Most Child Sexual Abuse Occurs at the Hands of Trusted Adults
November 7, 2007—Denver—State sexual violence
experts Wednesday said that the vast
majority of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone the
child
knows. “Teaching children about strangers is not enough to
keep them safe.
All adults in the community play a vital role in preventing
child sexual
abuse,” stressed Jen Bruner, prevention education
coordinator for the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s
Sexual Assault
Prevention Program. Bruner stated that adults are often
reluctant to believe a trusted
family friend or relative would hurt a child in this way.
But taking
action at the first hint of something inappropriate could
prevent sexual
abuse from happening.
She added, “The only person to blame for the sexual abuse
of a child
is the abuser. Children are never to blame for being
sexually abused,
and the responsibility for keeping children safe lies
squarely with
adults.” One of the agencies the department provides grant
funding to is SHARE,
Inc., a private non-profit agency in Fort Morgan that
focuses on the
prevention and treatment of domestic and sexual violence.
“Programs like SHARE are crucial in that they provide sexual
assault
prevention training to adult caregivers who have contact
with
children,” said Bruner. “Such programs educate adults to
prevent,
recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.”
Paula Bragg, program coordinator for SHARE, said adults
routinely teach
their children to stay away from strangers. However, 90
percent of child
sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone the child knows.
“People who abuse children look and act just like everyone
else.
They often go out of their way to appear trustworthy to gain
access to
children,” Bragg said. Bragg provided the following seven
steps developed by The Stewards of
Children Program, which is part of SHARE, to protect
children from
sexual abuse:
- Learn the facts. Realities-not
trust-should influence your
decisions regarding your child.
- Minimize opportunity.
More than 80 percent of sexual abuse cases
occur in one-adult/one-child situations. Eliminating or
reducing these
situations will dramatically lower the risk of sexual abuse
on children.
- Talk about sexuality and sexual abuse with
children. Sexual
abuse occurs in a climate of secrecy. Children often keep
abuse a secret
so creating open dialogue on the issue makes children less
vulnerable
and more likely to disclose if they are approached sexually
by an adult
or older child.
- Stay alert. Don’t expect obvious signs
when a child is being
sexually abused. There may not be obvious signs. Physical
signs are
fairly uncommon, while emotional and behavior changes are
more typical.
If you notice changes in your child’s behavior such as
sleeping and
eating habits, new or unusual fears or nightmares, take them
seriously,
talk about it with your child and know where to go for help.
Don’t be
afraid to look into it if your instincts tell you that
something is
wrong. Your child’s safety is at stake.
- Make a plan. Learn where to go for help, who to call
and how to
react. For information on local resources call the Colorado
Department
of Public Health and Environment at 303-692-2469.
- Act
on suspicions. The future well-being of a child is at
stake.
- Get involved. Find out about the organizations
in your area that
fight child sexual abuse and how you can help. Volunteer and
financially
support organizations that fight the tragedy of child sexual
abuse.
Bragg indicated that participants who complete the
Stewards of Children
program have said they wish all parents could have this
training. One
person wrote on the evaluation, “This is a subject that has
been
overlooked for too long. It is about time we become more
educated to
minimize the abuse and help the abused.” For more
information about child sexual assault prevention, the
public
may call Bruner at 303-692-2469. To find out more about the
Stewards of
Children program and the seven prevention steps, contact
Paula Bragg at
SHARE, Inc. at 970-867-4444. --30-- |
