We believe every child victim of sexual abuse in our state deserves to be safe, get help, and have the chance to heal.
1 in 10 children are sexually abused before their 18th birthday. 42 million adults living in the US today are survivors of child sexual abuse. 60% of victims never tell as children because they don’t feel safe or supported.*
Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) were created to help make healing possible for child victims. It takes a lot of courage for a child to disclose abuse. CACs provide a safe place where children can talk about what happened, and get the support they need to be safe and heal after trauma. CACs make it possible for child victims to not just survive, but to thrive. To truly shine—now and in the future.
But not every child who experiences sexual abuse in our state can get the support of a CAC when they need one.
In Pennsylvania, we’re working hard to strengthen and expand programs so more kids can experience the best possible response to abuse—a Children’s Advocacy Center Response. Join our movement and shine with us to help child victims heal from trauma.
[*] Darkness To Light review of research on child abuse prevalence and disclosure is accessible online at Child Sexual Abuse Statistics – Darkness to Light (d2l.org). The full PDF summary may be downloaded here.
CACs make it safer to shine
When a child finds the courage to disclose abuse, we make sure that happens in the best way possible.
A safe, child-friendly place, with people they can trust, helps kids feel comfortable enough to talk about what happened.
Everyone who needs to be involved in an investigation can work together to reduce trauma to the child.
A child is interviewed one time by someone trained to talk to kids about abuse. The rest of the team watches from another room.
CACs also provide age-appropriate medical exams to ensure health and safety, and connect kids and caregivers to trauma therapy.
All of the support that a CAC provides can mean the difference between ongoing trauma and the start of a healing journey.
Support For Survivors
Nobody is alone in the struggle to overcome the trauma of sexual abuse. If you're a survivor, we've created a resource page just for you. The healing journey never ends, but it has to start somewhere. See our list of survivor-led and survivor-focused organizations that are available to provide information, peer support, and referrals.
Thank You
With support from our 2022 SHINE Pennsylvania campaign sponsors:
