Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are a gift of the Lord.” Yet, according to the latest available statistics from the Children’s Bureau of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 1,640 children died of abuse and neglect in 2012.

Child abuse is a horrible reality that cuts across cultural and socioeconomic barriers. Since only one in three cases of child abuse is reported, the magnitude of this tragedy is much greater than we may realize. The yearly financial cost is $124 billion, yet the emotional and spiritual damage may be even greater.

The biggest type of abuse is neglect (78 percent of all cases), and 81.5 percent of children in this country who were abused or neglected were abused by their biological parents, according to the Children’s Bureau.

Even though most mistreatment of children occurs in the home, abuse occurs in a variety of other places and by different types of people. In 53.5 percent of reported cases, women were the abusers, while 45.8 percent of culprits were men.

The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution in 2007 (“On Protecting Children From Abuse”) and another in 2013 (“On Sexual Abuse of Children”). The types of abuse of children range from emotional, physical, and sexual to human slavery and sex trafficking. Bullying is also abuse. Children are at risk in today’s culture, but they can be protected from harm.

Southern Mutual Church Insurance Company offers a free guide for churches called “Church, Child and Youth Protection Manual.” It is a comprehensive look at how churches can put into place policies and procedures to protect children. The manual can be downloaded at www.smcins.com.

In an article posted by The Gospel Coalition, “Predators in the Pew: Protecting Against Child Abuse in Your Church,” Deepak Reju cites some reasons why churches fail in protecting children:

•  Because churches are so desperate for volunteers, sexual offenders know they can get easy access to kids.

•  Because churches are so informal, they don’t bother checking on someone’s past or screening volunteers.

•  Because Christians make assumptions like “It will never happen to us.”

•  Because sexual offenders are smart. They know Christians are naïve, so they take advantage of their trust.

•  Because when child abuse happens at church, there are often no policies in place for how to handle it.

•  Churches are informal, and it is easier for a sexual predator to deceive people and move into an opportunity to be with children.

There are positive and proactive steps that churches can take to establish as safe an environment as possible for the children under their care. The following steps are currently being used by many SCBC churches:

1. A team that is trained in both security and emergency medical procedures is a start. Ideally, the team would include off-duty law enforcement officers. Some churches install cameras in hallways and rooms where children gather.

2. Volunteer workers should be interviewed and, if approved, receive entry-level and ongoing training. Each worker’s references should also be checked.

3. A system of checking children in and checking them out is helpful. Be committed to having at least two — preferably unrelated — adults at any activity involving minors.

4. Screen all potential workers. The South Carolina Baptist Convention has negotiated special packages and pricing for churches to conduct background checks. Go to www. scbaptist.org/protectingchildren for information.

5. Adopt church strategies, policies and procedures that provide the best protection for children. Include actions to take when a known sexual predator visits your church.

6. Make sure that all volunteers are supervised. For example, children’s ministers or student ministers/leaders should never be alone with children, especially on trips.

7. Emphasize church membership. Joining a church should include some type of membership class, and only members who have been a part of the church for at least six months should be eligible to serve.

Sue Harmon, associate director of the Childhood Ministry Group of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, has some suggestions for writing policies. Her article, “FAQs About Child Abuse Prevention in the Church” can be seen at SCBaptist.org, and she can be contacted at sueharmon@scbaptist.org.

Rhonda Littleton is minister of children at First Baptist Church, Simpsonville, and has a passion for providing a “safe and secure environment for children so teachers can teach and children can be discipled.” She continued: “Not only must we have policies, but we also must do due diligence to see that the policies are followed. Communication is a big issue, as well as having the different ministry teams working together and on the same page. Protecting children is not just the responsibility of one area like children’s ministry; it involves the whole church.”

If a person suspects child abuse, he or she should report it to the county office of the Department of Social Services or local law enforcement. South Carolina law (63-7-310) lists many professionals who are required to report suspected abuse, including clergy. A person reporting suspected abuse can do so anonymously.

Protecting children is important. Of reported cases of child abuse, 70.3 percent of victims were under 3 years of age, and the highest rate of victimization (21.9 percent) occurred during the first year of life.

Children are a gift of the Lord. They at least deserve to be protected from abuse.