The FAMCare Blog

At a recent Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in Las Vegas, a “resto-mod” was auctioned off for the benefit of Kristi House in Miami, Florida. We immediately put out an inquiry to our readers for more information about Kristi House and were deluged with responses.

They informed us that Kristi House is the state-designated Children’s Advocacy Center responsible for coordinating all child sexual abuse cases in Miami-Dade County working with its partner agencies. Kristi House was named in honor of a nine-year-old girl who was impregnated by her stepfather and had no idea how to seek help or even tell her story. Her pregnancy, however, brought her attention, and she got the help she needed while, at the same time, inspiring social workers to establish a Child Advocacy Center in her name.

Educators, who are some of the likeliest professionals to report child abuse, are encountering youth who have faced abuse in isolation throughout the pandemic. During 2020, the proportion of mental health-related emergency department (ED) visits among adolescents aged 12-17 years increased 31% compared to 2019. Suspected suicide attempt ED visits were 50.6% higher among girls aged 12-17 (CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 6/18/21). These stats indicate an increase in child abuse as children were confined to the home during the pandemic.

Victims' of domestic violence are frequently traumatized and perplexed, believing there is no way out of their predicament. However, many survivors have difficulty recognizing the abuse. Understanding and recognizing the various types of domestic violence is essential for leaving an abusive environment.

We are taught as children that we can trust our parents, our teachers, our religious leaders, the police, the mayor, and the President of the United States. It is their duty to care for us, to mean us well, and to do only good. We can trust them; until we can’t.