SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — At least one in seven children in the U.S. have experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year, although Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill believes the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is greatly underestimated because of the lack of reporting.
"Rates of child abuse and neglect are five times higher for children in families with low socioeconomic status, but this insidious crime is not bound merely by socioeconomic status. It affects children from all walks of life and all social and economic levels. And we are not immune here in Utah," Gill said at a press conference Monday during Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Over the past year alone, the district attorney's office filed charges in 500 child sexual abuse cases, and as seen in newly-released numbers, they filed charges in almost 900 child abuse cases in just one year’s time.
"One case is far too many, let alone the volume that we see," said Gill. "And I wish I could say that captured the totality of everything we do. It does not."
Gill knows there are far more instances of abuse, but they need more people to come forward.
"They need us as a community of adults," he added. "I would much rather err on the side of caution and save a life than be silent and lose one."
"I can’t think of anything worse that to have a child go through a trauma like this and then to have to have them go through it again and again and again," said Taylorsville Chief of Police Brady Cottam.
Taylorsville police beg people to call if they see something suspicious, understanding how difficult and delicate these matters can be.
"We try to make these processes as easy as possible," Cottam said.
The chief says victims meet with specially-trained detectives where they share their story and usually will only have to do that one time.
"We can avoid having them tell their stories over and over and over again to different detectives and different police officers," according to Cottam. "Working as partners with Sim and his office and the Department of Child and Family Services, we are able to navigate these cases where they have to only talk to one detective and that is an environment that is safe and that is an environment where they feel comfortable."
At the event, a psychiatrist from The Children's Center Utah spoke about the lifelong negative social, emotional and physical affects childhood trauma can have on someone’s life, identifying symptoms to watch out.
"Challenges with falling or staying asleep due to nightmares, lower level of interest in activities that once were enjoyable or increased irritability of aggression that reaches the point of jeopardizing a childcare placement," explained Dr. Kyle Smith.
In addition to resources available at The Children's Center, there’s something called Camp Hope, a week-long summer camp organized by the district attorney's office’s that involves trauma counselors and more for about 5 dozen victims and survivors.
Yvonne Argyle’s twin daughter and son have attended Camp Hope the past four years and she says found their strength again, a new found freedom and some skills they didn’t know they had.
"They said they get to be who they are without any worries, and it does give them back the power to be a kid again," said Argyle.
Gill showed a picture he keeps in his office as a reminder of the importance behind what they do. It's that of a child tortured, violated, abused and killed by his mother.
The office prosecuted the mother last year after four-and-a-half years working on it.
"This kind of violence, no matter who you commit it to, will never be tolerated, especially against the most vulnerable in our community," Gill swore. "That is our commitment that we make, but none of this would happen if we do not, if we do not come together to address these issues.
