HollisterFreelance.com | Child Sex Abuse Reports Rising

Child Sex Abuse Reports Rising

Sep 21, 2005
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Hollister - Incidences of child molestation in Hollister have increased 25 percent since 2004 - a trend the police chief attributes to residents becoming more comfortable with reporting the crimes and a culture that sexualizes children at younger and younger ages.

Last year, 61 cases of child molestation were reported to the Hollister Police Department, according to Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller. Approximately 25 percent more incidents have been reported between January and August of this year than during the same time period last year, which Miller believes could be due to more incidences of child abuse.

However, other, less tangible factors may also play into that upsurge, Miller said.

Because both local and national media outlets have increased their coverage of incidents of sexual child abuse, Miller theorized that people may becoming more comfortable in reporting crimes. While high-profile cases involving strangers molesting children light up the nightly news - such as the recent Florida case where 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped, molested and murdered by a convicted sex offender - Miller couldn't recall a case in Hollister where the abuser did not know the victim. Often times, children are molested by a family member or someone they know, he said.

While the media plays a role in reducing the stigma often attached to victims of child abuse, police are also becoming more adept in utilizing the media to uncover instances of abuse or investigating cases, he said.

"The issue is in the forefront, and police, over time, have become more comfortable at using the media in search of additional victims," he said. "Maybe we don't wait (to disseminate the information to the public) like we did 15 or 20 years ago."

Miller said society's overt sexualization of children at younger and younger ages plays into the increase in child molestation as well. As the years progress, Miller believes incidents of sexual child abuse will continue to rise due to the general public being more accepting of young children being viewed as sex symbols.

"I think we have blurred the lines with the Internet and so much available pornography and sexualization of youth," Miller said. "That lends itself to more kids being exploited. I think (abusers) know it's against the law, they don't think it's OK, but because kids are being sexualized more, they're viewing them as sexual objects."

Donna Elmhorst, social work supervisor for the San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency, agreed with Miller's assertions that more incidents of child molestation are being reported because the crimes are more high-profile in the media. However, she said the exposure can be a double-edged sword.

Bringing child abuse into the open cuts down on the stigma many people associate with child abuse, however it also creates a more sexually-charged atmosphere overall, she said.

Approximately 90 incidents of child abuse of all types are reported to the county's Child Protective Services a month, and about 15 to 20 deal specifically with sexual abuse, she said. However, many of those reports are unsubstantiated and actual incidents of child molestation are significantly lower, she said. Elmhorst did not have exact numbers for how many incidents of child abuse are substantiated per month within the county system, but agreed that the numbers reported by the police department are accurate.

Between January and August of this year, the police department reported a total of 45 cases of child abuse, which can range from inappropriately touching a child, trying to entice a child into a car or unlawful intercourse with a child, Miller said. In the same time period in 2004, the department tallied a total of 36 cases, Miller said.

By comparison, molestation cases in Watsonville, which has a population of nearly 47,000 compared to Hollister's nearly 37,000 people, topped out at 101 last year. Gilroy, population 43,000, saw 103 cases in 2004.

Miller also theorized the prevalence of sexually-transmitted disease, specifically AIDS, also factors into children being victimized.

"Adult men turn to younger kids - 12, 13, 14 years old - because they're viewed as safer and they will not contract the disease," Miller said. "Then you see younger kids getting AIDS."

However, he conceded young children contracting sexually-transmitted diseases by way of child molestation is more of a problem in underdeveloped countries than in the United States.

What is becoming more of a problem in the states, and Hollister specifically, is the connection between drug use and child molestation, which go hand in hand, according to Elmhorst.

"A family member involved in the drug scene, people are in and out and people crash at the place - kids wander around, so (an abuser) takes advantage of the children wandering around," she said. "People hanging out have no limits on their behavior due to substance abuse or alcohol."

Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or emusgrave@freelancenews.com