Broome County Child Advocacy Center
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THE BROOME COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER opened in July 1997. As of December 2012, 2,650 children have come through its doors. That is by no means all children reported to be victims of sexual abuse during this period of time. An estimated 250-300 children are reported annually to be victims of child sexual abuse in Broome County alone. *Goals of the Child Advocacy Center |
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Imagine you are a 10-yr. old boy or girl.
You finally have the courage to tell someone – your best friend, maybe – of the sexual abuse that has been a secret part of your life for the past few months. Imagine the abuser being your own stepfather, a trusted family friend, another child, or a coach whom everyone likes. Your best friend tells her Mom, who then asks you to tell her what happened.
Picture being called down to talk to the school nurse after your friend’s Mom called them, not knowing for sure what she should do. You are called down again, a short time later, to talk with a caseworker who showed up at school. The caseworker was nice, but you had never talked like this with anyone before and she was asking questions that were so embarrassing to answer. By now, you were scared and you were sure that everyone at school knew what was going on.
Imagine going through the same thing all over again with a patrol officer who took the report and then the next day at the police station with a detective. Why did he need to hear you say those embarrassing things too? Didn’t anyone really believe you?
You then had to go to the Emergency Room for an examination. Those cubicle curtains seemed so thin as you were asked more questions and a doctor and a nurse looked at your "privates". Surely the signs of the bad thing your molester made you do showed. Imagine, instead, the doctor said there was no evidence of sexual abuse, and people believing that you’d lied about everything.
Imagine your Mom acting as if she doesn’t really believe you either, because if it is true, then your abuser will need to leave the house and everyone will be mad because you ‘told’.
Now, picture that you are that same child and your community has a CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER.
While your interview is being completed, the victim advocate has been meeting with your Mom or protective guardian to help them understand how they can help you over the next few days. It’s good to know you have a counselor available to you and your family immediately.
You finally have the courage to tell someone – your best friend, maybe – of the sexual abuse that has been a secret part of your life for the past few months. Imagine the abuser being your own stepfather, a trusted family friend, another child, or a coach whom everyone likes. Your best friend tells her Mom, who then asks you to tell her what happened.
Picture being called down to talk to the school nurse after your friend’s Mom called them, not knowing for sure what she should do. You are called down again, a short time later, to talk with a caseworker who showed up at school. The caseworker was nice, but you had never talked like this with anyone before and she was asking questions that were so embarrassing to answer. By now, you were scared and you were sure that everyone at school knew what was going on.
Imagine going through the same thing all over again with a patrol officer who took the report and then the next day at the police station with a detective. Why did he need to hear you say those embarrassing things too? Didn’t anyone really believe you?
You then had to go to the Emergency Room for an examination. Those cubicle curtains seemed so thin as you were asked more questions and a doctor and a nurse looked at your "privates". Surely the signs of the bad thing your molester made you do showed. Imagine, instead, the doctor said there was no evidence of sexual abuse, and people believing that you’d lied about everything.
Imagine your Mom acting as if she doesn’t really believe you either, because if it is true, then your abuser will need to leave the house and everyone will be mad because you ‘told’.
Now, picture that you are that same child and your community has a CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER.
- You don’t need to talk repeatedly at school, in your own house, or at a police station about these difficult things.
- You can go to a place that’s just for kids, a place that’s private and feels safe. You’re met there by the caseworker that spoke to you briefly at school. She introduces you to a detective and a victim advocate.
- They all explain that their job is to help kids just like you.
- They explain that you only need to talk to one of them;that the other person will be in a room nearby watching over closed-circuit TV. While its still embarrassing having someone listening to these things, it’s easier not to say them over and over again.
While your interview is being completed, the victim advocate has been meeting with your Mom or protective guardian to help them understand how they can help you over the next few days. It’s good to know you have a counselor available to you and your family immediately.
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In order to utilize the services of the
CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER, incidents of suspected child abuse must be reported, either to the State Child Abuse Hotline OR to the Police. |
If you suspect that a child has been abused,
call the NYS Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-342-3720 or YOUR LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT |
