GREENFIELD — For many children, exposing their abusers can be extremely difficult if the alleged abuser is present during interviews with the social workers and law enforcement officials charged with protecting them.
That’s the situation Crystal, a child abuse survivor who will speak at the Child Advocacy Center of Franklin County and the North Quabbin’s annual Healing and Hope Breakfast Friday, found herself in as a child — a situation the newly opened Advocacy Center in Greenfield seeks to eliminate.
During the breakfast, at Terrazza Restaurant at the Greenfield Country Club at 7:30 a.m., Crystal will recount how her abusers threatened her and prevented her for getting justice when she was younger, and how Child Advocacy centers are helping to buck that trend.
The centers bring together multidisciplinary teams of law enforcement officers, social workers and medical professionals in a calming environment to conduct structured interview with suspected abuse victims.
The process is designed to perform one interview and reduce the risk of re-traumatizing a victim.
The breakfast is free and open to the public, but donations to the center are suggested.
The event will also feature remarks from Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, Advocacy Center board president Bill Benson, and Irene Woods, the center’s director.
You can reach Tom Relihan at:
trelihan@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 264
On Twitter: @RecorderTom