Bikers raise awarness of child sex abuse

OFF THE WIRE
A group of bikers calling themselves the Guardians of the Children has targeted Gaston County for a new chapter with the aim of building awareness of child sexual abuse and raising money for support groups that serve victims of abuse.
Gaston County is ranked sixth out of 100 counties in child abuse and incest, according to the Child Advocacy Center.
The Guardians of the Children works in a supporting role, mostly in fundraising and awareness, for police and other help agencies.
The group works toward giving a voice to abused children and helps organizations like the Child Advocacy Center of Gaston County fund its efforts to create a zero-tolerance for child abuse in the community. The group is also working to help toughen child sexual abuse laws.
“Other counties seem to have more funding opportunities than Gaston does,” Laurie McClure, director of the Child Advocacy Center of Gaston County, said.
The Gaston chapter of the Guardians inducted and “patched” 17 new members during a ceremony Saturday night.
The group got its start in San Antonio in 2006. The founder, L.T. Trevino, attended Saturday’s ceremony and said it was the most people he has seen patched at any ceremony. The group has 22 chapters across the country in 13 states, according to Trevino. Two are in North Carolina, the Gaston chapter and another in Mooresville. Each new member received a patch that says “Guardians of the Children” on it. They will wear the patches on their leather vests and jackets.
Phil Middleton, president of the Gaston chapter, said, “Everyday this past week there has been a headline in The Gaston Gazette about a child being abused. We’ve got to change that.”
Many of the members of the Guardians of the Children participate because they were abused as children or know someone who was or is being abused.
“We do have survivors in our group,” said Ally Street. “We want to bring the abuse to the forefront of people’s minds. We want to let the children know that there are people out there who will protect them.”
The group is a nonprofit and has raised money for the Child Advocacy Center of Gaston County.

But members cannot be involved in an actual child abuse case due to confidentiality laws, according to McClure.

“There are strict confidentiality rules between us and law enforcement and the Department of Social Services,” McClure said. “Those rules override information going out to other people. We cannot introduce a client to an outside person.”

But McClure said the biker association can be affective in raising awareness in the community as well as in fundraising.

“Child sex abuse is a generational thing,” McClure said. “It is a cycle that has to be broken.”

Luann Laubscher can be reached at 704-869-1828.