways of nurturing a child, they could have unrealistic expectations on how a child will and is supposed to act, or they could also have drug or alcohol related issues. I propose, in order to save these children from inadequate parenting, instead of taking their kids away we teach these parents how to take care of children or help them overcome their addiction to drugs or alcohol. 

     Child mistreatment has plagued this world for decades. According to childhelp.org., "If a child has six or more experiences of abuse, the average life expectancy is twenty years." This seriously impacts not only the future of our children but also the future of our country.  Childhelp.org also made the point that "a report of child abuse is made every ten seconds."  And in 2014, 2,000 victims of child abuse were reported.  It is an urgent matter, and if we do something about this we could potentially save thousands of lives. This is why, as our future president, you must do more to end child maltreatment and save future posterity from the wrath of irresponsible parents.

Sincerely, 

Annie.