Mason County States Attorney Alan Tucker announced today that in cooperation with the Tazewell County Children’s Advocacy Center, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Logan/Mason Mental Health, Fulton/Mason Crisis Services and the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, efforts are in progress to initiate the development of a Children's Advocacy Center in Mason County. Moderately high rates of sexual and physical abuse against children are unfortunately a fact of life in Mason County. Over 200 cases of child sexual abuse were reported to Mason County’s law enforcement officials or the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in 2002.
Not-for-profit, children’s advocacy centers begin with the idea that no one agency or professional alone can prevent and treat the problem of child abuse; therefore, a multi-disciplinary approach is necessary. When established, Mason County’s children, who are victims of, or witnesses to, sexual or physical abuse, will receive services from legal, child protective and social service professionals who will work together at the center for the needs of the abused child. The Center will serve as a central location for the investigation and follow-up for all child sexual abuse victims ages 3-17.
Some grant funding has already come available to establish Mason County’s child advocacy center and site locations are now being considered. Currently, procedures are being developed that will become a standard for all of Mason County’s investigations of child abuse and neglect.
The children’s advocacy center will perform a "forensic interview" for each child. Highly trained law enforcement officers or child protective workers ask the child open-ended, non-leading questions while the States Attorney, other investigators, and social service workers watch the interview take place by a monitor from another room or from behind a one-way mirror. Often, the interviewer is equipped with a concealed headset to listen to any questions the investigatory panel has and transmits from the monitoring room for the child to answer.
“This is a tremendous move forward in the right direction for investigations involving child abuse and neglect in Mason County,” said Sheriff Wayne Youell. “Children Advocacy Centers are proven to work. A functioning children’s advocacy center with a clearly defined protocol will greatly lessen the child’s anxiety during their outcry and disclosure of abuse. Our law enforcement officers will be more successful in investigations that will ultimately bring the perpetrators of these tragic crimes to justice.”
There is no one behavioral change that is a positive indicator of sexual abuse; they are very difficult to detect. Some children exhibit marked changes in behavior because of sexual abuse. They can become suddenly morose, withdrawn, or non-communicative. On the other hand, other children may not display any changes in behavior, and the abuse may be detected only because they disclose the abuse to a caring adult.
There are severe emotional and physical consequences of sexual abuse for children. Emotionally, children can experience withdrawal, post-traumatic stress disorder, and poor school performance, in addition to feelings of shame, distrust, and guilt. Adults who were sexually abused as children can be at greater risk for suicide, criminality, educational problems, and substance abuse. Physically, children are at risk of severe cuts or tears, or sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea, syphilis, or HIV. In addition, older girls are at risk of unwanted pregnancy.