AVON — With child sexual abuse beginning to dominate national headlines, local child advocates have decided to take the opportunity to educate.
“We were getting calls from the media and decided that this really is a teachable moment,” said Emily Perry, executive director of Susie’s Place, Hendricks County’s child advocacy center.
Susie’s Place opened its doors in Avon in April 2009 to provide a neutral, child-friendly center for the investigation of alleged child abuse. The Avon center also serves Boone, Putnam, Morgan, and Montgomery counties.
In April of this year, Susie’s Place opened a second center in Bloomington to serve Monroe, Brown, Lawrence, Greene, and Owen counties.
The center brings together law enforcement, prosecution, child protective services and mental-health agencies and conducts one interview — reducing the stress for the child.
Jerry Sandusky, former defensive coordinator for Pennsylvania State University, has been arrested on charges that he sexually abused several young boys over a 15-year period. The incidents were reported and investigated but when the prosecutor at the time declined to file charges, the university allegedly took no further action.
In the wake of that scandal, The Citadel president John Rosa said the Charleston, S.C., military college has lost public trust because of the way it handled reports of a sex abuse case there. Police say 32-year-old Louis Neal ReVille, an alumnus of The Citadel, confessed to sexually assaulting five teen-age boys that he coached.
“If there is any silver lining to come out of the trauma these kids have had to endure, it is that the situation has created a national platform,” Perry said. “It is shedding light on what is really going on in our homes, neighborhoods, and organizations. Child abuse is an epidemic and it’s time for us who see this every day to speak up.”
Safe Horizon, a national victim assistance organization, recently completed a Bystanders and Child Abuse Survey. The study showed that 59 percent of those polled personally knew someone who has been a child abuse victim and 21 percent admit they were themselves abused as a child. When actually confronted with suspected child abuse, only 6 percent of Americans said they contacted authorities: 6 percent contacted the police, and 19 percent contacted child protection services.
“Reporting is not just for people in a position like mine,” Perry said. “Everybody is mandated to report. We want to be cautious and not try to guilt people into reporting. We want to empower them to make a report.”
She said that people who don’t report abuse or neglect are unintentionally perpetuating the abuse.
“People often think that they know what they would do if they saw child abuse,” Perry said. “But the reality is people don’t respond the way they think they might.”
She said one of the major obstacles for individuals in not reporting is not knowing the signs.
“People are also afraid of the consequences,” Perry said. “People don’t want to cause problems.”
The Safe Horizon study said that 38 percent of Americans cite fear as a reason why people may be reluctant to report suspected cases of child abuse.
Indiana is a mandatory reporting state which means that anyone who suspects child abuse is required to report it to authorities or to the Department of Child Services.
“Please don’t be silent if you think you see something going on,” Perry said. “It’s on our shoulders to protect our kids. It’s on all of us.”
brenda.holmes@flyergroup.com
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Online:
The Indiana Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline is 1-(800)-800-5556. Calls will remain confidential.
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