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by Borden Black
Jane Smith’s* eyes well with tears as she remembers the support she received from the Russell County Child Advocacy Center (RCCAC) two years ago when her son was abused. After the then 6-year-old was sexually assaulted by a friend’s teenage relative, she was steered to the county CAC by the sheriff ’s department. “It was a horrible time,” Smith recalls. “They were so overwhelmingly sweet. It was amazing support. I sat and they held me and I cried.”
That’s just one of about 100 cases the Russell County agency sees annually. The non-profit agency, which was organized in 1997, provides a neutral, child-friendly facility where professionals can meet with child victims during the investigation. The RCCAC also provides counseling and prevention programs all free of charge.
When the Unthinkable Happens
One in four girls and one in six boys
will be abused before their 18th birthday,
according to Russell County Child
Advocacy Center Executive Director
Lynn Hart. When the Department of
Human Resources (DHR) or a law
enforcement agency receives a report of
a child being sexually or physically
abused or neglected or of a child witnessing
a serious crime, the CAC is
called in.
In the past, children often had to undergo multiple rounds of questioning, often in sterile and frightening settings. Now the child and non-offending family members are brought to the center with its cheery yellow walls, piles of toys and comfortable interview rooms.
The children can tell their story once to a trained forensic interviewer in a room monitored by closed-circuit cameras. In the adjacent room, Alma Torres, a warm and motherly type and the center’s family advocate, is among those watching and listening to the details so she can guide the families. She and the other members of the staff are there for the child and loved ones through the whole ordeal, helping them emotionally, serving as a liaison with the authorities and even sitting with them through court proceedings. “I tell them, ‘You are not alone,’” Torres explains.
If questions remain after the original interview, a six-session, extended forensic evaluation will be conducted. The center also provides individual and group counseling with young victims in the form of play therapy.
The Russell County Child Advocacy Center is fortunate, Hart says, to have an on-site medical exam room and three Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (S.A.N.E.) who are on call 24/7. Evidence used by law enforcement and prosecutors can be collected all at the same time if abuse is suspected to have just occurred.
To ease the trauma of the situation, every child is given a stuffed animal while in the center. Smith says that two years later, her son still takes his to bed with him. Each child is also given a marble to place in a jar, now half filled with marbles. Hart says the ritual started when one little girl asked if she was the only one. Hart thought the question came from concern about privacy, but in reality the small victim wanted to know if there were others in her same situation. The physical representation of others in the same situation now lets the children know that they are not alone.
During their visits, the children are referred to as heroes, and after the court appearances are complete, there is a celebratory ice cream party and the child is given a pillowcase emblazoned with “a hero lies here.” Smith says it is like the icing on the cake and provides a tremendous sense of relief.
Smith explains that when her son first entered the center, he was terrified since his abuser had threatened to kill his family if he told anyone. After counseling and therapy, not only is he better, but Smith has also experienced a complete transformation and now feels empowered and determined to help others. “You really need someone with you through the process,” Torres explains, and Smith agrees, “They are really angels.”
Hart credits their success to the staff ’s sincere, caring attitude. “When the family and the child hurt, we hurt,” she explains. She also points to a multi-disciplinary team, which includes law enforcement, DHR, District Attorney’s office, mental health and medical professionals, as a key to success. Having the agencies work together lessens the trauma for the victim and the family, she says. A twice-monthly meeting of the team also ensures that cases are prosecuted and don’t fall between the cracks.
Prevention
The staff at the Russell County Child Advocacy Center doesn’t
just react; they also try to prevent child abuse. Hart and Detra
Rosser, who is a prevention specialist, spend much of their time
in the schools. The K.E.E.P. program (Kids Engaged in Education
and Prevention) provides age-appropriate information to students
in kindergarten through high school. Instruction varies
from talking about touches with the very young to explaining the
age of consent to teens. Other topics are covered with parents,
educators and administrators.
During their visits to classrooms, the CAC staff heard more and more stories of bullying and anger-management issues, and so they began Step-Up, Make a Difference (M.A.D.) program.
Chattahoochee Valley Community College athletes assist with the program and help to get the students talking about their problems and issues. During the final exercise, the kids are asked to move across a line when they have experienced one of the problems called out by the adult leaders, such as loss of a loved one. In the end all the students are on the same side. “They realize it doesn’t really matter what color your skin is. It doesn’t matter what your economic background is. We all bleed red and go through the same problems,” Hart says.
The S.T.A.R.S. (Specialized Treatment of Adolescents without Residential Services) program provides specialized treatment and counseling to youth with sexual behavior problems. It was developed because more and more young kids were seen abusing those even younger. In many cases the older child was abused at an early age.
The CAC prevention programs reach more than 5,000 Russell County and Phenix City students each year.
Funding
The economic downturn is having a dramatic effect on the Russell
County Child Advocacy Center as it is on most non-profits. The
agency receives state and federal grants and is a United Way agency
but has seen a $70,000 cut this year in funding. Some staff members’
hours have been cut and pennies are being pinched, but Hart says
they are determined not to reduce services to any of the children.
In addition to accepting donations of everything from toilet paper to toys, the center has several fundraising drives throughout the year. The one the staff enjoys most is coming up in February. The father/daughter dance is scheduled for February 4. Hart says that in the past they have seen three generations of fathers and daughters attend. “It gives the fathers an opportunity to show girls how they should be treated,” she says.
Information about the dance, other fundraising efforts and CAC services can be found online at rccac.org or by calling 334.297.4962.
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