Dealing with abuse

One of the unhappy realities of life is that abuse and sexual violence occur more often than we would like to think about. And when the victims are children, the stories become even more grim.

One agency has made significant strides to find ways to assist young victims of abuse and violence and to work with law enforcement and prosecutors to make sure adults who do this are punished. That agency is the Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence, or NASV for short.

Since the NASV was started in 1997, Tammy Gwaltney has been its executive director. She has worked tirelessly to organize the NASV, find trained staff and generate funding for the operation, which deals with hundreds of children each year.

Now Gwaltney has decided it's time to step down. She will serve as a consultant for the next year while the agency picks a new director.

The work the NASV does is not pleasant, but there are rewards in knowing that abuse victims will get professional and compassionate help at a difficult time in their lives.

Hats off to Tammy Gwaltney and everyone else involved with the NASV. These folks are making a difference.