Tuberville praises Children’s Advocacy Center

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville highlighted the important work and world-class counseling services led by the National Children’s Advocacy Center (NCAC) in Huntsville.

“The National Children’s Advocacy Center in Huntsville is a global leader in services, investigations, and counseling for children who suffer physical and sexual abuse,” Tuberville (R-Auburn) said Monday on the Senate floor. “The center’s work is important, and I’m proud to share that work today.”

Tuberville visited the NCAC while visiting north Alabama last week and received a briefing and tour of the campus from Executive Director Chris Newlin and his team. The NCAC is a global leader in services, investigations, and counseling for children who suffer physical and sexual abuse. 

“I think we can all agree that we want our children to have access to all the opportunities that this great country provides,” Tuberville said. “Unfortunately, many children in Alabama and across the country are robbed of the opportunity to thrive and pursue their dreams because of abuse and neglect. During my visit, the center’s Executive Director Chris Newlin shared that one in ten American children today will be victims of abuse before the age of 18.

“This is horrific, it’s unacceptable, and it’s embarrassing to our country.”

Tuberville cited statistics showing an increase in the number of child abuse cases in the state and its financial toll.

“Nearly 600,000 kids in the United States were abused in 2021,” he said. “Let me repeat that: 600,000 kids in the greatest country on the face of the Earth were abused in 2021, with the most common form of abuse being neglect.

“Child abuse cases in Alabama have increased throughout the years, with more than 12,000 victims reported in 2018, costing the state of Alabama $3.7 billion — now that’s up $1.5 billion from just three years earlier. The cost is outrageous … We cannot allow this to continue in the United States of America.”

The NCAC has established more than 1,000 children’s advocacy centers operating throughout the United States and in 41 countries since its opening in 1985.

“The center’s reach does not end in Alabama — it has expanded across the country, and across the world,” Tuberville said. “In 2021, over 30,000 child abuse professionals from 50 states and 17 countries received NCAC training, and more than 400,000 children were served.

“I commend the team of the National Children’s Advocacy Center for their commitment to giving children a fighting chance — a fighting chance to overcome unthinkable hardships that most of us never had to realize.”