Joy Chuba
Advocacy Center

One of the most common questions people have about child abuse is, “How prevalent is the issue in my community?”

This question is difficult to answer because the very nature of child abuse is one that breeds in secrecy.  For this and many other reasons, children often do not report the abuse until adulthood, if at all.  It is well documented by research that the majority of child sexual abuse victims do not disclose the abuse as a child.  The estimates are that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused by the age of 18.  Using those estimates, nearly 25 percent of the population could be directly impacted by child sexual abuse.  The number of reports fluctuate and the trend is that fewer reports of abuse are made to the authorities in the summer months.  The reason for this decline in reports is that many children are not visible in the community during the summer months.  Another trend is that reports increase based on high profile child abuse cases highlighted in the media.   This is thought to be the result of the public being on alert for indicators of possible abuse.  In 2011, the Department of Children and Families received a total number of 3,530 alleged abuse cases involving Osceola County children.  The total number of alleged caretaker abuse reports of Osceola children in August 2012 was 346. 

Sadly, child abuse is a real issue that impacts every community. 

The good news is that child abuse is preventable with education and recovery is possible with the availability of specialized victim services. 

To learn more about child abuse, the local Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) and how to help in your community please visit www.osceolakids.com.

Courtesy of Children’s Advocacy Center, Joy Chuba, executive director, 704 Generation Point, Kissimmee, 407-518-6936