Leah Sorensen, LMSW
Caseworker, Diven Elementary School
Family Services of Chemung County, Inc.
1115 Hall Street | Elmira, NY 14902
(607) 735-3730 | lsorensen@gstcontractors.com
Local Statistics (2018)
- Chemung County Children and Family services investigated 1,534 allegations of child abuse and neglect. 34% had enough evidence to support a finding of “indicated.”
- Elmira Police Department investigated 55 cases of sex crimes against children. There were 54 arrests for Endangering the Welfare of a Child, 14 of which were regarding domestic violence cases.
- Chemung County Sheriff’s Office investigated 36 cases of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, 15 cases of child abuse/neglect, 23 cases of sex crimes against children, and 81 cases related to domestic violence.
- 401 cases were referred to the Chemung County Child Advocacy Center (CAC). Of these referrals there were 182 allegations of sexual abuse, 48 allegations of physical abuse, 66 allegations of Drug Endangerment, 278 allegations of neglect, and 33 cases that included a domestic violence component. (Chemung County Child Abuse Awareness pamphlet, 2018).
As you can see from these statistics, child abuse and neglect is not something that happens “other places.” It is happening right here every day.
You might be wondering…
What can I do to protect my child?
Contrary to what you may have heard, children are most likely to be abused by a parent, relative, or other person known to the child. In 91.6% of abuse and neglect cases in 2017 the children were maltreated by one or both parents (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau 2019, Child Maltreatment 2017).
When it comes to child sexual abuse:
FACT: Those who molest children look and act just like everyone else.
- There are people who have or will sexually abuse children in churches, schools and youth sports leagues. Abusers can be neighbors, friends and family members. People who sexually abuse children can be found in families, schools, churches, recreation centers, youth sports leagues, and any other place children gather. Significantly, abusers can be and often are other children.
- About 90% of children who are victims of sexual abuse know their abuser. Only 10% of sexually abused children are abused by a stranger.
- Approximately 30% of children who are sexually abused are abused by family members.
- The younger the victim, the more likely it is that the abuser is a family member. Of those molesting a child under six, 50% were family members. Family members also accounted for 23% of those abusing children ages 12 to 17.
- About 60% of children who are sexually abused are abused by people the family trusts.
FACT: As many as 40% of children who are sexually abused are abused by older or more powerful children. (Darkness to Light Child Sexual Abuse Statistics).
Be proactive. Although it can be awkward, have frequent conversations with your child(ren) about body safety. You are already talking with them about looking both ways before crossing the street and wearing a helmet while riding a bike – make this another conversation about protecting their bodies. For some ideas to help you start the conversation visit Hot Chocolate Talk.
There are some really great resources out there that are age-appropriate. Choose a children’s book on the topic and read it together as a family, or one-on-one with your child. Some ideas to get you started:
- “I Said No! A kid-to-kid guide to keeping private parts private” by Kimberly and Zack King
- “Let’s Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent and Respect: Teach children about body ownership, respect, feelings, choices and recognizing bullying behaviors” by Jayneen Sanders
- “My Body’s Mine: A Book on Body Boundaries and Sexual Abuse Prevention (Can-Do Kids Series)” by Kayla J.W. Marnach
- “My Body! What I Say Goes!: A book to empower and teach children about personal body safety, feelings, safe and unsafe touch, private parts, secrets and surprises, consent, and respectful relationships” by Jayneen Sanders and Anna Hancock
- “No Means No!: Teaching children about personal boundaries, respect and consent; empowering kids by respecting their choices and their right to say, ‘No!’” by Jayneen Sanders and Cherie Zamazing
Step Up & Speak Out
A Parent’s Guide to Selecting Youth Serving Organizations
From the Organization Darkness to Light: End Child Sexual abuse www.D2L.org
Check it out here.