Children's Advocacy Center - Serving the child abuse victims of Johnson County, Texas - Victims of sexual abuse, severe physical abuse, child witnesses to homocide and other violent crimes.

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Important News from the Children's Advocacy Center Board President

A Child Survivor's Poem
(written by a 15 year old GHB child rape survivor)

Don't try to understand, you never will.
You'll never see the things I see
when I fall asleep at night.
You'll never stay up till morning
trying to block everything out.
The tears will never fill your eyes
when you look at yourself in the mirror.
Don't tell me that you're there,
because you're not.
You're not here as I'm slowly dying.
You're not here.
You're not seeing me constantly
trying to escape all this...
to be left alone...
to feel whole again.
It's a constant battle,
day to day,
to get through a second without thinking
of all the tears I cried that night.
All the times I begged him to stop.
I struggle with knowing
that I'm a disappointment.
Things just keep piling up for me.
When do I get some peace?
I'm so scared to fall asleep,
but I'm aching for it.
So here I go, and
maybe I'll finally get some peace
when I sleep.

If you came to this page in search of help, we hope you will take a few minutes to read our message to you. We know that many young people today find themselves in horrible situations. Maybe you are one of those people or maybe you are a friend to someone in a bad situation. You need to know that you are not alone and that there are a lot of people that are ready to help. If you or someone you know is being abused please get to an adult that can help you right now. You can talk to your school teachers, officers, Child Protective Services, principals, pastors, a neighbor or anyone that you know that cares about your well-being.

Many young people make the mistake of not trusting Law Enforcement or Child Protective Services because their family has a long history of dealing with these agencies. Please know that it is there job to help you and they are on your side! If you need to talk to someone to report abuse, please refer to the numbers listed on the home page or the numbers listed within this web page.

If things are so bad that you are considering running away from home or you have already ran away, you can call the

National Runaway Switchboard at 1-800-621-4000.

Someone will be available to talk to you at anytime.

If you are a young person that feels that there is no way out for you, please make a phone call to the

National Youth Crisis Hotline at 1-800-448-4663.

There are many people that care about you and that want to help you through this very difficult time. Let someone help to carry your burdens. You will see that tomorrow can be a brighter day.

We know that many people can become blinded by sorrow, pain, fear and grief in their lives. You need to know that there are many young people that have been right where you are today, and they were able to move past their situation by asking for help. You can make a choice today for a brighter tomorrow by calling someone that wants to help you. Please give us the opportunity to be there for you today.

CPS Hotline: 1-800-252-5400

All child abuse that occurs in a child’s home or by a family member needs to be reported to this number.

If you or another young person feel that they are in serious danger call 911 immediately and ask for help from Law Enforcement.