MOCKSVILLE, N.C. -- Child abuse knows no boundaries.
"It impacts people of all socioeconomic backgrounds, all races," Jenny Smith, a Therapist at the Dragonfly House, explained. "It's in our schools, it's in our churches. It's boys and it's girls. It's everywhere."
It's why the Dragonfly House in Mocksville works year round to help victims of abuse. WFMY News 2 talked with the organization about its efforts in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The nonprofit provides medical care, therapy and legal advice. All services are free for victims of child abuse.
"It's hard enough having to talk about it (the abuse) one time. The last thing you want is for a child to have to repeat it over and over and over. So we try to really streamline the process," said Heydy Day, Victim Services Director.
The organization helped 367 kids last year, mostly from Davie and Davidson Counties.
People working there also work to educate the community to look for physical signs of abuse.
"Children who are learning to walk or pull up are going to have bruises over bony parts of their body. So they are going to have bruises on their forehead. They are going to have bruises on their knees and chins, that's normal. Finding bruises over the soft parts of the body, that's worrisome unless you have a really good explanation for it," said Dr. Amy Suttle, the Medical Director at the Dragonfly House.
The emotional warning signs are just as important.
"If you see a sudden loss of interest. Isolation, kids that used to be very sociable and they want to stay in their room a lot. Or picking up bad habits like alcohol or drugs," Smith said.
If you suspect child abuse, you are required by law to report it in North Carolina. Advocates at the Dragonfly House stress that it's better to speak up and be wrong than to let a case of child abuse go on.