It's been said child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime. Of course, the darkest part of that shadow is the area where justice was never served; the area where the abuser evaded authorities through the silence of a child brought on by fear, or the silence of a family or community - brought on by apathy or denial. There's also the darkness that occurs when the system silences itself.

I know this because my wife suffered child abuse - physical, sexual, and emotional - through seven different foster homes and seven sets of foster parents who were supposed to care for and protect her. They didn't. Social workers were supposed to be there to make sure she wasn't abused. They didn't do their job and, worse still, they didn't believe her when she told them of her abuse.

The scars of what she suffered remain with her today- more than 30 years later. One of the most difficult steps on her road to healing has been accepting the fact that the people who abused her will never come to justice (at least not in this world's court system) due to the statute of imitations on the crimes they committed.

Most states have a statute of limitations for child abuse that ranges between 8 and 10 years. South Dakota allows 7 years after the crime was committed or until the victim is 25 years old. Although this is a step toward acknowledging the emotional delay caused by the trauma of child abuse, it's not enough.

Studies show that memories of such incidents are frequently submerged in the victim's subconscious until age 30 or later.

By the time the victim remembers what happened to them and is emotionally able to pursue justice, the court's clock has stopped ticking. The criminal continues his or her pattern of abuse undeterred by such inconveniences as arrest and imprisonment.

It's, therefore, vital that everyone in "the village" get involved and be aware that child abuse can happen here - no matter where "here" is. Even in and, perhaps, especially in a place like South Dakota where so many people feel such crimes "just don't occur".

I'm not a believer in witch hunts and I'm fully aware that children can be manipulated. I also realize that, sad as it is to say, there are some kids - even young children - who are clever enough to use any system to their advantage. But the bottom- line unfortunate reality is that child abuse does happen and it happens everywhere.

South Dakota's Department of Social Services website shows more than 2000 substantiated incidents of reported child abuse for 2008 that include physical abuse, sexual abuse and physical neglect. Consider estimates that 50 percent of all child abuse cases go unreported nationally, and you see where that puts us.

A report by the national Every Child Matters Education Fund ranked South Dakota second-highest in the country in 2007 for the rate of deaths from child abuse or neglect. The reports lists 8 deaths in South Dakota. The state DSS disputes that figure as "misleading", noting that there were only 2 deaths in 2008. But even one death is too many and what about the actual South Dakota stats for 2007?

The recent case of a well-known advocate for Native American children being convicted for rape and child abuse shows, once again, that you can't assume anything about anyone. Statistics by Advocates For Youth show that 36 percent of offenders in child rape cases were family members and 50 percent were friends of the victim.

Save a child from a life of emotional darkness - shine a light on child abuse.