BROWNSVILLE — County officials and members of the public recently gathered in Linear Park with Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, to highlight Child Abuse Awareness Month.
“Our organization is volunteer-based,” said CASA Executive Director Dora Martinez. “What sets us apart is we recruit volunteers from the community to be a voice for these children while they are in the foster care system.”
CASA of Cameron and Willacy Counties is part of a national volunteer movement that began in 1977 when a Seattle judge decided he needed to know more about the victims of abuse and neglect in his courts. The nonprofit continues in that mission to provide trained community volunteers to act as a voice for children within the courts.
“Our goal is to continue to see them through the system, support them and, in the end, hopefully recommend a home that is safe, that is permanent and get them out of the foster care system,” Martinez said.
And there’s a lot of work to do.
In 2017, the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office handled 376 cases of child abuse ranging from physical and sexual abuse to child neglect or endangerment, according to statistics provided by the DA’s Child Abuse Unit.
Of those cases, 140 concerned sexual abuse and 154 focused on physical abuse. The Child Abuse Unit, which handles the most egregious cases, prosecuted 64 cases.
Here in the Rio Grande Valley, CASA still needs volunteers to reach its goal of having a CASA representative for every child that has been a victim of abuse, Martinez said.
The only requirements include being 21 or older, passing a criminal and Child Protective Services background check and committing to training and at least one year of service, which is typically how long a child in this situation is in foster care, Martinez said.
Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz was the keynote speaker at the press conference and explained to the crowd how important the volunteers are for these children.
“They come from all walks of life,” Saenz said. “They’re volunteers. They don’t get paid.”
Alex Dominguez, a CASA board member of six years and a Cameron County Commissioner, said the nonprofit makes a difference, but there is still work to be done.
“We need to be advocates all the time,” Dominguez said.
All of the speakers mentioned how it takes all parts of a community to combat child abuse and to help minor victims get the healing and justice that they need.
That includes a group of tough-guy bikers in attendance Thursday who sported patched-up vests.
Rene “Preacher” Pineda and a contingent of Bikers Against Child Abuse were on-hand. That group has 800 members statewide and 35 to 40 in the Rio Grande Valley, Pineda explained.
“We escort them to court any time they have any proceedings,” Pineda said. “Even if they are afraid to go to school or even to a point that the perpetrator has threatened them, we will actually go out and surround their home until they feel completely safe.”
And that’s the goal, to make these vulnerable victims feel safe, be a friend and to help the healing process start.
“Wherever there is a need for our presence, we’ll ride,” Pineda said.