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Letter: Protecting society’s most vulnerable citizens

Editor, Gazette-Journal:

A Gloucester jury recently convicted a man of felony child abuse and sentenced him to five years and a $50,000 fine. This case highlights our dedication to the youngest citizens and is timely as April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1 in 10 children will suffer from maltreatment, 1 in 16 will be sexually abused and 1 in 10 will be a witness to family violence. For cases resulting in prosecution, the goal of every prosecutor should not only be to seek justice against the perpetrator, but to also limit re-victimization of the child in the process. To help ensure Gloucester’s children receive the best care, I mandated that each of the attorneys who prosecute child abuse cases successfully complete “ChildFirst,” a nationally recognized training for the forensic interviewing of children. This is an intensive and rigorous program that culminates in a critiqued mock forensic i...

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