City Of Lakeland issued the following announcement on Apr. 04.
Proclamation: Parental Alienation Awareness Week
WHEREAS, alienating behaviors are often found in high conflict divorce and custody situations often causing mental and emotional anguish to Polk County's children; and
WHEREAS, parental alienation is defined as behaviors, whether verbal or non-verbal, by a parent or other individual, that causes a child to be mentally manipulated or bullied into believing a sincerely loving parent is to be feared, hated, disrespected, and/or avoided; and
WHEREAS, this is considered a serious form of psychological abuse and it deprives children of the right to be loved by and show love for both their parents and extended families; and
WHEREAS, the ACE study, which predicts lifelong outcomes on Polk County's children impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences using a 10-point scale, identifies alienated children as having at least two of those 10 points contributing to traumatic events in a child’s life; and
WHEREAS, individuals with ACEs are 12 times more likely to suffer well into adulthood from alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, multiple marriages, shortened lifespan and 12,000% more likely to attempt suicide. Thereby impacting Polk County's future generations; and
WHEREAS, with awareness comes education, understanding, and the power to stop the abuse of innocent children caught in the crossfire of the people they love. As Florida's residents and stakeholders become increasingly aware and educated about the problem, more people can help to prevent it; and
WHEREAS, through the voice of Kids Need Both, Inc and our Hope4Families partners based in Florida, we ongoingly seek new and sustainable ways to empower Florida families to choose a future of harmony and sustainability that interrupts detrimental generational outcomes.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City Of Lakeland
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