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Small gesture by Hands on Orlando volunteers helps child abuse victims heal

By Kelly Healey and Megan Cruz, WFTV.com
By Kelly Healey and Megan Cruz, WFTV.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — It isn't easy for anyone, let alone children, to talk about the abuse they've endured. Despite that, more children are having to talk about their experiences as suspected child abuse cases are up in Orange and Osceola counties.

Volunteers with the nonprofit organization “Hands on Orlando" clean toys inside the Howard Phillips Center for Children and Families.
The center is where hundreds of Central Florida children go each year because officials believe they were abused.
“I don't… I don't like getting hurt,” a 6-year-old victim told Channel 9 reporter Megan Cruz.
The boy’s mother said she asked him what was going on.
“He said my cousin did something nasty to me,” she said. “I didn't know what to do. I just knew I needed to get my son help as soon as I could.”
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In 2017, the center interviewed about 2,200 suspected child abuse victims, and the number rose to 2,500 in 2018. 
“Is it that people are doing a better job of reporting when a child is hospitalized, and injuries are suspicious or not fully explained?” Cruz asked.
“That's hard to say. But the numbers significantly are up,” Marie Martinez with the Howard Philips Center for Children and Families said.
Martinez said the victims were younger in 2018, and the abuse was more violent.
Therapist Rachel Camilo said to help the children cope with the trauma, they play.
“It's very nonthreatening. It's the way that they express themselves. It's their language,” Camilo said.
The 6-year-old abuse victim is finally starting to talk, Camilo said.
“So, these are the stairs to the castle? So, who keeps you safe in your castle?” she asked the child.
“My mom and my brothers,” he said.
Camilo said talking is a crucial part of his healing.
The talking might not have happened if it hadn't been for the toys in a safe, comfortable environment.
The volunteers who cleaned the toys said they think about the victims as they work.
“I find it hard to believe that kids are even in that situation in the first place,” a volunteer said.
The volunteers said that while they will never meet the victims, they know the small gesture will make a huge difference.
“I like when people help me when I get hurt,” the boy said.

Cox Media Group

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