The Oscar ceremonies were noteworthy for a number of reasons, but the biggest news was the Best Picture award for the movie, “Spotlight.” Chronicling a team of Boston newspaper reporters on the quest for answers in a child sex abuse scandal, it has given us another way to broach the most distasteful subject of all. There are children in our county who are still being sexually abused as you read this, and we all have a role to play in protecting them.

As one who is dedicated to battling child sexual abuse in Smith County, I welcome a new resource in our efforts to spread the word.

“Spotlight” focused not only on the abuse that took place, but the complicity of a respected institution in allowing it to continue for generations. This point was driven home midway through the film when Stanley Tucci’s character (Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney representing victims), states: “If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse them.” While “Spotlight” focused on one particular institution, the truth resonates across the various “villages” of which we are citizens. Whether that is a family unit, school, workplace or youth-serving organization, we must foster a culture which gives victims the courage to come forward and encourages honesty by all involved.

The movie tells a few key truths about abuse that are just as relevant today as they were when the Boston story broke.

First, abuse can happen to anyone. Whether it occurs at the hands of clergy, educators or family members, most incidents of child sexual abuse are committed by people who know the child well. About one in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday, meaning, in our state, some 700,000 young Texans will be victimized.

Second, abuse fosters fear and secrecy in victims. One of a sexual perpetrator’s greatest assets is the string of lies they use to control their victims. “No one will believe you.” “I will tell people it was your idea.” “If you tell, I will kill you or someone you love.”

Third, abuse is rarely a one-time thing. Statistics indicate that people who are willing to sexually abuse a child won’t limit themselves to a single incident. The likelihood of repeat offenses and “grooming” multiple victims is unfortunately high.

Fourth, abuse’s impact can linger a lifetime without effective intervention. The average victim faces a laundry list of long-term adverse consequences ranging from adolescent pregnancies and eating disorders to substance abuse and time in the criminal justice systems (youth and adult). Fortunately, CACs offer evidence-based therapeutic services that have proven highly effective.

At the 69 Children’s Advocacy Centers all across the state of Texas, professionals devoted to justice for the child victims of abuse collaborate on investigations of abuse allegations, provide support to families torn apart by revelations of abuse and offer effective therapy to victims. We would like you, as a member of our community, to get involved.

Whether you become a regular volunteer at our facility, provide financial support or merely tell everyone you know about our services, you can help make a difference. And, if you know of a child in immediate danger, call 911 or at least make a call to the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400.

As much as I was pleased to see “Spotlight” winning an award, I am even more encouraged to know that, across the country and around the world, victims of sexual abuse are finding the courage to report and take the first step on the path to justice and healing.

With your help, we can shine our own spotlight on the most vulnerable among us.

 

Terri Smith is director of the Children’s

Advocacy Center of Smith County.