Family and Children's Place - Louisville, KY - Child Advocacy Center in the Spotlight

Childhood sexual abuse seems to follow a similar pattern in most cases. I recently read the story of a 12 year old girl in the area of Louisville, KY, who was born with Cerebral Palsy. Beginning at age nine, she was repeatedly molested by her grandfather. As time went on, the sexual assaults and molestation became more frequent. With threats made by her grandfather, the little girl, Amy, kept the secret of her sexual abuse.

Parents Who Pay Attention to the Signs of Sexual Abuse
Fortunately for Amy, her parents were attentive to several of the key signs of sexual abuse. Amy had become more and more withdrawn, changing from an outgoing, fun-loving child into a much more withdrawn and isolated little girl. The fear, shame, and humiliation of sexual abuse alters the basic personality of an abused child. Because of the signs noted by her parents, Amy was taken to a Child Advocacy Center, Family and Children's Place.

Family and Children's Place- An Advocacy Center
Amy was placed with a couselor at the center, who carefully allowed Amy to tell her story of sexual abuse. The trained counselor made sure Amy knew she wanted to hear what she had to say and that she could help her. Using drawings of the human anatomy, Amy pointed out the places where her grandfather had touched her. As a result of telling her story at the Advocacy Center, Amy will not need to tell her story again, not even in court. The Advocacy Center will handle everything needed by this family. Counselors also talked with Amy's parents, advising them of ways they can help Amy to recover from the abuse and also counseled them in ways to help them deal with their child's abuse.
All in all, Family and Children's Place will make Amy's recovery, as well as her parents' recovery, a very smooth road. In time, Amy will return to her own out-going personality once again.

Children with Disabilities Have a Higher Rate of Sexual Abuse
As sad as it is, statistics show that handicapped children in this country are much more likely to be sexually molested. I wrote about the statistics on this in a previous article, titled, Disabled Americans are at a Greater Risk for Victimization Victimizing children is horrendous, but when those children have disabilities, the crime against them is compounded. In my opinion, anyone who would victimize a disabled child is a monster.

It is good to know that we have Advocacy Centers in America that are stepping up to the plate for abused and neglected children and their families. These centers and their trained personnel can help move the victims and their families toward healing at a much more rapid pace.

Bureau of Justice Statistics
You can follow this link for an updated record on crime statistics.

Sources:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110111/OPINION02/301110009/Community+Challenge+|+Expanding+efforts+to+prevent+sexual+abuse+of+children

http://www.protect.org/

http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/warning_signs_of_child_sexual_abuse.html/page/2