The Tragic Events unfolding at Penn State serve to emphasize the sexual abuse perpetrated on children across the United States. However, what has happened at Penn State is not a unique situation.The Grayson County Children's Advocacy Center sees over 400 children each year. Most of these children have been sexually abused by someone they know and trust, many times a family member. What is really sad is that we know that this is only the tip of the iceberg.
- 1 in 4 girls will be sexually abused before her 18th birthday, as will 1 out of 6 boys, but only 1 in 10 will tell someone.
- Professionals who suspect abuse make a report to CPS or law enforcement only 30% of the time.
While the law in Pennsylvania is more vague in who must report abuse,
Texas law is not the least bit vague. In Texas, any adult is a mandated reporter, which means anyone suspecting child abuse must report to CPS or law enforcement. It's our responsibility to protect the children in our community. In view of what's happening at Penn State, let's take this opportunity to work together to protect our children.
The CAC offers training programs at no cost to groups of adults in our community to help them understand how to recognize abuse and their responsibilities in reporting. If you know a school group, church group or other organizations who will work with children on a regular basis that would benifit from this training, please refer them to us at
903-957-0440.
You can also learn more about the CAC at
http://www.cacgc.org/.
