From The Desk of the Executive Director
Some things you know but you don’t know why, and it can be maddening trying to
understand. I have spent my career working in the field of substance abuse, children
and adolescents, and in ministry – in other words – working with people. It was always
fulfilling except for the times when I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong – either
with a specific person or a situation. I prided myself on understanding human nature
and being able to see the world through the lens of another. But there were always
these individuals, sometimes young and sometimes older, and situations that just didn’t
make sense to me. The whats didn’t match the whys.
Some of the answers became very clear when I changed jobs and began working in my
current position at the CAC. I remember the first time the scales fell off my eyes when
looking through one of our filing cabinets and seeing the name of someone I saw in my
previous employment. I opened the chart and sure enough, it was the same person I
had seen for a couple of years previously. The dates in the chart concurred with the
dates I had seen this child. It occurred to me that the reason I couldn’t figure out the
whys in this kid’s life was because he didn’t disclose to me that he had been abused.
He did disclose to the forensic interviewer. It all became clearer. The things I could not
understand were hidden behind the veil of trauma.
That wasn’t the only time the same thing happened. I saw names that I recognized
from years of working with children and adolescents. Some were truly shocking – I
couldn’t believe they had suffered at the hands of someone else. Others were not
surprising at all. Connecting trauma with their backgrounds and living situations made
complete sense.
I’ve always known that abuse happened. I saw it, heard about it, and worked with
numerous people who were victimized, but what I didn’t realize is how many children
are abused every year. Since it’s beginning, WCCAC has averaged almost 150 forensic
interviews for children when there were allegations of abuse. 150……every year. Even
more startling is that only approximately 35% of children who have been sexually
abused disclose it during childhood. There are many reasons for that, but that is for a
different day.
It’s estimated that 1 in 10 children will suffer sexual abuse before their 18 th birthday.
Astonishing. Our whole purpose for existing is to help these children find help, hope,
and healing. We believe that every child should be heard, protected, fought for, and
guided to find the path forward free from the hands of abuse. It takes us all. We can do
better. The children deserve it.
To Contact Johnny Sudberry- Please Call 205.387.8324
or email him at johnny.wccac@gmail.com