PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. According to the Child Protect organization, 3.6 million child abuse cases are reported annually in the United States.
“Pasco County, in particular, receives over 5,000 abuse cases reported through the state hotline a year,” said Mike Trepper, president of a non-profit child advocacy organization, Pasco Kids First.
They run a one-stop shop for children who may have been abused, from medical examinations to carrying out investigations with law enforcement.
Psychological effects of abuse on a child
“So, after a child has experienced trauma or been living in an abusive situation, they often have increased anxiety, depression and anger outbursts,” said Diane York, who runs the trauma treatment program at Pasco Kids First. She said if untreated, the psychological impacts on abused children could affect them in adulthood. “Substance abuse problems, higher rates of incarceration, or not being able to maintain their jobs,” she explained.
Signs of child abuse
“So, sometimes, they’ll be some obvious physical makers: bruising, physical grips. Things like that, but oftentimes the signs aren’t always so visible. So, you would also have to look for things like if they are isolating themselves, if there’s a change in their behavior or conduct,” explained Trepper.
Preventing child abuse
One of the goals of Pasco Kids First is to prevent child abuse before it ever happens. They do this through their state-funded Healthy Families program. Atiya Spellman is tasked with making home visits to hundreds of local families and teaching new parents best practices. “When we’re talking about abuse, a lot of people are dealing with postpartum depression. They are not sure what to do when the baby keeps crying in the middle of the night and there’s no extra support there,” explained Spellman.
Atiya said they help create a village for these new families by connecting them to helpful resources. “And that definitely does help with reducing child abuse in the home,” said Spellman.
Taking action
If you suspect a child is being abused, call the abuse hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE or the Pasco Kids First website.
