Letter: Center on 5th a blessing for community
I recently read the letter by Marisa Durcholz about sexual crimes against children, specifically child sex trafficking. I’d like to talk about the most common sex crime against children in our area and the strides Dubois County has made over the last 30 years.
In the life of a child who is being sexually abused, the most powerful person over that child is the perpetrator. In his or her small world, this is a reality, it’s not part of a story.
In today’s world, parents must have a “good-touch, bad-touch” conversation with their children. Even children as young as three years old. Please don’t be naive, not only strangers sexually abuse children. Anyone is capable of sexually abusing a child, even a female.
Back in the 1990s the Southwestern Indiana Child Advocacy Center Coalition (SWICACC) didn’t exist. The investigative process that took place was traumatic for children, not to mention lengthy. The exams took place in the Emergency Room. Often a second exam was needed. This type of exam was scheduled at a hospital in Indianapolis. The interview took place at the local police station because there wasn’t anywhere else available.
On January 13, 2022, I took a tour of the Center on 5th. I saw the outpouring of love that went into the old school. I walked down the halls and into each interview room. As I looked around, I could see how much thought, time, and work that was put into the Center. In my opinion, the interview rooms are where the “ugly secrets” are told and where healing begins.
Thirty years ago, the process to healing traumatized the victims of child sexual abuse. Today, thanks to SWICACC and the Center on 5th, the exam and the interview all take place under one roof. It takes a lot of people and numerous agencies working together to pull this off. That’s progress, and it’s for the good of the child, the ultimate goal.
We, as a County, are blessed to have an organization like SWICACC. They are another step in the fight against mental illness.
There’s no need for a child to suffer in silence. If you know of a child who is being sexually abused or neglected, please contact your local law enforcement office or your local DCS office and report the facts.
Go a step further, volunteer to be a voice for a child right here in Dubois County. If you’re interested in learning more about being a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), please call the number I found on the website 812-639-0143.
Our children are our future. Let’s continue to strive to give them the tomorrow they deserve.
Rosemary Kreilein
Jasper
