As we celebrate Child Protection Week let us do so knowing that children are a gift from God. They deserve to be nurtured by safe hands. We are tired of waking up to horrible stories about young girls who got raped by men who should be looking after them.We cannot afford to continue reading about stories of young boys who are turned into child soldiers by warmongers.Children are born free and with empty minds and it is up to us what we fill their minds with.We must not abuse children because they might grow up thinking that abuse is a way of life.It is frequently stated that abused children are future abusers, and that we cannot afford this vicious cycle. Children are precious and deserve our love and care.As caring members of society we must break the silence whenever we see incidents of child abuse, even beyond our own homes and communities.There are institutions, such as Child Welfare and Childline, that were established to address child abuse cases and that can be contacted free of charge.Since it takes a whole village to raise a child, it should also take the whole village to act against the abuse, neglect and exploitation of children.A person is a person, no matter how small...