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Amberly’s Place, a family advocacy center, assists abuse victims in Yuma County and part of Imperial County. In May, the agency served 197 primary and secondary abuse victims. In June, the number of primary and secondary victims rose to 243. Secondary victims are those indirectly affected by abuse, perhaps the children or siblings of the victim.

“We have seen a bit of an increase in cases of child abuse and domestic violence,” Tori Bourguignon, executive director, told the Yuma Sun.

In May, the agency served eight primary victims of child physical abuse and/or neglect, an increase of 100% over the same period last year, and 20 primary victims of child sexual abuse and/or assault, an increase of 150% over last year.

The agency also helped 77 primary victims of domestic violence, a 22% increase over last year.

In June, Amberly’s Place assisted four primary victims of child physical abuse and/or neglect, 15 primary victims of child sexual abuse and/or assault and 70 primary victims of domestic violence.

While the cases of child abuse remained the same or dropped slightly, the number of domestic violence cases rose by 13% over the same period last year.

“What those numbers do not show is the severity of physical and emotional injuries with which these children are presenting. In addition to an increase in sexual abuse, the physical abuse cases are significantly more severe in terms of the injuries and trauma.”

The increase in child abuse is a “stark reminder that we must continue to be vigilant and protective of all children in our community,” Bourguignon noted. “It’s important to remember that as a community, we all have a responsibility to look after our children and to not ever assume that (the Arizona Department of Child Safety) or law enforcement are already involved.”

She also pointed out that someone charged with the care and custody of children is a mandated reporter and must report suspected abuse by law.

Crisis response call outs from all agencies have also been increasing each month as the pandemic numbers continue to drop and the community is able to resume normal activities.

“We value and appreciate the collaborative partnerships with law enforcement and community agencies who call upon our advocates and refer victims in need of services,” Bourguignon said.

Abuse doesn’t involve just children. Senior citizens are also victimized. Consequently, Amberly’s Place marked June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month and culminated the month with a Facebook Live forum. The agency hosted a panel of local experts who answered questions regarding the topic of elder abuse. The forum drew more than 3,000 viewers.

Bourguignon hopes that “we were able to shed light on this under-reported but important issue.”

The recently appointed executive director also thanked those who have reached out to welcome her. “I am honored and humbled to have been chosen to serve my community in this capacity and am looking forward to working with you and your agencies,” Bourguignon wrote in an email to supporters. “Your partnerships and collaboration are instrumental to the success of Amberly’s Place.”

To talk to a crisis advocate, call the hotline: 928-373-0849. For more information on spotting the signs of abuse, go to www.AmberlysPlace.com.

ABUSE STATISTICS FOR MAY/JUNE

Primary victims: 110/102

Secondary victims: 87/141

TOTAL: 197/243

BY AGENCY

Yuma Police: 51/85

Yuma County Sheriff’s Office: 41/42

Somerton Police: 23/21

San Luis Police: 21/19

Wellton Police: 1/0

Quechan Police: 0/0

Cocopah Police:0/1

Imperial County Sheriff’s Office: 9/2

FBI/CID/military/NCIS: 0/0

AWC Police: 1/0

Other agency: 6/0