The Children’s Justice Centers (CJC) in the state of Utah are established to provide a neutral, comfortable place for coordinated services during the child abuse investigative process. These centers are even more important when you consider that nationally, 1 in 7 children have experienced abuse or neglect in the past year, and even fewer accounts are reported to authorities. On this second part of a three-part series on the stories and services of CJCs in Utah, our Relentlessly Resilient hosts have a crucial conversation on issues surrounding child physical and sexual abuse and human trafficking right here in the beehive state. In this episode, a child abuse victim who came forward decades after a family member victimized her shares her story. 

Brandie Page was sexually abused by an uncle after years of grooming at the tender age of eight years old. At twelve, after years of anguish, she finally had the courage to tell her parents about the abuse, but her parents chose not to prosecute her perpetrator, thinking it was for the best. Brandie bravely shares how the unreported abuse haunted her for years, impacted her family and romantic relationships, her therapeutic struggles, and how finally, at the age of 36, she was able to find some healing when she reported her abuser to the authorities. She is here to encourage others to report sexual abuse at any age. 

Listeners are encouraged to educate themselves on the signs of child abuse, the responsibility of reporting, how to report, and the carefully coordinated services provided by Utah’s local CJC as part of the investigative process. Great care and research have been given into the development of the process and services in order to provide a comfortable, neutral, child-friendly atmosphere for children and their families receiving care. This includes accreditations from the National Children’s Alliance and a multidisciplinary team trained to minimize trauma and facilitate improved coordination with investigators, as well as resources for survivors of any age. 

While a CJC cannot accept child abuse reports directly, please report suspected abuse by contacting one of the following: Utah Division of Child & Family Services at 1-855-323-3237, your local police department or sheriff’s office, and if it is an emergency; call 911.  

Even though we live in challenging times, we can become Relentlessly Resilient as we lean on and learn from one another’s experiences. Hosts Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are no strangers to overcoming adversity; Michelle lost her husband to cancer, while Jennie’s husband, Major Brent Taylor, was killed in the service of our country. Their stories bond them together, and now listeners can join them weekly as they visit with others enduring challenges and who teach us how they are exercising resiliency, finding value in their grief, and purpose in moving forward. 

Listen to the Relentlessly Resilient Podcast regularly on your favorite platform, at kslpodcasts.com, kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSL NewsRadio App Join the Resilience conversation on Facebook at @RelentlesslyResilient and Instagram @RelentlesslyResilientPodcast. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.