CAC honors state Rep. Michelle Mussman with Community Champion Award
On Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, Children’s Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County (CAC) presented Illinois state Rep. Michelle Mussman (D) with the Community Champion award at its 35th birthday celebration in Hoffman Estates.
“CAC knows how important it is to have advocates in the community who can help raise awareness of the work that our organization is doing and proactively invest their time in policies and projects that protect the most vulnerable residents,” said CAC CEO Melanie Pignotti. “More specifically, we are thankful that Rep. Mussman co-sponsored HB4623, which Gov. Pritzker signed into law on Aug. 12.”
In presenting the Community Champion award to Mussman, Pignotti explained that CAC has seen an increase in Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and technology-related victimizations. HB4623 prohibits the use of AI technology to create child pornography that either involves real children or obscene imagery. The bill also separately prohibits the nonconsensual dissemination of certain AI-generated sexual images. CAC believes that legislation like HB4623 will help hold offenders accountable and protect the well-being of children.
Mussman shared her reason for supporting this legislation, saying: “We must always be vigilant to make sure our laws, especially those protecting children, keep pace with changing times and technology. I worry that people may consider AI generated images to be a victimless crime but fail to appreciate how they can still originate with an actual child, how they can encourage consumption and normalization of this kind of material and how some individuals can be agitated into abusive action against young victims.”
Since her election in 2010, Rep. Mussman has served the 56th District, which includes parts of Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Des Plaines and Roselle. She is on six committees, including the Appropriations-Human Services committee, the Mental Health & Addiction committee and the Adoption & Child Welfare Committee. Mussman is also a Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois board member.
“On behalf of the children and families we serve, CAC thanks Rep. Michelle Mussman, along with her legislative colleagues, for quickly passing this bill this summer and sending it to the governor for signature. When we all work together, we strengthen our communities and help our kids live safer, healthier lives,” Pignotti added.
For information on CAC’s programs and services, visit cachelps.org.
Since 1989, Children’s Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County (CAC) has worked to empower the voices of children who have experienced violence, inspire hope and help them overcome their trauma.
Before the existence of CACs, children who reported abuse would have to tell their stories multiple times to multiple people. Children would relive the most traumatic moments in their lives over and over again. CAC changed that.
CAC coordinates a single interview for the child with its Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) made up of local police, DCFS and state's attorneys, which limits additional trauma to the child.
CAC advocates meet with the non-offending parents/caregivers and walk them through the forensic interview process and what they can expect.
Specially trained Forensic Interviewers ask the children trauma-informed, age-appropriate questions that get all the necessary information to continue with the investigation. These interviews are viewed live by the CAC Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and recorded, reducing the number of times a child needs to give their account of the incident.
Advocates continue to help the family navigate the investigative process, connect with other supportive community resources and refer them to CAC's in-house trauma therapy.
Trauma therapists provide highly specialized mental health counseling to children and their non-offending family members to help them process the trauma and build resilience.
CAC’s primary service area covers 38 North and Northwest Chicago suburbs. However, it also conducts courtesy interviews from the collar counties and the city of Chicago, as requested. All services are offered free of charge and in English and Spanish. An interpreter bank is available for other language needs. More information is available at cachelps.org.