Carol D Levine, NAASCA VP
Here's a terrific newspaper article about Carol D. Levine, NAASCA's vice-president, and her activism (see below). It appeared in New Jersey's Lehigh Valley News on April 1, 2013, at the beginning of the 30th Annual Child Abuse Awareness month.
Carol makes many in-person presentations in and around Phillipsburg, NJ, co-hosts NAASCA's talk radio shows and is the author of the autobiography "Panic Child: A Harrowing True Story of Sexual Abuse and Neglect." It describes her many childhood traumas, how it effected her adulthood and what her life became in recovery.
One of our most committed NAASCA volunteers, red headed Carol D. Levine has been on her healing journey from a devastating childhood for over 30 years, and jokes that most of the time she's 85% healed.
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Phillipsburg woman refuses to stay silent about child abuse on radio show
by Colin McEvoy
Child abuse is an issue most people would rather avoid talking about altogether. Carol Levine is not one of those people.
Herself a survivor of child abuse, the 65-year-old Phillipsburg woman co-hosts an Internet radio show six days a week about child abuse awareness and prevention.
April marks the 30th anniversary of National Child Abuse Awareness Month. As difficult a subject it can be to discuss and hear about, Levine believes it's important that people be aware of the issue.
“People don't want to think about it. They put their heads in the sand,” Levine said. “We're trying to keep the conversation going and get rid of the stigma of talking about child abuse.”
Part of Levine's refusal to stay silent stems from the silence she endured when suffering abuse in her childhood.
Levine was molested by her uncle for about 18 months starting at age 6, and during that time she, like many child abuse victims, did not speak out because of fear she would be harmed.
“I was told I'd be killed if I told,” Levine said. “I took it for a year and a half and I couldn't take it anymore. I decided I'd rather die than keep it a secret anymore.”
In a separate incident, a 9-year-old Levine was stalked and kidnapped by a stranger, who pulled her into his van and held her for three hours.
Levine believes that even today, few understand the scope and magnitude of the child abuse problem in this country.
At least 850,000 children will be sexually abused this year alone, according to the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, which runs the radio show Levine co-hosts.
A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds, according to the group. There are more than 42 million survivors of sexual abuse in America, and 293,000 children and youth are estimated to be at risk of exploitation.
Like Levine, 90 percent are abused by someone they know, love or trust. And, according to association, between 66 percent and 99 percent of sexual abuse victims never tell anyone.
Levine co-hosts the show "Stop Child Abuse Now" from Monday to Friday, and "Community Matters" on Sunday. She interviews a variety of guests, including doctors, members of law enforcement, specialists, college professors and child abuse victims.
Levine knows from experience how difficult it is to be a survivor. In her youth after she was assaulted, she skipped school, had panic attacks, abused alcohol and saw friends die in front of her from drug overdoses.
“It damages you,” she said. “It never goes away. Even today, I'd say I'm about 85 percent OK.”
Levine also noted child abuse is a very expensive national problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that confirmed cases of child mistreatment cost about $124 billion a year to treat.
The per-victim lifetime costs include $32,648 in childhood health care costs, $144,360 in productivity losses and $10,530 in adult medical costs, among other expenses, according to the CDC.
Levine encourages listeners to call in to her show live but also said that archives of the show dating to 2009 are available on the association web site.
Carol makes many in-person presentations in and around Phillipsburg, NJ, co-hosts NAASCA's talk radio shows and is the author of the autobiography "Panic Child: A Harrowing True Story of Sexual Abuse and Neglect." It describes her many childhood traumas, how it effected her adulthood and what her life became in recovery.
One of our most committed NAASCA volunteers, red headed Carol D. Levine has been on her healing journey from a devastating childhood for over 30 years, and jokes that most of the time she's 85% healed.
~~~~~~~~
Phillipsburg woman refuses to stay silent about child abuse on radio show
by Colin McEvoy
Child abuse is an issue most people would rather avoid talking about altogether. Carol Levine is not one of those people.
Herself a survivor of child abuse, the 65-year-old Phillipsburg woman co-hosts an Internet radio show six days a week about child abuse awareness and prevention.
April marks the 30th anniversary of National Child Abuse Awareness Month. As difficult a subject it can be to discuss and hear about, Levine believes it's important that people be aware of the issue.
“People don't want to think about it. They put their heads in the sand,” Levine said. “We're trying to keep the conversation going and get rid of the stigma of talking about child abuse.”
Part of Levine's refusal to stay silent stems from the silence she endured when suffering abuse in her childhood.
Levine was molested by her uncle for about 18 months starting at age 6, and during that time she, like many child abuse victims, did not speak out because of fear she would be harmed.
“I was told I'd be killed if I told,” Levine said. “I took it for a year and a half and I couldn't take it anymore. I decided I'd rather die than keep it a secret anymore.”
In a separate incident, a 9-year-old Levine was stalked and kidnapped by a stranger, who pulled her into his van and held her for three hours.
Levine believes that even today, few understand the scope and magnitude of the child abuse problem in this country.
At least 850,000 children will be sexually abused this year alone, according to the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, which runs the radio show Levine co-hosts.
A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds, according to the group. There are more than 42 million survivors of sexual abuse in America, and 293,000 children and youth are estimated to be at risk of exploitation.
Like Levine, 90 percent are abused by someone they know, love or trust. And, according to association, between 66 percent and 99 percent of sexual abuse victims never tell anyone.
Levine co-hosts the show "Stop Child Abuse Now" from Monday to Friday, and "Community Matters" on Sunday. She interviews a variety of guests, including doctors, members of law enforcement, specialists, college professors and child abuse victims.
Levine knows from experience how difficult it is to be a survivor. In her youth after she was assaulted, she skipped school, had panic attacks, abused alcohol and saw friends die in front of her from drug overdoses.
“It damages you,” she said. “It never goes away. Even today, I'd say I'm about 85 percent OK.”
Levine also noted child abuse is a very expensive national problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that confirmed cases of child mistreatment cost about $124 billion a year to treat.
The per-victim lifetime costs include $32,648 in childhood health care costs, $144,360 in productivity losses and $10,530 in adult medical costs, among other expenses, according to the CDC.
Levine encourages listeners to call in to her show live but also said that archives of the show dating to 2009 are available on the association web site.