Four Key Steps to Eliminate Child Abuse

In support of awareness of National Child Abuse Prevention month, retired Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County judge and practicing family law attorney, Michael Ian Bender, offers a four-step educational guide to parents and guardians who want to raise children in a functional and happy home where abuse does not exist.

“In spite of the national spotlight on topics such as domestic violence and abuse at home, more work needs to be done to make childhood abuse a non-existent issue,” says Bender. “The reality is that politicians and the media can discuss the problem ad nauseam, but the real progress is made when individuals—especially young parents—proactively seek guidance for how to raise children in a mutually loving and respectful manner. A happy family life means children have a greater chance of growing to their highest potential as emotionally well-adjusted human beings.”

With his mission to eliminate child abuse and neglect, Bender reopened his private practice after having presided over thousands of cases involving child abuse or custody and support while serving as an Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County judge from 2008 to 2013. Bender now serves as Guardian ad Litem and Child’s Representative in Cook County and advocates for education to stop abuse and neglect at home. Studies have shown that abuse is passed down from previous generations, with abusers often being victims of childhood abuse as well. Bender advocates a four-step process that parents or guardians can use as a basic guide:

1. Accept that positive reinforcement and non-physical discipline are vital for a child’s development.

2. Recognize that physical and mental abuse stunts the child’s growth and negatively affects the child’s future adult relationships leading to domestic violence and child abuse.

3. Understand and learn the difference between commanding respect and demanding respect.

4. Learn alternate effective types of discipline.

After serving as an Illinois Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County since 2008, Michael Ian Bender re-opened The Law Office of Michael Ian Bender in late 2013. He had initially opened his private practice in 1993, where he concentrated in litigation offering a broad range of legal services including complex family law and civil rights litigation. In 2004, Bender joined the law firm of Nadler, Pritikin & Mirabelli, LLC., where he concentrated in family law and advocated for the rights of at-risk youths. Prior to this role, Bender served as a Judicial Law Clerk in the First District Illinois Appellate Court for the Honorable Justice Alan Hartman from 1991 to 1993. Bender also has served as a prosecutor for the Village of Skokie as an Assistant Corporation Counsel. He additionally was elected as a Commissioner of the Skokie Park District. Bender served two terms as President of the Skokie Park Board of Commissioners, where he was instrumental in stabilizing the financial future of the Skokie Park District. Michael Ian Bender lives with his family in Lincolnwood.

About the Firm

The Law Office of Michael Ian Bender in Chicago provides personalized legal guidance and support through all facets of family law, including mediation, prenuptial agreements, divorce representation, child support and custody disagreements, paternity and parentage disputes, visitation agreements, and division of property. Michael Ian Bender, a former Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, reopened the firm with a mission to end child abuse. Bender vigorously advocates for the rights of children by serving as a child’s representative, guardian ad litem, and attorney for the child, in Cook County, Illinois. The Law Office of Michael Ian Bender is located at 70 West Madison Street, Suite 2222, in Chicago Illinois. For more information about the firm, please call 312-236-1500 or visit www.eliminatechildabuse.com.