Open house at South Mississippi CAC

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. In Mississippi, the highest rate of confirmed abuse cases take place along the Gulf Coast.

In 2016, 1,024 cases occurred in just the three coastal counties alone. South Mississippi Child Advocacy Center gives those victims a voice. Their headquarters in Gulfport is staffed and equipped to conduct forensic interviews which provide evidence that puts confirmed abusers behind bars.

The center works closely with law enforcement from George, Green, Jackson, Harrison and Stone counties.  Canopy Children’s Solutions CEO Dr. John Damon said, “Most people, it’s hard to step into very difficult abuse and neglect discussions. That’s what we like to do. We like to step into those dark places, bring hope and healing, bring light, but the community is required for us to do that work. Any support the people could give to come alongside this effort and make sure our organization can serve these families and grow. Sadly there’s hundreds and thousands of more kids that need this help and we want to be there for that and we need the community’s support to pull that off.”

The CAC averages four forensic interviews a day. Thanks to their work, 189 abusers have been indicted and an additional 248 indictment motions are pending.