Amberly’s Place: Reports of sexual child abuse on the rise

There has been a 33 percent rise in sexual child abuse cases reported to Amberly’s Place over the past few months according to the local family advocacy center that urges victims of any abuse to report it.

The non-profit has a 24-hour hotline that can be reached at 928 – 373 – 0849.

“There is a lot of cases that go unreported,” said Diane Umphress, Executive Director at Amberly’s Place. “Realize only one-in-nine children ever report that they have been abused.”

There has been a 7-percent increase in physical abuse amongst reported victims as well, Umphress said.

Amberly’s Place works with victims of sexual, domestic, and physical abuse for any ages.

Throughout October and November, there have been 34 families that have reported abuse and have been adopted by the community so they can still have a Christmas to enjoy.

“These families will go on and be able to have a Christmas without about abuse, but the message the community is sending is that we care about you, we believe in you and we know that you can do it, that’s a powerful message,” Umphress said.

The money to make this possible comes from fundraisers, and donations from the community, she said.

The state of Arizona allows a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for Amberly’s Place. It is a $400 credit for single people and $800 credit for married people.

“So you can pay your Arizona taxes by making those donations to us and you get to say hey I want my money to stay in Yuma I want my money to help families in Yuma,” Said Umphress.

If you are a victim of abuse, Umphress said you should call 911 and then ask for an Amberly’s Place advocate to provide help, or you can go to the family advocacy center at Amberly’s Place.