By Elias Marat | The Mind Unleashed
When one thinks of a typical motorcycle club, a few things come to mind: bruising bar fights, gang warfare, and the kind of criminal activity popularly depicted in the TV series Sons of Anarchy.
And while there are certainly a few modern motorcycle clubs that live up to the bad-boy image, children around the world have also been relying on a different type of biker gang for emotional support and protection.
Enter Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA), an international nonprofit organization that relies on volunteers to form a layer of protection and empowerment for kids coping with parental abuse and other at-home ordeals.
At first glance, the group resembles any other outlaw motorcycle club—complete with their own logos, patches, leather vests, and a network of chapters throughout the world.
The group’s mission is to simply help children and their families through positive intervention, never violating parents’ rights or using violence and physical force to get their point across.
Whether the child has a nightmare in the middle of the night or an abuser is menacing a child, BACA bikers stand at their ready to positively intervene. The group also helps children cope with the stress of appearing before court.
As the group explains on their website, BACA works with individuals and agencies—state child protective services, for example—to support children who are frightened by their environments. Once a BACA liaison verifies a case through the authorities, the group steps in to introduce themselves, often through a motorcycle ride.
