The Elephant is in the room

You know poverty in our society is to such an extent that sometimes families dont want want to disclose even if their children are abuse by their own parent. There was a child in my area who was abuse to such an extent that community members were asking questions about the state of the child. When trying to engage the mother of the child with regards to the conditions of the chid , she would take away your attention into something else or tell you to mind your own business. The reason why she did not want to discuss this problem was simply becuase she knew the reason for the child's condition and her concern was that when she report the matter with the police or tell her neighbours , that  her husband was implicated in the abuse.This meant that if her husband goes to jail she will lose her income and won't be able to enjoy the benefits becuase her husband was a bread winnner in the house. One lady said to me when we were oneday discussing the plight of the child and trying to establish as to what cuase this child to be afraid of people, can not concentrate she said it in one sentence without telling me literally that the child was abused by her parent that "The elephant is in the room