Children are Suffering in Silence and Now is the Time for Action

As a community, we have a shared responsibility to support vulnerable children and their families now more than ever.

By the age of eighteen, 1 in 4 children are victims of child abuse by someone in their home. But when you add the stress of a national pandemic, limitation of safe spaces like schools and daycare, and constant financial anxiety, these statistics skyrocket.

In March of this year, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Denton County (partners of Serve Denton) received the largest number of abuse reports in their 22 year history – just 4 weeks into the surge of the Coronavirus crisis. Within the past few weeks of April, statewide and countrywide reports of abuse have gone down. 

But this isn’t something to celebrate.

Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County at the Serve Denton Center on Loop 288.

Counselors, teachers, and healthcare providers are the largest reporters of child abuse. And with children’s limited access to these safe adults, it only makes sense why the number of abuse reports are declining. Does this mean there has been a decline in the incidents of abuse? By no means. 

What it does mean, however, is that children are suffering in silence.

Crimes of abuse cross all racial and socio–economic lines, and ages. And unfortunately, right now, it is our children who are facing the brunt of this reality..

3 Main Areas of Concern

1. Children are isolated with their perpetrators

Amid school closings and social distancing mandates, children have nowhere to run. Parks are closed, friends' houses are off limits, and many parents are forced to work from home – leaving children trapped inside with their perpetrators every hour of every day. And without the support of adults such as teachers and school personnel, kids stuck at home will not take the risk of reporting their situation on their own.

2. Increased stress increases risk of child abuse

With the disrupted routines that have come in the wake of COVID-19, many parents are pushed to the brink. Anxieties about health, finances, and education are already high. And for many who are without reprieve, the constant stimulation is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. 

Physical abuse cases are increasing in families, who under normal circumstances, may not typically cultivate into abuse. Stress causes new interactions between children and parents that can be dangerous, and at times, fatal.

To add to the tension, children are also experiencing their own stress and uncertainty about the pandemic. Stressed parents may be more likely to respond to their children’s anxious behaviors or demands in aggressive or abusive ways. 

In the past 3 weeks alone, Children’s Advocacy Center of Denton County (CACDC) has seen 6 cases of either severely shaken babies, or child fatalities.

3. Explosion of child pornography cyber tips

As adults have turned to screens for their jobs and social connections, children have done the same. For many families, parents breathe a sigh of relief when children are given the opportunity to access technology. With the momentary quiet, they are given extra time to focus on their work. Yet with the assumption that their kids are safe from predators (being locked in the house under their care) there’s a lack of supervision. Consequently, online exploitation has significantly increased and online predators are connecting with children exactly where they are – on the screen in their home. 

In just one week’s time, the  National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received over a million tips of cyber abuse through Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat alone. 

Crimes of abuse cross all racial and socio–economic lines, and ages. And unfortunately, right now, it is our children who are facing the brunt of this reality..

Effects of COVID-19 on Children

The Coronavirus pandemic has affected everyone, and children are not immune to the stress it brings. If anything, they feel stress just as intensely as adults, but don’t have the cognitive ability, or know how, to manage it appropriately.

Kids across the metroplex are terrified and wondering when their abuse will stop. A burden much too great for anyone, let alone a child. 

Without the cognitive development and logical problem solving abilities, self harm and suicidal ideation has drastically increased in children exploring any way to make their abuse stop.

Suicide cases have increased, not because children are necessarily stuck at home with their perpetrator, but because they’ve suffered a great trauma and don’t know how to navigate the complex emotions. 

Quarantining and social distancing is too much for many adults to handle, and even more so for kids who don’t have the means and resources to change their situation.

Additionally, the closing of schools for older children and adolescents provides an additional burden. For teenagers facing major growth development, peer groups become the major source of social development. With developmental growth occurring in this stage of adolescents, social interactions are stunted, and they are left with limited access to learning how to share, process multifaceted emotions and resolve conflict – things that simply can’t be taught through a screen. 

Children only have two options at their disposal. They can either use their voice, or they can self-destruct. And in a time where the voices of children are put on the back burner, they resort to the only other thing they know.

Now, more than ever, children need the opportunity to be heard.

We can no longer stand on the sidelines as spectators of this crime. It’s time to draw a line in the sand, and choose a side.

This minute, reports of child abuse are going down, but Children’s Advocacy Center anticipates an enormous spike as COVID–19 restrictions lift. 

The Action of Local Heroes

COVID-19 has brought to light the reality of child abuse, and people can’t turn a blind eye to those issues any longer. For many community members in Denton County, the response has been one of support and a desire to help. 

There are hundreds of professionals in Denton County who are dedicated to keeping kids safe, and ensuring cases of child abuse remain the priority. CPS workers, law enforcement officers, and CACDC have not dialed back on services. They have remained steadfast in their protection of kids.

As essential workers, Children's Advocacy Center of Denton County maintains their hybrid response. On the day of outcry, the investigation begins at the facility, and from there the child is mobilized to an online platform to receive mental health and family health services. Even in the midst of financial strain, CACDC has not shied away from responding to the cry for help.

This minute, reports of child abuse are going down, but Children’s Advocacy Center anticipates an enormous spike as COVID–19 restrictions lift. 

Additionally, new donors and volunteers have awakened to the severity of this need to fight for children’s safety and are giving generously. Seeing the opportunity to put on their capes, and do their part to save hurting children, they are standing up to the fight... 

...For every child needs a hero. 

Child Abuse Affects You and Your Community 

These children cannot be forgotten. They are the fabric of our community who grow up to be staples and contributors to our society. It is the responsibility of all of us to bring healing and restoration to broken kids. After all, these kids are sitting next to you at church, coming home with your child on playdates, and living as your next door neighbors. 

These are your children in your neighborhood crying out for your help. 

So in this time of evaluating what is essential, from jobs to workers to entertainment, don’t forget that every child is essential, and every community member is essential in the fight against child abuse.

Use your essential status and support CACDC :

• Do a drive for CACDC’s Rainbow Room and collect nonperishable items, toiletries and clothing to be donated to families with immediate needs.

• Take the extra minute to share CACDC’s posts on facebook and instagram. Spreading awareness has a cascading effect. You never know who might see it, and who might be saved in the process.

• Report when you see something suspicious and call 1-800-252-5400 with any tips.

These aren’t “other types” of kids. They are all of ours. This is a need that will have a long term impact on the trajectory of our community and generations to come. So the choice is yours. Stand for the children who can’t advocate for themselves, or stand in silence. 

The line has been drawn...which side will you be on?