Just For Kids christened a new headquarters with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Beckley Tuesday.
The child advocacy center opened their doors to the public for a sneak peak inside their new facility on Main Street.
Every year, hundreds of kids across Southern West Virginia are victim to child sex abuse, according to Scott Miller, Executive Director of Just for Kids.
He said it's happening at home, in schools, and on the soccer field, and more often than not, these crimes go unreported.
To those who do come forward, Just For Kids is a bright light in a very dark world for these children.
"It's very important that everybody in the community understand that this issue is affecting everyone in the community. Awareness is about 50 percent of what's going to stop this from happening. If people really pay attention it will make a difference," said Miller.
Just For Kids offers more than a warm and welcoming environment for interviews and counseling services to the hundreds of kids who come through their door. The child advocacy network offers a comprehensive sexual abuse prevention training program called 'Stewards of Children,' a public awareness campaign designed to educate adults and teachers to recognize the signs of child sex abuse.
"If you notice really dramatic changes in behavior, regression to earlier behavior for example. If they've been potty-trained for awhile then start wetting the bed, that might be a sign. For juveniles, they tend to act out as response to trauma," said Emily Chittenden-Laird, the Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Network in West Virginia.
Chitten-Laird encourages victims and families to report child sex abuse through Child Protective Services at 1-800-352-6513. The calls may be kept confidential.
***Due to technical difficulties in the 5p.m. and 6p.m. newscasts, an extended version of this story will air on 59 News at 10p.m. and 11p.m.
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