Zeeland Record
A Zeeland woman has been honored for her efforts to prevent child sexual abuse in Ottawa County.
Julie Leeson, who is prevention and community outreach director for the Ed and Nancy Hanenburg Children’s Advocacy Center, received the first Partners in Prevention Award last Friday from the Ottawa County Stop Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Council during the Pinwheels For Prevention event at the Howard Miller Community Center. The event kicked off Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month.
More than 90 health and human services professionals turned out for the event, which centered on the theme “Stronger Together: Empowering Families Through Connected Services.”
Leeson joined the Children’s Advocacy Center two years ago after having been a social worker and a children’s ministry director. She regularly gives presentations to health care professionals, educators, social workers and parents on what to look for, and how to report, potential cases of child sexual abuse.
As part of her presentations, Leeson seeks to clear up common myths about child sexual abuse. While the perception is that such cases are rare, the reality is that one out of every 10 children is sexually abused before they turn 18, she said.
“That’s a national statistic, but that’s also accurate for Ottawa County,” Leeson said.
Other myths include children typically lying about being sexually abused, and that strangers more often than not are the perpetrator, Leeson said.
“Less than 5 percent of reports are false. When I talked to our prosecuting attorney’s office about this last summer, they said they are surprised it’s even that high,” Leeson said.
“If a kid tells you something is happening, just believe them. It might be the kid who lies a lot or is so dramatic about everything – sure, maybe they do. But kids … most of the time, statistically, are not lying about this. If a child is disclosing, we need to believe them.”
SCAN is a collaborative organization that coordinates child abuse prevention efforts in Ottawa County.
“(We’re) really working to make sure that we are connected as providers, and filling the gaps and the needs in services for our community,” said Leigh Moerdyke, SCAN council facilitator and prevention and advocacy program director at Arbor Circle.
According to SCAN, there were 441 confirmed cases of child abuse and/or neglect in Ottawa County in 2023, or 6.4 cases per 1,000 children between the ages of 0-17. The good news is that the rate has gone down continually over the last five years, from 12.2 cases per 1,000 children in 2019 to the 6.4 per 1,000 figure in 2023, according to SCAN.
Anyone who suspects a case of child abuse or neglect can make a report by calling (855) 444-3911.
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