A man from Chester County in Pennsylvania is facing criminal charges of inflicting sexual abuse and trauma on at least three young children in an in-home daycare.

According to local news source Penn Live, James Anthony Battista and his wife ran their own in-home daycare, Little Friends Daycare.

He reportedly sexually assaulted one of the victims when they were three years old at the time, with three other children coming forward during the police investigation. According to police, the victims ranged between three to seven years old and more may reportedly come forward in the near future.

“Due to the severity of the crimes and the fact that Battista came into contact with numerous children over the years, we have reason to believe that there are more victims that have yet to come forward,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. William Donahue told Penn Live.

According to a local NBC affiliate, the investigation began in August 2009, when the first victim came forward alleging Battista sexually assaulted her, with a second victim coming forward in April 2010.

Two more victims later come forward, with the latest allegation made on June 14, 2018. According to the police, no charges were filed at the time due to a number of “factors to hold off prosecution at that time.”

The charges Battista is facing include rape of a child, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, and endangering the welfare of children. Battista was recently arraigned and remanded to Chester County Prison on $500,000 bail, with his preliminary hearing scheduled during March 2019.

Trooper Gallina is currently encouraging potential victims to come forward, assuring them his office will “investigate whatever crime occurred to you to the fullest extent.”

Overview of Childhood Sexual Abuse Trauma

When young children suffer sexual abuse and trauma, it can cause intense long lasting neurological issues affecting brain development.

According to American Nurse Today, adults who suffered childhood sexual abuse show significantly diminished brain activities on diagnostic scans, with the structure and function of the hippocampus often taking the most damage. The hippocampus is responsible for learning and memory, which means it can damage how the victims process different situations in their adult life.

According to Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, victims of childhood sexual abuse often suffer from anxiety, poor self esteem, dysfunctional relationships, and PTSD. In addition, depression and impaired immune functioning have also been associated with childhood sexual abuse victims.

Overall, the effects of childhood sexual abuse and trauma are devastating with both personal accounts and medical literature highlighting the severity of its effects.

Even though this is a serious problem, it is a prevalent problem with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimating that 12-40 percent of children suffer from some form of childhood sexual abuse in the United States.

Oftentimes, victims feel ashamed or scared of reporting their attackers along with the stigma of being a victim. In addition pursuing legal action is often difficult, with many childhood sexual abuse victims often internalizing their trauma for decades before feeling ready to come forward.

Victims of childhood sexual abuse in New York can get some reassurance in this regard, with the state recently updating their Child Abuse Victims laws to give children until the age of 55 to bring civil suits against their alleged predators.

This article is not legal advice or medical advice. It is presented for informational purposes only.

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