Although more than two decades have passed, 26-year-old Rezal Martinez clearly recalls the extreme emotional toll sexual abuse took on her as a child.
"From about the ages of 3 to 5, I was sexually assaulted by my father, and my whole life changed," Martinez said. "It was so bad at age 5, I actually tried committing suicide. That's when my mom decided, obviously, I needed to see a counselor."
"From about the ages of 3 to 5, I was sexually assaulted by my father, and my whole life changed," Martinez said. "It was so bad at age 5, I actually tried committing suicide. That's when my mom decided, obviously, I needed to see a counselor."
She began child abuse treatment in Washington before moving to Colorado at 10 years old. At that time, she began counseling at the Kempe Center, which uses teams of doctors, psychologists and social workers to treat the broad spectrum of child abuse and neglect, including physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
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"Treatment interrupts the cycle of child abuse by helping children be aware of what's happening to them and being able to talk about it," said Diane Baird, a licensed clinical social worker at the Kempe Center. She said there are two primary goals for treatment. "The first is to restore the child to physical and psychological well being. But the second is to intervene in the parent-child relationship which is disturbed, or abuse wouldn't be the pattern of care giving,"
According to a 2009 report from the state of Colorado Division of Child Welfare, child abuse and neglect cases are on the rise statewide. In 2009, 641 more children were maltreated in Colorado than the year before; 11,339 in 2009 compared to 10,698 in 2008. Additionally, the rates increased even more dramatically in Colorado over the past two years, with 1,236 additional children abused and neglected as compared to 2007.
New research has found childhood abuse and neglect can also have an impact far beyond what you might expect, including health problems like obesity and even lung disease.
"If we could treat the issues that go on within a family that lead to this type of thing, then we could prevent all kinds of adult issues: mental health issues, substance abuse issues, issues of other types of violence later in adulthood, and other types of crime," said Dr. Antonia Chiesa, a child abuse pediatrician at the Kempe Center.
"I often wonder how I didn't end up being just another statistic, on drugs and alcohol, or homeless, or dead frankly," Martinez said. She credits her family and counselors for helping her overcome the abuse, which is why she's studying to become a counselor herself.
"My goal is actually to go into drama therapy and then help children and give back to the community by helping children who have also gone through abuse," Martinez said.
Her advice to victims of child abuse and neglect is that it's never too late to seek treatment.
"Even though something hard has happened to you, or something bad has happened to you and you think it's the end, it's only the end if you let it be the end," Martinez said.
Besides becoming a counselor, Martinez is also helping the cause of child abuse prevention by training with a team of 17 people for the Cherry Creek Sneak 5K run, which benefits The Kempe Foundation.
According to a 2009 report from the state of Colorado Division of Child Welfare, child abuse and neglect cases are on the rise statewide. In 2009, 641 more children were maltreated in Colorado than the year before; 11,339 in 2009 compared to 10,698 in 2008. Additionally, the rates increased even more dramatically in Colorado over the past two years, with 1,236 additional children abused and neglected as compared to 2007.
New research has found childhood abuse and neglect can also have an impact far beyond what you might expect, including health problems like obesity and even lung disease.
"If we could treat the issues that go on within a family that lead to this type of thing, then we could prevent all kinds of adult issues: mental health issues, substance abuse issues, issues of other types of violence later in adulthood, and other types of crime," said Dr. Antonia Chiesa, a child abuse pediatrician at the Kempe Center.
"I often wonder how I didn't end up being just another statistic, on drugs and alcohol, or homeless, or dead frankly," Martinez said. She credits her family and counselors for helping her overcome the abuse, which is why she's studying to become a counselor herself.
"My goal is actually to go into drama therapy and then help children and give back to the community by helping children who have also gone through abuse," Martinez said.
Her advice to victims of child abuse and neglect is that it's never too late to seek treatment.
"Even though something hard has happened to you, or something bad has happened to you and you think it's the end, it's only the end if you let it be the end," Martinez said.
Besides becoming a counselor, Martinez is also helping the cause of child abuse prevention by training with a team of 17 people for the Cherry Creek Sneak 5K run, which benefits The Kempe Foundation.
