Millions of children across the country experience abuse and neglect — most often at the hands of those they know and trust. But child protection isn’t the job of one person, one parent or one organization — we all have a role to play.

“We know and statistics show about two in 10 children will experience abuse before the age of 18 so it’s very important that the community are aware of what those warning signs are, how to recognize it, and then how to report it,” said Patra Minix, a diplomatic child forensics interviewer and director of the Family & Youth Children’s Advocacy Center. “We want parents and caregivers to understand what they need to do to form a connection and build a relationship with the child as a way to prevent child abuse from happening.”

The Children’s Advocacy Center is a child-friendly facility designed to coordinate services for children who have been reported as sexually or severely physically abused. Designed to reduce the effects of that trauma, the center’s staff works with prosecutors, law enforcement agents, social service workers, therapists, victim advocates and medical professionals to investigate the abuse and reduce the number of times the child is interviewed during the investigative process.

“Our goal is to reduce trauma and reach one child at a time,” Minix said. “All of those interviews are video recorded and they are used as evidence in the criminal process as well as the family court process. We record the raw emotion of the experience, all of the details about what that child has experienced the moment the investigation begins.”

Their forensic interviewers are also trained in testifying on behalf of the child.

“We’re able to get the information from the beginning, which is really important for the jury to understand and the jury to be able to see.”

Minix said the center only receives referrals from law enforcement and child protection services.

“We are strictly for the investigative process, but if a family believes that a child is being abused we definitely will welcome that phone call and point them in the right direction so they can report it to child protection and law enforcement so the investigation can be completed immediately and we can make sure that child is safe.”

Because the court process is not often a fast one, every child and every family who come through the center’s doors receive counseling at the Shannon Cox Counseling Center in the meantime at no cost — and that can continue even when the case is over.

“The average age of disclosure from childhood sexual abuse is 53,” Minix said. “Whenever a person goes to the pediatrician or the doctor’s office, asking the questions directly, ‘Have you experienced abuse? Are you safe? Have you experienced domestic violence? Have you had suicidal thoughts?,’ that increases the rate that a person discloses they have experienced that.”

She said the organization’s Human Services Response Institute, which are victim advocates for children and families, also work alongside the victims, getting them anything they need, guiding them through the criminal process and helping them pay their utility bills. The program offers mental health services management, employment and work-life support and emergency response training.

“Any time a person needs any kind of a help, if they give the agency a call — 1-337-436-9533 — I guarantee we will point them in the right direction,” Minix said.

Miranda Booth, director of the organization’s CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program, said many of the children who come through the Children’s Advocacy Center end up in the CASA program.

“They either go into foster care or have a safety plan so they become a child with an advocate,” Booth said. “Advocates are also aware of abuse and give the kids who have been abused a comfortable place to speak with a trustworthy person that can advocate for them and their best interest.”

The CASA volunteer helps to ensure the child receives appropriate care and services, whether from a foster home or relative’s home while he or she is in the court system.

Booth said the CASA advocate can be a steady, constant person in the child’s life when settings may change. If the child switches homes, the advocate follows them.

“They’re with them through the entirety of the case, until it closes.”

She said cases are assigned to the volunteers through the court system by a judge and their advocates serve in Calcasieu, Allen and Jeff Davis parishes.

There are 15 CASA volunteers, but more are needed for the 153 children involved in the 106 cases being investigated.

“With 15 volunteers, 24 of those children are being served,” Booth said.

The next CASA training course is April 30. Volunteers must go through a pre-service interview, five sessions of training — one per week — and background checks.

“We prepare them to know what to expect, about the court system and what to look for when it comes to abuse,” Booth said.

The annual Cheers for CASA benefit to raise money for the program is set for 5-8 p.m. April 25 at Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center. The entry fee is $10.

Signs of abuse

Minix said any unexplained injuries are the first sign of abuse.

“Nonaccidental injuries would be injuries to the face, the neck or the trunk of the body,” she said. “If the child has marks or bruises you want to ask them some questions and then follow up and see how the child received that mark, if they disclose abuse go ahead and report it.”

She said changes in the child’s behavior is also a sign.

“That could be potty training regression, feeling sad or moody or angry or fearful,” she said.

Ask the child if something has happened to them, have they seen something, has someone touched their body, has someone asked them to touch their body.

Online exploitation

The internet has become another tool for human traffickers and predators.

“There are 8 billion people in this world and 5.5 billion have access to the internet,” Minix said. “Each time that child has a device or tablet, do online gaming such as Roblox, they are exposed to 5.5 billion people in their bedrooms, in their living rooms, supervised, unsupervised. We want to make sure we are educating our kids on how to navigate the online activity in a safe manner.

Tips for parents include monitoring the online activity regularly reviewing the child’s phone for suspicious apps or chats; setting boundaries; teaching safe online behavior, such as never sharing personal information or explicit messages and avoiding accepting friend requests or messages from strangers; and encouraging transparency with the child, such as asking the child to let their parent know if someone makes them uncomfortable and explaining to them predators often ask for secrecy or to meet in person.

“If something does happen, having that connection and that relationship is important so they feel comfortable to report it to the parent or the caregiver.”

Minix said parents should know how to play the online game their child is playing, the settings and privacy features.

“Every game has a settings feature where you can disable certain things, making sure the location isn’t public, making sure personal information — first name, last name, address — is not public because all of that is part of the game.”

She said there are online safety programs — such as Bark — that can be used. Bark searches for trigger words within the online activity, text messages and social media accounts and will notify a parent immediately as its happening. The parent is also notified when an app or image is downloaded.

“I think the community would be surprised at how many perpetrators there are online that are actively trying to solicit children,” Minix said. “It’s very important that they are aware and we are putting those protective measures in place so our children don’t become victims.”

Minix said her best advice for parents is to “establish the rules and what your family stands for and make sure your instilling them in your children, as well,” she said.

Connections

The most important tool the community can have to prevent child abuse is connections.

“Connections and relationships — whether it’s the parent or the caregiver or it’s a CASA volunteer with a child or it’s a big brother or big sister with a child, or you with your niece or your nephew — having that connection to where that child feels comfortable enough to say if anything is happening,” Minix said. “Also, educating the child on the dangers of what could happen. That’s not just sitting down and saying, ‘This can happen.’ It’s using real-life situations to educate the child and empower the child.”

Booth said sharing information this type of information with a child is not to scare them but to educate them.

“You have to make your child aware of what is right and what is not and how to speak out when they’re not comfortable,” Booth said.