By Omamoya Esiso
A stuffed animal can turn a small frown into a big smile on the face of a child that has been a victim of neglect.
Every year, thousands of children are reported victims of child neglect and abuse, and the Children's Protection Division of the Harris County Attorney's Office handles hundreds of these cases annually.
The ages of child neglect victims range from infancy to 17 years old, and the abuse is physical, sexual, or medical.
Susan Sciacca, Assistant County Attorney talks about the type of cases that are handled at the County Attorney's Office.
"Many of the cases include sex abuse, [and] a lot of times they coexist. But then we have neglect. It could be anything from physical neglect to medical neglect, where a child is not being taken to a psychiatrist for [their] mental health issues," she said.
Though the main goal of CPD is to keep children safe, their other goal is to bring some comfort to the children that are in these situations.
For this reason, investigator Larry Fox and administrative assistant Darlene Hadaway launched the H.U.G.S. for Kids program in 2009, in downtown Houston to comfort children facing difficult circumstances.
Darlene Hadaway, the administrative assistant of the Children's Protection Division said that the H.U.G.S. (Helping Us Grow Safely) for Kids Program began when Fox witnessed two children in court watch as their father went to trail in handcuffs.
"While this man, being in custody, is brought to court, there are two little children watching the entire scene, and Larry wanted something to give them. So he started keeping stuffed animals in his vehicle," she said.
"These kids are going through a lot in their lives, and this is just something to make them feel better and to hold onto whenever we come into contact with them," she said.
Hadaway said that investigators keep a large box of stuffed animals at their Murworth Office, where caseworkers often bring children.
Larry Fox said that that while the stuffed animals are primarily used for children involved in neglect cases, the stuffed animals are occcasionally used for other circumstances.
Fox said he was at an elementary school in the principal's office and saw a small child, about 5 or 6 years old crying.
He found out she was grieving over the death of her grandmother, so he recieved permission to allow the child to pick a stuffed animal out of his police car.
Fox said giving away stuffed animals has a small and positive impact on the children.
"It bridges a little gap," he said.
Fox also said that the children are under a high volume of distress, often due to them being removed from their homes, and may feel uncomfortable when they see armed police officers coming in to take them.
"Because they don't know [us], we want to show them that we have a soft side," said Fox.
The goal of the H.U.G.S. for Kids Program is to let children know that someone cares, and though it may not take away all of their pain or fear, it can bring a smile to their face.
