“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children.” -Kofi Annan
Today, we are spotlighting the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center. Based in Syracuse, New York, the Center has a broader mission -- not just to help children who are being trafficked, but to help children who are being abused in any way by anyone.
In the United States, a report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds.
One out of every ten children will be sexually abused before they reach age 18.
More than ninety percent of children know the person who abused them.
This is inexcusable.
In the darkness of abuse, the path out was often more harmful than helpful to child abuse victims. A child would have to tell the story of their abuse and trauma over and over again -- to social workers, doctors, cops, lawyers, judges, investigators, therapists, and more. Brought to a police station to tell their story, they would think they were in trouble.
This system re-traumatized child abuse victims and could degrade the evidence needed by investigators.
The system needed to do better.
And so, the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center was founded 20 years ago, to create their vision:
A community where all children are free from abuse and exploitation and the community understands the impact of abuse and actively protects our children
How They Work
They streamline the process by bringing everyone involved under one roof, preserving the best evidence for investigators, and whenever possible, only making children tell their story once.
Beyond the investigation, the Child Advocacy Center provides mental health services to the children and their families and a family advocate from the Center works with the family provide support as the case moves through the justice system.
How They Fight Human Trafficking
Just as they support child abuse victims, they support child victims of human trafficking:
They offer case management coordination and advocacy, connecting youth with emergency shelter, medical care, mental health counseling, and financial assistance. They address safety needs and accompany children to court, medical appointments, and more to help them on their path to healing.
They provide professional training to increase awareness and understanding among those who are in a position to recognize the signs -- teachers, social workers, law enforcement officers, and others who work with children.
They use prevention education, entitled Not a #Number, to teach children how to protect themselves from human trafficking and exploitation. Watch this video to learn more about Not A #Number:
How You Can Help
As a partner of The Dressember Foundation, the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center receives strategic grants to support their work to protect and heal child victims of abuse and exploitation.
You can help a child escape abuse today by giving a monetary gift to our team’s Dressember Fundraising Advocacy Page.
