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SUFFER the little children, the Bible may intone. But it is Dr. John Anderson's job, albeit in a rather different context, to see the suffering minimized. As medical director of the Child Protection Team at the IWK-Grace Health Centre, the Halifax pediatrician comes face-to-face with children who've been emotionally, physically, sexually and psychologically abused. His work also brings him in regular contact with the criminal justice system. Dr. Anderson remembers all too clearly, for example, the tragedy of little John Ryan Turner's short life. The New Brunswick toddler, who died of starvation at four years of age, weighed less than a healthy one-year-old child at the time of his demise. As an expert witness in the trial of John Ryan's parents, Dr. Anderson became part of history in the making. In June 1995, the Turners were convicted of second-degree murder and given a 13-year sentence--the stiffest sentence for child abuse in Canadian history. But, despite successful prosecution, many in the community expressed incredible sadness that such a tragedy was allowed to occur and that no one was able to help John Ryan in time. That, in large part, is why Dr. Anderson does the work he does. The number of child abuse cases is rising in Nova Scotia and across the continent. In 1995, 344 victims of child abuse were referred to Dr. Anderson and his team. In 1996, that figure hit 421. If referrals for 1997 hold steady, it will rise to 450. Of the referrals in 1996, said...