These are members of the Arizona chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse International, and they wear their motto on their black leather vests and T-shirts: “No child deserves to live in fear.” You may be taken aback by their kind and generous attitude, but there is more to these bikers than just leather and chains. These bikers act as guardians for abused children. The bikers are all volunteers, giving five, 10, 20 or more hours a week. There’s no reimbursement for gas or the time they take off work. The bikers must be tough, not only to protect the kids but to be able to stomach knowing what their young charges may have been through. An 8-year-old beaten by Mom; a 6-year-old molested by his mother’s boyfriend. A girl, 10, raped. They are trained by a licensed mental-health professional affiliated with the chapter. Each biker must be fingerprinted and undergo a thorough criminal-background check, the same one required for state child-welfare workers and law-enforcement officers, before they can join the group. If a little girl has to testify against her abuser in court, they will go, too, walking with her to the witness stand and taking over the first row of seats. One of them will tell her, “Look at us, not him.” And when she’s done, they will circle her again and walk her out.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 19:21:44 +0000
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