Angie Reinoehl/MDN Christal Halseth addresses the audience in front of a candle vigil, each one honoring the 609 children the organization served in 2022.

The Northern Plains Children’s Advocacy Center (NPCAC) held its third annual SAVE JANE event on Wednesday evening at Oak Park in Minot.

SAVE JANE is a nationwide event that was inaugurated in Dallas, Texas, which honors children who have been the victims of crime. Fifty volunteers gathered at the Oak Park Ampitheater to read the names of the 609 children NPCAC served in 2022 and the crimes that were committed against them. To protect their anonymity, all victims were referred to as “Jane Doe” or “John Doe.”

The event consisted of informational booths from organizations that serve children including the Ward County Sheriff’s Department, Souris Valley United Way, the North Dakota Human Trafficking Task Force, the North Dakota Association for the Disabled and Independence Inc.

“We want to show support to the children that are affected by abuse. We want to show them that the community stands by them, and we thought this was a good way to do that,” said Christal Halseth, executive director of NPCAC. Halseth reached out to the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center in 2020 after a few NPCAC employees attended a SAVE JANE event to bring the event to North Dakota. It remains the only SAVE JANE event in the state.

“Every day, there are reports of child abuse made in Ward County,” Halseth said. “To the general public and in media reports the children in these stories are simply Jane Doe or John Doe. This anonymity is a much-needed protection for the child. But it also makes it easier, way too easy, for our community to distance ourselves from the reality of this crisis.”

Halseth said NPCAC works as a team with law enforcement, Child Protective Services, prosecution and medical professionals. SAVE JANE acts as a call to action to the community to join the team to make an even greater difference. Community members can do their part by attending events like SAVE JANE, always reporting suspected child abuse and neglect, voting for elected officials that support children’s advocacy centers, volunteering their time or by making donations to help fund vital services.

Halseth said there is a growing need in the area for NPCAC’s service. She said that last year they served 609 individuals, but six months into the current fiscal year they’ve already served more than 759 individuals.

“It breaks my heart when I imagine that moment when a child realizes their fears are real,” Halseth said. “No imaginary teddy bear or blanket can save them. Their imaginations and dreams then become their torment as they replay in their mind the sexual abuse, physical abuse and trauma that’s been committed against them. There are also the children that never can dream. The realities are so full of chaos, drug exposure and violence from birth that they don’t even realize the joy and the power of their imagination.”

Halseth went on to say that child abuse leaves lifelong effects on survivors. Victims are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, begin early-age drinking and smoking, have teenage pregnancies, be in domestic violent relationships and grow up to live in poverty. Professionals at NCPAC come together to provide specialized services to children and non-offending family members in seeking justice and the tools to heal.

“As somebody who works with these people, I know how important it is to give a child a voice,” said volunteer Miriam Smette. Smette works as the victim and witness coordinator for the McHenry County State’s Attorney office, where she helps families navigate the legal process when difficult charges come to light. She went on to say that her office works hand-in-hand with NPCAC for interviews with specially trained forensic interviewers, therapy and support for victims on court days.

Smette also said people tend to think crimes against children are more prominent in large cities but that it’s twice as likely someone will identify as a child sex abuse victim in a rural area. As many as one in 10 children are affected. She likened the healing process from sexual abuse to the process of grieving, saying there’s steps and sometimes regression. Smette commended the work of NPCAC, saying that she watches the organization support victims at every stage of healing.

“We want the community to know that behind every Jane Doe and John Doe, there is a story of abuse, a story of adults failing children, but also there’s a story of resiliency and possibility that includes adults who want to desperately help,” Halseth said.