Dunaway: Child Sex Abuse Is Issue In Upper Cumberland

One issue facing the Upper Cumberland region that may seem surprising is the number of child sex abuse cases.

That’s according to 13th Judicial District Attorney Bryant Dunaway. He said he has two prosecutors dedicated specifically deal with that caseload.

“That’ll give you an idea that it takes two lawyers, full-time just to prosecute that particular type of case, that’ll give you an idea of the volume of those types of cases,” Dunaway said. “And most of us don’t even realize that, and it’s kind of a shame, and it kind of makes you sad.”

Dunaway said in most cases of child sex abuse or physical abuse, the only people present are the victim and the offender. He said the community can help law enforcement with these issues by speaking up.

Dunaway said even if you are not sure but think it could potentially be abuse, it is safer to raise a flag than not. He said sometimes those claims are unfounded, but many times it leads investigators down the path to holding those offenders accountable.

“And without those reports, without those teachers who ma seen a bruise or seen unusual conduct by child, acting out in some way, those are many times signs of suspected abuse,” Dunaway said. “So you have to speak up and say something because that’s often the way to detect child abuse.”