How you help move victims of violence from crisis to confidence	Fall 2008

A Conversation with Congressman Bud Cramer

Regarded by many as the founder of the Child Advocacy Center movement, Congressman Robert E. “Bud” Cramer created the first center in the nation the National Child Advocacy Center in Huntsville, AL in 1985. Safe Horizon spoke with the senior representative about the movement he helped initiate. Listen to the entire 20 minute interview at www.hopeshining.org/cramer.

What was the system like before CACs?

"I experienced this as a prosecutor. The system was scattered. The system, in effect... all of those logistics, all of those contacts, all of those interviews... The system ended up being the victim's worse enemy. And this is the system, or the systems, that were supposed to respond to and rescue children."

What were the biggest challenges in developing the CAC model and in opening the first CAC in Huntsville?

“You had the challenge of causing agencies to do things differently than they ever had before, and that can make or break you. You can have the perfect place, including the perfect location, perfect atmosphere, perfect furniture. You can have volunteers committed to it. But [without] the agencies that by law are charged to respond... you are not going to have a children advocacy center program that really has the heart and soul that we want it to have.”

What were the challenges in bringing CACs to urban areas such as New York City? What needed to change?
 
“Tremendous challenges. You had, normally, a more sophisticated and numerous set of agencies or organizations that had already some involvement in this issue.

“I remember when Jane Barker had me come to New York, to the Brooklyn center, we were amazed at what she and you were able to pull off there... That it could be done and in some cases, be done more effectively, in an urban area because of the collocation of personnel there, the ability to access city and state funding that maybe some other areas couldn't get there.”

What can your average citizen do to help support their local CACs?

“We need the general community to know that the programs should be supported, that they should be respected, and that the elected officials should be encouraged to commit further to the advancement of the programs.”

What is the future of the CAC movement? Are there any new areas for development and awareness?

“We have a network of hundreds of the programs, but there need to be thousands of the programs. We need to do more outreach, we need to be more proactive in the communities where the programs are not where they need to be.

“We need to talk about child abuse, child sexual abuse, how children are victimized, how children aren't rescued. We need a national campaign.”

Hear Congressman Cramer's entire interview. Visit www.hopeshining.org/cramer.