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Children's Advocacy Centers Report Rise In Cases Through Year's Third Quarter

Although it has been reported there is a large drop in child abuse cases, Children's Advocacy Centers across Illinois say that's not the case.

Judy Brucker of the McLean County Child Protection Network saysthey saw a drastic rise between this year's third quarter and last year's third quarter.  Over 700 more children came in to be interviewed for a case between January 1 and April 30 this year than last year.

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Brucker states during times of economic distress people sometimes take all their stress out on children in their lives. This being said, its not easy to point out who the culprit is in these cases. She points out 25% of the time, abusers were someone the family trusted, and nearly as frequently, it is a family member.

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Brucker added people need to watch for signs in their child's behavior that could indictate they've been abused  by someone. Children will only speak up if they feel spreading the information won't hurt them more. When contemplating whether to report child abuse, she says to trust your instincts.

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Even though a child might not have come forth with information, Brucker says people should call the DCFS hotline at 1 800 25 ABUSE to get help on how to tell if their child has been injured and how to help their child open up about the incident.

In Illinois, Children's Advocacy Centers provide interviews, mental health and medical referrals for child sexual and serious physical abuse cases referred by both DCFS and law enforcement.

For more information, you can contact Judy Brucker at 309-888-5656.

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