By Chiara Soth, Advocacy Intern
Matt is a sweet 11-year-old boy who had the behavior and speech of a 7-year-old. Because this was one of my first experiences with a child victim of abuse, I assumed that he had a cognitive disability. However, after discussing his situation with the caseworker and forensic interviewer for his case, I learned that he behaved this way as a result of trauma. Matt had been through several foster homes already, and he had been both physically and sexually abused throughout his life. He had been either abused or betrayed by everyone he thought was supposed to protect him, causing him to suffer from extreme trauma.
During his forensic interview at Voices Carry, Matt began to disclose some abuse he had experienced. This was the first time he had really been able to tell someone what had happened to him. The interviewer listened mindfully and did not challenge him. At the end of his interview, the forensic interviewer asked Matt who some trusted adults are in his life that he could tell about what had happened to him. The only people that he could think of were his caseworker and the forensic interviewer with whom he was speaking. While it is extremely sad to think about a child with no family that they can trust, it is uplifting to see the positive impact that social workers and forensic interviewers can have on children’s lives.
