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SANDY — A tough topic got the spotlight at a Salt Lake County town hall meeting Monday night, as experts and victims discussed sex abuse and the cost it can impose on the whole community.
The meeting, which took place at Sandy City Hall, was organized to inform the public of how common the crime is and share tips on how to prevent it. Three survivors of child sex abuse were on hand to share their stories.
"We come to find out, more often than not, it's (done) by people we do know," said Preston Jensen, who was abused by his best friend’s step-dad.”
Deondra Brown, from the musical group The 5 Browns, was abused by her father for eight years while she was under the age of 13.
“The more we turn a blind eye to it, the more the problem will continue,” Brown said.
Miss Utah Ciera Pekarcik took part as well. She said she was violated in the first grade while on school grounds.
“It still affects me to this day,” Pekrick said.
Utah statistics show it's all too common: one in six boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18; for girls, it’s one in four.
But the suffering doesn't stop with the victim.
“If they’re not able to find their voice in dealing with this, then they eventually, as they grow up, as they move up in life, then they eventually become the perpetrators,” said Sandy Police Sgt. Jon Arnold, a seasoned officer in the special victims unit.
Child abuse also costs money. Between treatment and court proceedings, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that $124 million is spent for only one year of confirmed child abuse cases nationwide.
Jenson, Brown and Pekrick were just asking for our community to listen and learn.
