It’s a secret many experience. According to Prevent Child Abuse Virginia, one in four girls and one in six boys become victims of sexual abuse by age 18. That’s one reason SCAN opened the region’s first Child Advocacy Center last fall on Broad Street in Old City Hall.

Among SCAN’s efforts to educate the public is an ongoing project to assess the state of child abuse and neglect by compiling better information on cases in the Greater Richmond area. “We need to put pressure on localities to collect better data,” Harper says. — Brandon Walters

Letters to the editor may be sent to: letters@styleweekly.com