I was told that no one should ever have to have a family member go through sexual assault even once in their lives. My family has endured that scenario not once, but twice.
Eleven years ago, my youngest daughter, at the time 4-years-old, was assaulted by a family member. When my wife and I found out, it was devastating! At first, it was a whirlwind of confusion, hurt, and uncertainty. Both the perpetrator and the victim were our children, and so we coped with the fact that we would have to deal with both sides of the law. One of the first things that we had to do was take our daughter in for a forensic interview at the Child Advocacy Center. They were extremely caring with not only my daughter, but with my wife and me. They informed and offered their help throughout the process. The interview gave us a picture of what had happened and provided us with knowledge that we would need to go through years of therapy and months of court hearings, but it also gave us the power to heal. It was a wonderful blessing to have them, and their services, available for us.
Then, a year ago, the police contacted us and asked if we could take custody of our granddaughter temporarily. They said that they suspected that she was being assaulted by our oldest daughter’s boyfriend. She was 4-years-old! Even though the prior assault was ten years ago, it was still fresh enough in our minds that it hurt and brought up prior, and painful, memories. As before, we were asked to take her to the CAC for a forensic interview. In ten years, they had only become better at what they do, and provided us with even more help, information, and support in dealing with this horror that had, once again, entered our lives. Both children will have years of therapy ahead of them as well as dealing with the nightmares, feelings of dread, guilt, and anxiety, but we know that we can always turn to the CAC as a place that will provide us with emotional support as well as information on where we can turn in our darkest hours. This was the first step in healing and giving these children a voice whereby to be heard. I want to thank the kind folks at the Child Advocacy Center for their continued caring for the children of our county, and for the individual attention that they give to each family member who is involuntarily dragged into this world that no one should ever have to be a part of.
-Drew
