According to the Tennessee Department of Children's Services, illegal drug use is largely responsible for the approximately 8,500 children in the state's foster care system. In fact, cases in which children were removed from their homes due to illegal drug use have nearly tripled in the past five years. "In short, drugs are having a dramatic, negative impact on the lives of children in our state," said Tonya Hobbs, Director of Kymari House.

That is why Kymari House has joined with the Child Advocacy Center and other agencies in our community for "19 Days of Activism for the Prevention of Abuse and Violence Against Children and Youth, an international event sponsored by The Women's World Summit Foundation. "This event is held each year from November 1-19 to highlight issues impacting children," said Hobbs. The theme of this year's event is the impact of substance abuse on children and youth.

Kymari House is a non-profit agency providing court-ordered services for children and families impacted by child abuse, family violence, and conflict. The agency provides supervised visitation, supervised exchange, family counseling and community education about child safety and managing family conflict. "All services are provided on a sliding fee scale, and no family is turned away due to an inability to pay," said Hobbs.

Kymari House is a non-profit agency providing court-ordered services for children and families impacted by child abuse, family violence, and conflict. The agency provides supervised visitation, supervised exchange, family counseling and community education about child safety and managing family conflict. "All services are provided on a sliding fee scale, and no family is turned away due to an inability to pay," said Hobbs.

According to Hobbs, a licensed social worker, drug abuse in a home places children at greater risk for all forms of child maltreatment including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. The cost to society over the lifespan of the child can be staggering. "We believe events like this are important in educating the community about the fact that drugs don't just hurt the user," said Hobbs. "They impact every member of that person's family, especially the children."

More Information:

For more information on the 19 Days of Activism visit the Women's World Summit Foundation website at http://19days.woman.ch/index.php/en/