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COLUMBIA, (WACH) -- Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands serves Sumter, Richland, Lexington and Newberry counties providing support service for those who have fallen victim to sexual assault and abuse.

Those services include crisis intervention, counseling, personal and legal advocacy prevention and education in schools.

Recent allegations of children involved in sexual activity have been reported nationwide.

According to KABC-TV in Carson California a pre-school was shut down after alleged sexual activity between students.

Recently, in Sumter another story of a 13 year old boy who was accused of sexually assaulting a 10 year old boy.

Although the Executive Director of Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, Ginny Waller couldn't comment on the Sumter case, she did give her professional opinion on how these situations can happen.

"I think the key to remember is often times children who are perpetrators have been victimized themselves. They didn't wake up one morning and think I'm going to perpetrate another child. They have seen it whether it has been an adult showing them pornography or they have actually experienced their own perpetration from an adult and therefore are then exhibiting that behavior on to another child," said Waller.

Youth violence prevention program in middle and high schools a curriculum focusing on healthy relationships, boundary settings, sexual violence, and teen dating violence.

Waller also said around 30 percent of victim service groups are children under the age of seventeen.

Their 24/7 hotline number is 803-771-7273 and is operated by trained individuals around the clock.