Zebra Centre says it supported record number of children in 2022 due to increase in reporting

The Zebra Child and Youth Advocacy Centre broke a record for demands for service in 2022 for the second year in a row.

The centre provides free support to children or youth who have been the victim of abuse, or witnessed a crime, in a space that's comforting and welcoming.

In 2020, the centre supported 2,884 children in youth. That number jumped to 3,844 in 2021, a 35 per cent increase.

In 2022, 4,272 children and youth were supported by the centre, a jump of 11 per cent.

"I honestly didn’t think we’d surpass 2021 because it was a record year that year. So we were a little surprised just how busy we were," Zebra Centre CEO Emmy Stuebing told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

While the increase in demand is alarming, Stuebing says it doesn't mean more children are suffering abuse, rather reporting of abuse is becoming more common.

"We’re all so glad that people are reporting abuse. We can’t help kids if we don’t know about it. So we believe reporting is increasing," she said.

"Every adult in Alberta actually has a legal duty to report. It’s our job as grown-ups to report if we think something bad is happening to children. I’m hopeful and optimistic that a part of our growth is because more people are realizing it’s their job to report something."

Stuebing says the Zebra Centre primarily supports children ages three to 18, with 10 to 14 being the highest demographic, and in rare cases they also provide support to adults.

"We actually on occasion have people over the age of 18 who might have developmental disabilities, that kind of thing, so if it’s more appropriate for someone to come to a comfortable place than go to a police station. We’ll step up and do our best to help."

They also focus on providing support to the child's safe caregiver.

"Equipping them with the confidence, and just the assurance that they’ve done nothing wrong as safe caregivers, and that we’re here to work together to help support this child. That they’re not alone in this."

INTERNET LURING ON THE RISE

Stuebing says the number one issue the centre deals with is sexual abuse, but internet luring and exploitation are also becoming more common.

"There might be one suspect but dozens, or even upwards of hundreds of young people interacting with that person. In those instances, sometimes we’ve had 100 children come in for interviews, and some need different services and supports."

She says it's a good reminder for parents to monitor their children's internet activity, and encourage dialogue.

"Not just leave your child alone with their computer. To talk to them. If you encounter someone who’s making you feel kind of uncomfortable, talk to a grown-up. Whether it’s a parent, or a teacher, or whomever, but parents do need to be diligent, even with the young, young ages."

MORE SPACE NEEDED

The increased demand for service means the Zebra Centre needs to expand to a bigger space.

"Zebra has been in this same building for our 21-year existence. We were only supposed to be here just to kind of get started. We’re in an office tower. This is not ideal."

"We only have four forensic interviewer rooms, which means they’re often constantly in use. And that means it might take a bit of time for a child to come in to disclose what happened to them, and we want them to come in as soon as possible."

She says they hope to announce plans for a new facility in the coming months.

"We’re planning to double the number of interview rooms, triple the number of family rooms, add more therapy rooms."

VERY IMPORTANT PAWS

One bright spot for staff and clients at the centre is the Zebra's Very Important Paws program.

The centre has three support dogs — Fletcher, Captain, and Cajun — who provide children with emotional support for sharing their stories and assist them in court.

"The number one thing that families love are our dogs," Stuebing said.

"Fletcher primarily works out of the courthouse, so he does a lot of accompanying the children, just being a comfort, almost a security blanket if they have to go into court."

Cajun (foreground) poses with Zebra Centre facility dogs Fletcher and Captain. (John Hanson/CTV News Edmonton)

And it's not just the children who benefit from the support animals. Staff and volunteers who must process the traumas experienced by the children also love the dogs.

"While their primary purpose is to support the children and the families that come here, I’d say virtually every day, someone from our team needs to go have some snuggle time or wants to take one of the dogs for a walk, or just wants to hang out and lie there with one of the dogs.

Stuebing says the Zebra Centre is currently on a waitlist for additional support dogs.

"If I had my way and I could snap my fingers, we would have six instead of three. The dogs make such a difference for everyone."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa.