Two satellite offices were closed by the centers in late 2013 and around 40 employees were laid off. The number of people who provide services to the more than 10,000 abused children annually has decreased. Families and others involved in cases may need to travel further to receive counseling, forensic interviews, or other services. While most cases involve sexual abuse, severe physical abuse that causes broken bones, severe burns, and other serious injuries has increased in number during the pandemic. Lt. Gov. In September, Speaker of the House Philip Gunn and Delbert Hosemann asked Gov. Tate Reeves asked for a special session to authorize COVID-19 relief funding for the centers. Reeves didn’t call a special session for the purpose of addressing the problem. Advocates and prosecutors are still hopeful that lawmakers will allocate the money before the 2022 legislative sessions ends in April. Children who have been abused could be subject to longer waits for services, or even not being able access them. These children are like a 7-year old boy who came to the Hattiesburg centre for his forensic interview. The child had been physically and sexually abused for many years. After a routine visit to the home, Didi Ellis, executive director of Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center, saw the child in a corner with many bruises and marks. He was taken into Child Protective Services custody, and referred to the centre. He was tired and weary as he approached the end of his forensic interview. He told the interviewer that he could only ask one more question. She decided to ask him: ‘If this ever happens again, who could it be? Ellis recalled. He said it without hesitation, “You, you guys. You’re my superheroes. “He’s why — He’s why these funds are so important. We want to be in a position to offer that same thing to all children, in a timely fashion, to everyone who needs it.” Karla Tye is the executive director of Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi. The Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl offers shelter and services to victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. It has lost approximately 30% of its annual budget, $600,000, in funding. According to the executive director, employees were laid off and legal, mental and medical services for victims were cut. According to Tye, the federal funding cuts were made at the same moment that the number of children referred to Children’s Advocacy Centers had dramatically increased. Tye stated that the state funding for 12 centers, which amounts to $500,000 per year, has stagnated over the past 10 years. Children’s Advocacy Centers in the state employ specially trained forensic interviewers to conduct interviews with children who have been abused or witnessed a violent crime. Interviews are conducted as soon as possible following an allegation. Staffers have been specially trained to interview children and deal with trauma and child development. The interview is conducted through a single-way window. This allows law enforcement and prosecutors to see the child’s story without interrupting it. Tye stated that the criminal justice system in Mississippi was “retraumatizing children and ruining cases” before the center’s opening in 1990. Tye stated that the system was “so disjointed” and that children were saying things like, “I don’t want talk about it anymore,” or feeling they were saying the wrong things. “Cases were falling through cracks and weren’t able to be prosecuted because agencies weren’t working together and sharing data,” Tye said. Law enforcement and prosecutors claim that their local center’s services help them do their jobs. They include monthly meetings with all police officers, prosecution, case workers, medical providers, advocates, and any other person involved in the case. Johnny Hall, an investigator at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, said that it makes cases stronger. “Our training only goes so far,” he added. Hall has been with the department 26 years. These meetings ensure that all agencies work together and hold them accountable. Hall was allowed to use a satellite office in Brookhaven for a few months. It was eventually closed after the cuts were made. He, his family and fellow law enforcement officers now travel to McComb’s nearest center. Senator Jenifer Branning (Republican from Winston, Neshoba, and Leake counties) has filed one bill that would fund the centers. Mississippi Today was told by Branning that she believes it is essential to do all we can to help abused and neglected children. Children’s Advocacy Centers receive most of their funding from the federal Victims of Crime Act Fund. This fund was established in 1984 to provide federal assistance to local and state programs that aid victims of crime. This money comes from federal criminals, not taxpayers. The federal system’s legal changes made in 2019 caused the fund to shrink. Congress passed legislation last year to strengthen the fund, but the fund will experience a gap of several years where the money is not available. This has had a significant impact on a variety of programs that help victims of crime, including the Children’s Safe Center at University of Mississippi Medical Center which provides medical care for children suspected of being abused and neglected. Scott Benton is the state’s child abuse pediatrician. He says that his operation has lost administrative jobs and cannot hire another physician as planned. Benton stated, “I can assure you that we are working hard and not seeing an increase in absolute number (child abuse victims), but rather increases in severity (of injuries)” during this pandemic. Tye agreed with Benton. While funding for the centers has been cut in half, cases being referred by the 12 centers have increased 72% since the end 2019. “The pandemic isolation created conditions and opportunities that allowed child abuse to flourish. Tye said that the abuse was more severe and complex than what Benton had experienced over the years. “We have seen some very horrific physical injuries.” As a result of the prolonged and more severe abuse, children are coming to the centers having greater mental health needs. Tye stated that there have been an increase in suicide-related mental health problems among children. Many lawmakers filed bills to compensate for the loss of federal funding and increase the state funding that the centers receive. The fate of resources for abused kids is still uncertain until these bills are finalized in the appropriations procedure. Although forensic interviews are the most well-known service, they also offer a wide range of services for children and their families. They offer counseling, accompaniment in court, help with preparation for testifying and help to secure protection orders. All of this is free to victims and their families. Tye said, “We are literally holding the family’s hand during what happens in their case.” Crosby Parker is the district attorney in Hancock, Harrison, and Stone counties. He said that the South Mississippi Canopy Children’s Solutions Child Advocacy Center at Gulfport makes a significant difference in cases he handles. Parker stated that forensic interviews of children must be conducted by an experienced interviewer, who is an expert in child forensic interviews. Parker said that he has tried many child molestation cases over the past 14 years and would not have been able to do so without them. He can’t help but think of the victims he helps as his children. He said, “We are so grateful to have them as partners in order to ensure we can get that child and their family counselling services,” It allows us to be prosecutors, knowing that the child is being cared for.”