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\"I think kids are vulnerable because they are so dependent on us to take care of them and when you have someone who wants to use them to hurt someone else, it's a dangerous situation.\"
Executive Director of Sojourner Family Peace Center Carmen Pitre is horrified by the recent cases of abuse, but not surprised. More than three million children are trapped in the volatile home of an abuser. Sixty-percent of them will be hurt or even killed in the process. Eleven-month-old Serenity Rose was one of those children,
\"This is Serenity Rose, who was killed by her father,\" visibly shaken Kenosha Police Chief John Morrissey made that statement, while holding a picture of an adorable tiny girl. Police say she was brutally beaten until her cries were silenced. Crushed into the sidewalk over and over, until her skull was in pieces and face was unrecognizable.
A similar domestic-violence situation happened recently in Milwaukee. A mother violently jammed q-tips in her 15-month-old son's ears, rupturing both ear drums. She wanted to get back at the child's father. Pitre says it's not uncommon for children to be caught in the crossfire.
\"I'd like to believe in my mind, as a human being, that it rarely happens, but that's not the case,\" Pitre said.
According to the Department of Justice, three children die every day as a result of abuse within the home. Pitre says leaving is easier said than done, because many abused women have no money or support.
She says reminding those women of the trauma being inflicted on their children is often the only way to convince them to leave at whatever costs.
\"We have to be the ones to open the door and say, you know what, you're not alone. I will help you. I will figure out how to help you get out of this circumstance.\"
Tonight, in honor of little Serenity, Kenosha Police Department silenced their Facebook page saying that they would not post anymore this evening. Instead they left a reminder that \"love should never hurt,\" and urged victims to get help.
If you need help getting out of a domestic violence situation you can contact the Sojourner Family Peace Center 24 hour hotline at 414.933.2722.