CRIME: ABUSE CASES ON THE RISE; NETWORK HELPS KIDS

When children are sexually abused, well-meaning police, pastors, school employees and others sometimes make the crime more difficult by shuffling victims through an endless series of examinations and interviews.

The Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence is working to alleviate the pain in the procedure, director Tammy Gwaltney said.

The network, which operates from several rooms below Dr. Jonathan Thomas' office in Cape Girardeau, offers sexually abused children a place to undergo necessary interviews and examinations without traversing a gauntlet of police stations, emergency rooms and social workers' offices.

"After you include school personnel, law enforcement, pastors and everyone else, you have 10 or 15 people talking to this child," Gwaltney said. "The idea is to stop re-victimizing the victim."

So far, the youngest child assisted by the Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence was 8 weeks old. The victims might not get any younger, but they are increasing, Gwaltney said.

During the three short years that the network has existed, the number of sexually abused children it examines in 14 Southeast Missouri counties has grown from 46 in 1998 to 120 so far this year. Gwaltney expects another 30 children before New Year's.

She was involved in the heavily publicized case of a 4-year-old girl kidnapped from her bedroom in Scott City, Mo., earlier this month.

Better environment

The network provides something that crime investigators have not had before, said Lt. David James of the Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department. It's a less threatening environment for the victim where professionals involved in the process can be brought together quickly.

Gwaltney left a job providing assistance to international students at Southeast Missouri State University in 1997 to start the network. Two nurse practitioners, who maintain their own practices as well, joined her. Administrators at St. Francis Medical Center helped organize community meetings to discuss what a network might do.

"We found a lot of interest, but a lack of resources," Gwaltney said.

But Thomas has always provided the not-for-profit network office space at no cost, and St. Francis chief executive officer Steven Bjelich has been active in helping to secure funding from the hospital's board and around the community, Gwaltney said.

The network is still searching for sources to augment a $25,000 budget.

Most medical professionals aren't trained well enough to correctly examine a sexually abused child, nurse practitioner Kathy Blevins said.

"Until five years ago, how to handle a sexual assault exam wasn't taught in medical schools," she said.

Worlds crashing together

A high-powered magnification system allows Blevins to see the cuts and tears that might be missed in another exam.

After examinations, children pick a stuffed animal from a wicker basket. The network is always in need of the toys, Gwaltney said.

"The children always seem to have a specific, personal reason for the animal they choose," she said.

In another room, two soft-cushioned armchairs sit opposite each other and a few toys stand on a table. This room is used to interview children about their sexual abuse.

"It's an atmosphere that says 'let's sit down and talk about what happened' without a policeman walking around with a gun on his hip," Gwaltney said.

Only one person asks questions while a video camera covered by artificial flowers records the interview for police, social workers and others in another room.

Sometimes the children notice the camera and ask about it. Gwaltney said she tells them the truth, and most go back to telling their stories as they play with the toys.

Gwaltney recalls one 6-year-old girl who assembled a puzzle while she talked about how her father abused her in the family bathroom. The girl told how her father had made her perform oral sex on him and on sex toys, Gwaltney said.

The nurse interviewing the girl asked her if she had refused. She said she had, but her father said he'd cut her throat if she didn't do it.

"Then she went back to her puzzle," Gwaltney said. "This is how I see these worlds of children and adults crashing together."