PROTECTIVE PARENT REFORM ACT ONLINE PETITION
GETTING IT RIGHT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
Please donate, join ACRA and be a voice for all children who are living in silence and suffering in their own homes from abuse.
ANIAH'S OUR ANGEL (you tube videos)
Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston Lets A Child Rapist Go!
Wichita Police Update 2008 Child Homicide Figures
Valley Center Fall Festival Booth Sept 19 and 20th
Thanks to all who helped
I want to thank everyone who attended ACRA'S first walk and candlelight vigil to bring awareness to child and system abuse. We had a great turnout, we had media exposure and had many positive responses from the citizens who seen and heard us, we will be having another event soon. We must work harder to get other organizations and individuals together to make a change in our community for children and families. Everything we do is for the children and families who are victimized by the state and local system. We must be the childrens voices, they have no voice. Thank You!
Video of our awareness walk
Keeping Children Safe and Families Strong
Sexual abuse is a very private crime and there are seldom any witnesses. Those who may have seen the crime are often too intimidated to speak up. The child seldom feels able to tell about the crime. The victim is almost always told not to tell. Children in our society are taught to obey adults. All children need love and approval from their parents. It may be enough that the offender makes it clear that the victim will no longer be loved and accepted unless she/he submits and says nothing.
Research suggests that more than 300,000 children are sexually abused each year. (NISMART-2 http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/factsheet/pdf/CSA-FS20.pdf,
Finkelhor, D., H. Hammer, and A.J. Sedlak, Sexually assaulted children: National estimates and characteristics, in Juvenile Justice Bulletin. In press, Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention: Washington, D.C)
*Child Sexual Abuse is the most unreported crime of all child abuse cases*
Experts believe that most cases of child sexual abuse are never reported to authorities. In fact, the FBI has estimated that only 1 percent to 10 percent of child sexual abuse cases are reported to the police. Children often do not report being sexually abused because they are ashamed, are afraid of repercussions, or are reluctant to betray their abusers. In addition, many reports of child sexual abuse are never substantiated, either because they are unfounded or because they cannot be proven. Child sexual abuse cases are frequently difficult to prove due to a lack of physical evidence (especially if the abuse is reported a significant period of time after it occurred) or due to unreliable testimony by the child victim. For these reasons, estimates of the prevalence of child sexual abuse vary wildly. Ann Wolbert Burgess and Christine A. Grant of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing report that in nine scientific studies they reviewed, the prevalence of sexual abuse ranged from 6 percent to 62 percent for girls and from 3 percent to 31 percent for boys.
According to the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse, “Up to 60% of child sexual abuse reports are not even believed.” The center also rejects the argument that child sexual abuse cases are investigated and prosecuted with excessive zeal. Due to the difficulty in proving such charges, according to the center, “suspects arrested for sexual offenses against children are less likely to be prosecuted than other violent offenders.” In one study of sexual abuse allegations in day care centers, 82 percent of the charges were dismissed, the center reports. The center also notes that those convicted of child sexual abuse are given relatively light sentences; only 19 percent receive sentences of more than one year.
Child sexual abuse can take place within the family, by a parent, step-parent, sibling or other relative; or outside the home, for example, by a friend, neighbor, child care person, teacher or random molester. However, when the sexual abuse has occurred, the child develops a variety of distressing feelings and thoughts.
No child is psychologically prepared to cope with repeated sexual stimulation. Even a two or three year old, who cannot know the sexual activity is "wrong," will develop problems resulting from the inability to cope with the over stimulation.
The child of five or older who knows and cares for the abuser becomes trapped between affection or loyalty for the person, and the sense that the sexual activities are terribly wrong. If the child tries to break away from the sexual relationship, the abuser may threaten the child with violence. When sexual abuse occurs within the family, the child may fear the anger, jealousy or shame of other family members, or be afraid the family will break up if the secret is told.
A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self- esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal perspective on sexuality. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal.
Some children who have been sexually abused have difficulty relating to others except on sexual terms. Some sexually abused children become child abusers or prostitutes, or have other serious problems when they reach adulthood.
Child sexual abusers can make the child extremely fearful of telling, and only when a special effort has helped the child to feel safe, can the child talk freely. If a child says that he or she has been molested, parents should stress that what happened was not the child's fault. Parents should seek a medical examination and psychiatric consultation.
Sexually abused children and their families need professional evaluation and treatment. Child and adolescent psychiatrists can help abused children regain a sense of self-esteem, cope with feelings of guilt about the abuse, and begin the process of overcoming the trauma. Such treatment can help reduce the risk that the child will develop serious problems as an adult.
*A High-Probability Sexual Indicator for All Children*
Finally, when children report to anyone they are being or have been sexually abused, there is a high probability they are telling the truth. Only in rare circumstances do children have any interest in making false accusations. False allegations by children represent between 1 and 5 percent of reports. Therefore, unless there is substantial evidence that the statement is false, it should be interpreted as a good indication that the child has, in fact, been sexually abused.
"Very few reported incidents are false"
“We live in a safe neighborhood. None of these children could be suffering from sexual abuse, right?”
It is highly likely that you know a child who has been or is being abused.
As many as one in three girls and one in seven boys will be sexually abused at some point in their childhood, according to most reliable studies of child sexual abuse in the United States. (Briere, J., Eliot, D.M. Prevalence and Psychological Sequence of Self-Reported Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse in General Population: Child Abuse and Neglect, 2003, 27 10).
67% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
The median age for reported sexual abuse is nine years old.
22% of the victims of sexual abuse are under eight.
50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are under twelve.
Most child victims never report the abuse.
Sexually abused children who keep it a secret or who “tell” and are not believed are at far greater risk than the general population for psychological, emotional, social and physical problems often lasting into adulthood.
And it is also likely that you know an abuser. The greatest risk to our children doesn’t come from strangers but from our friends and family.
40% of victims are abused by family members.
A further 50% are abused by people the family trusts—abusers frequently try to form a trusting relationship with parents.
A large number are abused by older or larger children.
People who abuse children look and act just like everyone else. In fact, they often go out of their way to appear trustworthy to gain access to children.
Those who sexually abuse children are drawn to settings where they can gain easy access to children, such as sports leagues, faith centers, clubs and schools.
Why Are Children Not Being Protected?
When allegations of child sexual abuse arise during a custody case or not a custody case unfortunately, the professionals who are involved often look first to question the motives and veracity of the protective parent rather than to what they can do to protect the child. Most people think that making allegations of sexual abuse is a sure way for the protective parent to win the custody case. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a backlash in full force in our legal system against protective parents. “Protective parents” are those acting to protect their children from abuse, be it physical or sexual. Protective parents are, much more often than not, mothers. All states have laws that make it mandatory that people who suspect child abuse or neglect must report it to Child Protective Services (CPS). CPS then must investigate. If there is a custody case ongoing, it is customary for CPS to be highly skeptical of sexual abuse allegations. CPS generally just doesn’t want to get involved. This aversion, unless there is clear medical evidence of or the child’s clear disclosure of sexual abuse, often manifests itself in the allegations being unsubstantiated, which makes the CPS investigator a nice witness for the abuser.
Misled or desperate protective parents too often consent to the court appointment of a Guardian ad litem (“GAL”), often an attorney, for the children. It sounds like a great idea. Give the children their own attorney who will investigate the case and advocate for the children’s best interests. However, all too frequently these attorneys, often well-meaning volunteers, are not experienced in handling cases involving abuse or domestic violence. When faced with abusers who are well-spoken and financially secure wearers of suits and ties, GALs, much like judges, find it hard to believe that these professionals could possibly be abusers. Too many mothers in their desperation to protect their children act a little crazy. They generally make less money than their ex-husbands, which also apparently means they offer less security for their children. If the GALs do not believe the abuse allegations, these protective parents are at risk of having the GAL recommend that the fathers get custody. Like the custody evaluations, GAL recommendations also are used to force protective parents into unfavorable custody settlements or to fully divest them of custody, again, doing the unthinkable, giving custody to the abuser.
The information within this site is for informational purposes only, we offer no legal advice. If you suspect that your child has been sexually abused contact an attorney who can ensure your child's rights are protected during the reporting and investigation process.
