What is Child Abuse?

Child abuse includes acts of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and/or neglect.

Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education.

IF YOU SUSPECT CHILD ABUSE:
DO:

• Keep Calm
• Tell the child you believe them
• Show interest and concern
• Reassure and support the child
• Take action.  It could save a child's life

DON'T:

• Panic or overreact
• Pressure the child
• Confront the offender.
• Blame the child or minimize the child's feelings
• Overwhelm the child with questions.
  
  

All North Carolina citizens are mandated by law to report suspected child abuse and neglect to the Department of Social Services in the county where the child lives.  You can make a report without giving your name.
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Macon County Department of Social Services:  
828-369-2124
Jackson County Department of Social Services:  
828-586-5546

Child Sexual Abuse

What is child sexual abuse?

• Any sexual act between an adult and a minor or between two minors when one exerts power over the other.

• Forcing, coercing or persuading a child to engage in any type of sexual act.                                       This, of course, includes sexual contact. It also includes non-contact acts such as exhibitionism,                 exposure to pornography, voyeurism and communicating in a sexual manner by phone or Internet.
• An agonizing and traumatic experience for its victims.
• A crime punishable by law. 

*The above information is attributed by and taken from the Darkness to Light "7 Steps to protecting our children A guide for responsible adults", handout guide. Please visit them for valuable information regarding child sexual abuse. www.darkness2light.org 

Where to get help?

Give REACH a call and speak to an advocate who can help inform you of the different options and services available to you depending on your specific situation. We also provide referrals to other community agencies who can help.

Kids Place (Macon County, NC) is a local, private, non-profit agency located in Macon County who is accredited by the National Children's Alliance who provides services to abused and neglected children. To find out more about their services and who they are, visit their website here.

Macon County Department of Social Services (DSS) Child Protective Services (CPS) provides helpful information on their webpage about reporting child abuse, recognizing child abuse, as well as a list of possible signs of abuse that a child may be experiencing. 

CHILD VICTIMIZATION RESEARCH

Check out the "Crimes Against Children Research Center" for a lot of good research on children who have been victimized by different means. Great resource! 

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Darkness to Light
​Into the Light

This educational video below is a compilation of many different survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The purpose of the video is to shed light on childhood sexual abuse, and shows the different difficulties survivors have gone through. If you're ready to break the silence, give us a call 24 hours a day and speak to an advocate. All calls are confidential.
*Trigger Warning*
This video may be difficult for some people to watch.

Domestic Violence & Children

What affect does exposure to violence have on the developing brain of a child? How may exposure to violence effect the developing child's brain? See the video below called, "First Impressions: Exposure to Violence and a Child's Developing Brain."
Presented By: The California Attorney General's Office 
*If video does not play, search for video on YouTube as the link/code may be expired.

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The Science of Childhood Trauma

The video below dramatically shows the effects traumatic stress can have on a child’s developing brain as well as the importance of adults’ healing gestures that help children learn and thrive.

RAINN'S WEBSITE HAS A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION ON CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE