9 News - Mother of Denver Kidnapping Victim Speaks Out

Fox 31 - Mother shares story of effects of little girl’s kidnap, sexual assault

CBS Denver - Kidnapping Victim's Mother Details Tough Recovery

Meet Our Mother's Day Makeover Moms

This last Monday, 40 of our Moms whose children are in treatment for sexual abuse and exposure to violence, received an early Mother's Day gift. Ergun Tercan and the staff of Ergun Tercan European Salon opened their doors and gave these incredibly deserving women the royal treatment: haircuts, color, highlights, massages, makeup, appetizers and champagne!

"Everything we do is for our kids - that anyone would do something like this for us is unbelievable," one mother explained through her tears. But tears of gratitude turned to tears of joy when the transformations were complete.

  

 

 

Does Colorado Really Care About Its Most Vulnerable Children?

Child abuse injuries and deaths have been headlining the morning papers and leading the evening news stories. Absent from press coverage, however, is what happens to these children after they are removed from abusive homes. Even for those kids lucky enough to be placed in a loving foster home, the trauma of abuse, neglect or violence has already done significant mental, physical and emotional damage. Love, alone, cannot heal these children – trauma requires intensive and often extensive mental health intervention. Such treatment, while effective, is expensive. This is where the continuum of support that vulnerable children should be able to count on can fail them.

What is trauma? Child victims of sexual abuse, neglect and exposure to violence suffer from trauma, which affects every aspect of their life: brain development, sexual development, language development, and memory development. Traumatized children suffer from anxiety, impulsivity, aggression, sleep problems, depression, respiratory and heart problems, vulnerability to substance abuse, developmental delays and school failure. Difficulties in trusting others and establishing meaningful relationships also form part of the host of problems these children display. Child protection policies mandate that child abuse is reported, and that child victims are removed from abusive homes. But trauma does not do not go away simply because the child is now in a place of safety.

The neurological pathways in the brains of traumatized children have been disrupted, and without treatment, they cannot heal. Most will not grow up into normal adults. Traumatized children cannot interact normally with their peers or adults, and they cannot learn in school! We can fulminate all we want about the “soft bigotry of low expectations,” but expecting a traumatized child to ace the CSAP is an exercise in futility. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2006 study on “Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect” about 30 percent of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, are 59 percent more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28 percent more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30 percent more likely to commit violent crime. We see these cases in the headlines too, when traumatized kids crack and commit horrible violence. We typically try them as adults and lock them away for life.

There are traumatized kids throughout our community living lives of desperate misery in dysfunctional homes. In 2009, the Denver Department of Human Services conducted investigations of 6,845 cases of child neglect, 2,728 cases of physical abuse and 1,081 sexual abuse allegations. These children can be healed, and even the most fractured families with multi-generational histories of abuse and violence can be strengthened, but it isn’t cheap. As a society, we seem unwilling to make that investment in repairing our most vulnerable citizens, preferring instead to wait until they are grown and ready to be absorbed the criminal justice system, which has ample funding. Of course, kicking the can down the road increases the cost exponentially. At DCAC, our most expensive case last year involved a little girl who had been brutally beaten, sexually assaulted, and starved from the time she was a toddler until her Kindergarten teacher raised the alarm. It costs $22,000 to provide intensive mental health treatment and support for her foster mother, but she is now on the road to recovery. In contrast, just one year of prison costs more than $30,000. But of course, it is much easier for policymakers to justify the urgent need for prisons to “keep us safe.” The answer, they say, is for charities to tap into private resources.

We are a charity, and like all charities we strive to raise public and private funding to meet the needs of the people we serve. The recession has made this very, very difficult. As half of the traumatized children we serve at DCAC are ages 1-6, when brain development is at its peak, we are acutely aware of the urgency of meeting their mental health care needs immediately as if we fail, they may pay for it in poor mental and physical development that will create life-long health problems. They also run the risk of juvenile detention, adult prison, and perpetuation of the cycle of abuse and violence with their own children.

We know that we’re not the only nonprofit struggling to protect children as the funds to do so dry up. Our question is why are our elected representatives failing to connect the dots between child abuse, lack of treatment for traumatized children, and the very, very expensive – in both financial and human terms – for these children’s future when public funding is cut.

There are little children for whom the clock is ticking and who desperately need treatment for their trauma. When teenagers commit terrible acts of violence, as a society we ask ourselves how a child could commit such an evil act. The answer, in many cases, is that we know the reason, but we choose to ignore it.

Mandy Rigg,
Fundraising Consultant and Grant Writer


The Denver Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC) works to improve the lives of children traumatized by sexual abuse and violence—as well as those who are at high-risk —with prevention, education and direct services.

No Summer Vacation for Child Abuse and Neglect

By Gizane Indart

Executive Director

For many children, summer is the time to enjoy long, lazy days. Summer is freedom from school and homework. Summer is family vacations. Summer is fun and laughter. Summer is swimming pools, hot dogs, ice cream, and watermelon.  Summer is play.

For other children—too many children—summer is no different than the rest of the year. Actually, summer is much, much worse.  School provides protection for children at high- risk for abuse, and healthy stimulation for kids who are neglected at home.

Children whose parents neglect them often spend their summers in isolation. They can become bored and lethargic, or in search of any kind of stimulation they may join forces with other neglected kids and engage in dangerous and destructive behavior.

Child victims of sexual abuse have no protection during the summer. They are at the mercy of their abusers who know that no one will come to check on why the child isn’t in school. 

Studies indicate that while the rate of abuse is consistent year-round—abuse never takes a vacation—the rate of reporting drops during the summer because children have no access to teachers and other professionals with a legal duty to report their suspicions.

Every day at DCAC, we work tirelessly in  outreach, prevention, education and interventions  so that our efforts remain constant, irrespective of the season.

This summer, please don’t make a suffering child wait until September. If you suspect that a child in your neighborhood is being abused or neglected, please take action so that the child can receive help immediately and begin to heal.

All you have to do is call the Denver Crisis Hotline at 720-944-3000. All calls are confidential. Please don’t hesitate—a child’s life may depend upon it.

Common signs of child abuse:

• Has unexplained burns, bites, bruises, broken bones or black eyes 
• Seems frightened of parents and protests or cries when it is time to go home 
• Shrinks at the approach of adults 
• Has poor relationship with other children 
• Verbally abuses other children 
• Exhibits irrational fears 
• Is hyper vigilant 
• Daydreams excessively 
• Has eating problems 
• Exhibits extremely low self-esteem 
• Constantly over-active

Common signs of child neglect:

• Is dirty or has severe body odor 
• Lacks needed medical or dental care  
• Lacks sufficient clothing for weather 
• Delays in speech 
• Is excessively shy or demanding of attention 
• Begs or steals food or money 
• States there is no one at home to provide care 
• Is easily distracted and seems nervous

Source: Prevent Child Abuse America

“Doing the Heavy Lifting” for Abused Kids in Colorado

by Scott Finlay, Director of Development & Communications Denver Children’s Advocacy Center


Devin Burns delivers a check for $1500 to DCAC.


Devin Burns of Denver Fitness Boot Camp wanted to help kids. He had attended our Gala back in October and was moved by the stories that were shared at that event. He came up with a brilliant way to engage his clients in his fitness boot camp, raise awareness about DCAC and the epidemic of childhood sexual abuse in Colorado AND raise $1500 in the process!

He solicited his “Boot Campers” to vote for three different exercises. Each exercise would consist of 5 reps at $1 each, totaling $15 per person. “My Boot Campers voted for 100 pound dumbbell shoulder presses, 100 pound bicep curls and one-arm push-ups, so I did all of them and had them donate $15 each,” said Devin.

What’s more, he actually taped his completion of the exercises and posted it on YouTube so he would have proof for his boot campers. It is truly amazing to watch! Check it out!  You've got to see it to believe it. 

“It was a pleasure meeting you," said Devin, "and I am extremely thankful that I was able to help such a great cause.”

Thank YOU, Devin! We are grateful for your generosity and good spirit.