School: Springfield College

In mid January of this year I asked myself a simple question, "what am I going to do this summer?" thinking ahead about the summer. I knew my interest was in child advocacy working primarily with children who had been sexually abused, neglected, and children that were in the foster care system. During a Google search on child advocacy internships, the childwelfare.net homepage of the Barton Child Law in Policy Clinic surfaced. After reading the information about the Barton Clinic and the program requirement, I was persuaded to apply. Upon submitting my application, I was apprehensive as to what to expect from this summer internship especially coming from out state. From the application to the interview process, I was very impressed with the whole procedure, the support system from the Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program (ESCAP) team, and the fact that they were a group of concerned individuals focusing on the issues of child abuse and neglected children; I knew this summer internship was worth a try.

I decided to pursue this internship with the Barton Clinic with an open heart, enthusiasm and little expectations. The summer started with one intensive week training before starting the summer placement. Although we were flooded with information on the issue of child abuse and neglected children, policies and legal proceedings on this matter, I knew then this summer going to be a memorable experience. My summer placement was at the Georgia Center for Children (GCC). The center primarily conducts forensic interviews for children who had been sexually abused. The Georgia Center for Children also provides sexual abuse focused counseling for children who had previously made a disclosure of sexual abuse at the center at no cost.

Coming from out of state, I am disturbed by the number of child sexual abuse cases I have read and observed in Fulton County Georgia. Though child sexual abuse is an alarming issue across the United States, the limited exposure I have had this summer in Fulton County made me realize this is a crisis that needs immediate intervention. The Georgia Center for Children conducts approximately eight hundred forensic interviews of children who had been victims of sexual abuse a year, which mean about 16 children are sexually abused per week in Fulton County. GCC is not the only agency in Fulton County who provide services to abused children, and not being aware of their statistical records on child abuse in Fulton County, there is a vital need for interventions.

I recently completed a prosecution outcome research on child abuse in Fulton County at the GCC. Based on the 110 case samplings, according to the information provided by law enforcement and DFCS during the initial referral for forensic interview at GCC, the alleged perpetrators in those child abuse cases were more likely to be mother's boyfriends, mother's ex-boyfriends, stepfathers, biological fathers/mothers, brothers, male cousins and uncles. The population demographic of abused children representing in this study were: Eight five percent African American, seventeen percent Caucasian and five percent Hispanic children. This study shows that child sexual abuse is occurring across all racial and gender line and that the children are not safe even in their own home.

The greatest problem in this community may not be murder, drug abuse, cancer, or heart disease, but rather the exposure of children to abuse.  It is unacceptable to condition children and youths to accept maltreatment as normal, to diminish their enjoyment of life, or to shorten their lives.  Yet, this is happening more frequently as sexual abuse is increasing in Fulton County. As a community it is essential this issue is brought to the forefront and educate the people in Fulton County about this alarming issue. Child sexual abuse and neglected children in Fulton County is beyond DFCS involvement and what they are able to accomplish in the community, though DFCS worker are often targeted and subjected to criticism, it is undoubtedly impossible for the system to be efficient at this growing of child sexual abuse and neglect cases. It is time to bring awareness and educate the community. Child sexual abuse and neglect is a serious, widespread, and often ignored problem. Child abuse, at the very least, damages the children's well-being and his or her prospects for future development. Child sexual abuse and neglect can be prevented, but a conscious and sustained effort is both missing and essential.