In the wake of the recently publicized sexual abuse charges against two former assistant college coaches, Jerry Sandusky of Penn State and Bernie Fine of Syracuse University, and Memphian Robert “Bobby” Dodd, President and CEO of the Amateur Athletic Union, there is heightened awareness of a stealthy crime that affects a staggering number of children every day. What these high-profile alleged perpetrators have in common with their less notorious counterparts is that they gained access to their victims by first winning the trust of the child and/or his or her family.

Since these types of perpetrators are skilled in keeping their victims silent and their crimes hidden, children can be victimized for long periods of time before people in their lives takes notice and report their suspicion. It’s now a law in Tennessee that if you have reason to suspect child abuse, you must report it. Failure to report is a misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to three months imprisonment, a fine of up to $250, or both.

In Memphis, once child abuse is reported, it will be investigated by the Memphis Child Advocacy Center (CAC). The center is situated inside a charming 19th-century house on the edge of the Memphis Medical Center district. It has a homey ambience that helps put victims at ease. But make no mistake – it’s full of dedicated professionals who are on a mission to save children from the kind of abuse that steals their childhood and robs them of their innocence.

The Memphis CAC team includes child advocates, investigators, forensic interviewers, prosecutors, administrative staff and therapists. In addition, the Memphis Police Department Child Abuse Unit is housed inside the building along with a medical clinic run and staffed by LeBonheur. The goal of the team for each child is this: safety, healing, justice and prosecution. Their slogan?  Helping victims become children again.

Jill Shanker, vice chair of the Memphis CAC Board said, “The Memphis Child Advocacy Center is an amazing place. The incredible work of the CAC team truly makes a difference in children's lives.”

The center runs on an annual budget of $1.7 million, of which 67 percent is privately donated. Government funding supplies the other 33 percent. Eighty-five percent of the funds go directly to the center’s programs, leaving 15 percent for staffing, administration and fundraising. During the past year, more than 2,600 reports of suspected child abuse were handled by the center, and more than 1,000 children received a forensic interview; 228 children and 196 parents received counseling. More than 2,000 Memphians have received prevention education.

What can YOU do to help?

Donate.  A wall inside the center has floor-to-ceiling cubby holes, each full of brand-new teddy bears of all makes, colors and sizes.  Every child who comes through gets to go to the wall and pick out a teddy bear to keep.  The center has an abundance of bears, so there’s no need to donate bears. What they’d like for you to do is sponsor a cubby for $10,000. That pledge can be paid out over a five-year period. Your name, your family’s name or your medical practice or facility name will appear on a name plate on the cubby as a permanent fixture.

Have your medical office staff trained to be “Stewards of Children”  This is a three-hour training program that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.  Trainers will come to your medical office and train your entire staff. The cost of materials is $10 per person.

If you still haven’t wrapped your head around the scope of the problem, these stats may help: It is estimated that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before age 18. How stealthy is the crime? Approximately nine of 10 cases of sexual child abuse are NEVER reported.

Scott Morris, MD, of The Church Health Center sees the damage that childhood sexual abuse has caused in many of his adult patients. “Every day I see a woman whose physical complaints don’t add up or lead me to a clear diagnosis. I then ask the question that no one else has asked them, ‘Have you ever been sexually abused?’ More often than not they say yes.”

Recently, an adult male walked into Memphis CAC with a fresh supply of teddy bears to donate. The staff thanked him for his generosity. And then he thanked them. It seems that many years earlier, when he was a boy, he entered those doors … as a victim.

To report suspicion of child abuse, call 1-877-54ABUSE.

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