Panel discusses child abuse
Child abuse is often a secret borne of secrecy.
Joan Mills, manager at A Child’s Place At Mercy in Allegheny County, said one of the keys to ending abuse is ending the silence, and telling children that they should concerned about anyone who asks them to keep even small secrets from their parents.
“It always starts with secrets,” Mills said. “If anyone wants (a child) to keep them from their parents, that’s not a good person.”
She also said that parents should teach their children to listen to their gut instincts about someone instead of suppressing it.
Mills, whose agency does forensic interviews and forensic medical examinations of abused children, was one of several who came together Wednesday evening for a panel discussion on child abuse at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
The program was organized by Robert M. Ruggieri, the president of the campus’ Human Development and Family Studies Association. He said his goal was bring awareness to what people can do to stop the abuse of children.
Jacquie Fritts, director of the Crime Victims’ Center of Fayette County, said that the community has to recognize when sexual abuse is happening.
“It’s one of the lowest reported crimes in the U.S.,” Fritts said. “It’s time that we are outraged enough that we are going to stand up and not only intervene, but also prevent, sexual assault.”
She urged people to educate children about abuse, believe them when they report it, and to realize that anybody could be an abuser.
“You need to start being part of the solution,” Fritts said.
State police Trooper Timothy Kirsch said that reporting for child abuse can be low because children oftentimes don’t have a voice.
“These children are not able to come forward because they’re kids – they’re vulnerable. They’re fragile. And these (perpetrators) are preying on them,” Kirsch said. “They’re called predators for a reason. They know what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.”
Kirsch said police welcome reports when there is a concern of abuse.
“They’re our future. We have to protect them,” he said.
Gina D’Auria, casework manager with Fayette County Children and Youth Services, said that there has been a consistent increase in the number of cases reported. There are about 200 more cases this year than last, she said. She also said that the complexity in the cases is increasing with the addition of drug and alcohol issues.
On track to field 1,400 reports of child abuse this year, D’Auria said that she would like to think that number is a direct result of people becoming more involved and reporting what they see.
“I think we need to step up our efforts. We need to make reports when reports are appropriate. We can’t just stand by and watch things happen,” she said.
Dr. Jo Jankoski, a professor at Penn State, said that children are still considered by some to be property, and their problems are invisible to some.
“We have more shelters for animals than we do for kids and women who are battered,” Jankoski said.
She urged people who see abuse to report it.
“In order to make a difference with our children, each one of us has to step up,” she said.
For some children, a simple gesture like a “good morning” can make a difference, Jankoski said, noting that it takes one adult to make a difference in a child’s life. It may be, as Mills said, listening to a gut instinct and asking a child if they are alright, Jankoski said.
When a child discloses abuse, Jankoski said she never promises a child that it won’t get worse – but she tries to instill hope. If could be by listening, or giving a child resource numbers that they can call if things get bad at home, she said.
“There’s no perfect answer,” she said. “But there are little things we can do as an individual community member.”
“We cannot give up, because if we give up, the kids cannot recover,” Jankoski said.
State Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-South Union, said that he realizes that there is a funding issue for social service agencies like CYS.
“They’re understaffed with the caseloads,” Mahoney said. “We are at a point in Fayette County where we are in a crisis with this abuse. It’s time that we get involved – everyone – and if we can’t get involved for our kids, who can we get involved for?”
He said the first step to being able to do something about child abuse started with the forum – and the people who attended it and listened to the information.
“We have a lot of people who are concerned in Fayette County, but you have to bring them together,” he said.