According to a report by the Globe and ProPublica, (“A cry for help,’’ Page A1, Dec. 15), not a single state fully complies with our primary federal law to protect children not in state custody. A total of 41 states released data to the investigators, revealing 7,000 child deaths between 2011 and 2015. Many experts estimate 15,000 deaths occurred in that period.

How do we sleep at night? Denial and feeling helpless are natural responses. Beyond that, Dr. Judith Herman, in her book “Trauma and Recovery,’’ proposes that it is “tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing,’’ whereas "the victim . . . asks the bystander to share the burden of pain.’’ We are all bystanders.

Action is the antidote to helplessness and denial. We must express our outrage to state and federal officials and demand accountability of all mandated reporters and institutions. The lapses are everywhere, but the buck stops with government leaders and agencies.

Informal community supports will help. If you see or hear something, say something. And just as we teach our children to protect themselves from dangerous situations, let's teach them to speak up for their peers who might be at risk and unable to speak for themselves.

Betty Morningstar

Newton

The writer is past president of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.