This event happened to me and my sister just today. We went shopping, and later this evening we stopped at the grocery store as our last stop. As we pulled up a woman that appeared drunk, was beating another woman with a young child looking on. The woman being beat was not returning blows. My sister and I approached the scene, and told the woman beating on the other one, we were calling 911. There were many people standing by, and doing nothing. When 911 was called, and drunk woman grabbed her child and jumped in the car, as the other woman stood there bleeding and battered. I got behind the car and took down the license plate number. The drunk woman almost hit me, but luckily did not. We waited with the battered woman whose family or friends were there. She was scared to deal with the police when they arrived. She decided to press charges and one police car stayed with us, and another ran the plates and went looking for the drunk woman who had taken off with the child.

The battered woman at first was not going to press charges. She knew the woman so was shaken for obvious reasons, and all the towns around me are small, so she was afraid of what would happen. She decided to file charges, now I don't know if she will follow through and it will go to court or not. My sister and did what we thought was right in our hearts and that was to get involved. We both have anxiety issues, but stayed with the woman and filled out a report to what we had seen. I was very shaken, but I knew as did my sister we had to SPEAK UP AND SPEAK OUT. I told the police it was Child Abuse Awareness month and we encouraged the battered woman to stand up and not let this woman have the chance to hurt another person or her child who was in the car with her when she took off. She said she would follow through. We filed our reports with the police as to what we saw and said we would go to court if needed. The battered woman was taken to the hospital. I know the woman getting a beating knew this woman, but the reason she said she did not hit back as when she went to defend herself, she saw the little child's face looking up at her and could not hit this child's mother back. I commended her for that. I hope the other squad car caught her tonight and that child is in no further harm.

I was stunned this was happening to me, as I promote child abuse awareness here at eons and other places. It would have been easier to look the other way rather than get involved. My sister and I did not think we just went to help without really thinking about it, until it was almost over. There were so many people watching this and just ignoring us. Let us not ignore any abuse situation if at possible. It happens in everyday life! I hope I gave that woman enough strength to press charges, and that child is out of grip of drunk and abusive mother, until she get some help, at least for now. I thought it important to blog this as we face how child abuse effects each and everyone of us. Thanks for your support this month, and I am glad to be home and I pray that child is safe and the woman who went to hospital is in safe hands tonight too.