The statistics are alarming. According to Darkness to Light, 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthdays. It is estimated that 90 percent of the victims of child sex abuse know their abuser. The median age for reported sexual abuse is 9 years old.
Educating the public is one of the most powerful tools to reverse those statistics. It is very likely that you know a victim of child sexual abuse, and you also likely know someone who is abusing a child.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and throughout the year, the Hopewell Valley YMCA and the Hopewell Municipal Alliance encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Hopewell Valley a better place for children and families. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help promote children’s social and emotional well-being and prevent child maltreatment within families and communities.
According to the Children’s Bureau of the United States Department Health and Human Services, research shows that when parents possess six protective factors, the risk for neglect and abuse diminish, and optimal outcomes for children, youth, and families are promoted. The six protective factors are: nurturing and attachment, knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development, parental resilience, social connections, concrete supports for parents, social and emotional developmental well-being. The Children’s Bureau funds the National Child Abuse Protection Month initiative.
There is an economic impact too. According to the National Institute of Justice, the immediate and tangible costs of intervention and treatment for a single incident of substantiated child sexual abuse are $14,345. Those expenses come from the public sector, the taxpayers. The United States spends $3.4 billion annually for the immediate costs of child sexual abuse.
April is a time to celebrate the important role that communities play in protecting children. Everyone’s participation is critical. Focusing on ways to build and promote the protective factors, in every interaction with children and families, is the best thing our community can do to prevent child maltreatment and promote optimal child development.
The Hopewell Valley YMCA delivers the Stewards of Children Program, which is an evidence-based curriculum from Darkness to Light. Darkness to Light is an international nonprofit organization that seeks to protect children from sexual abuse by placing responsibility squarely on adult shoulders.
Darkness to Light educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The Stewards of Children Program teaches participants four tools to use with child protection: Consciousness, Choice, Personal Power, and Relentless Compassion. The organization’s name indicates the power of actually shedding a light on a very dark subject.
How to get involved and engaged:
Attend a Stewards of Children Program. The Hopewell Valley YMCA offers local facilitated courses and also provides a link to an online course. This 2½ hour course will provide participants with tools and resources to protect children and to appropriately respond if a crisis arises. Through a seven-step learning process, adults are taught to take action and act as responsible guardians for children. The seven steps from Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children are:
1. Learn the facts/understand the risks. become aware of the significant threat that children face from child sexual abuse. Make decisions for children based on the facts of child sexual abuse rather than on levels of trust in others.
2. Minimize the opportunity. If you eliminate or reduce one-adult/one-child situations, you’ll dramatically lower the risk of sexual abuse for children.
3. Talk about it. Children often keep abuse a secret, but barriers can be broken down ty talking opening about it.
4. Stay alert. Do not expect there to be obvious signs when a child is being sexually abused. The signs are often emotional or behavioral, not physical or verbal. It takes an alert adult to recognize these signs.
5. Make a plan. Learn where to go, who to call and how to react in the best interest of your child even if you have no suspicions that your child is being sexually abused. Formulating plans in advance can be of significant benefit to your child should abuse occur.
6. Act on suspicions. Being a silent bystander to sexual abuse could contribute to a lifetime of psychological and emotional problems for a child victim.
7. Get involved. Volunteer and financially support organizations that fight the tragedy of child sexual abuse.
Become a child advocate. Volunteer with a local youth-serving organization and be a champion of child protection. Insist on best practices such as open door policies, elimination of one adult/one child situations, and be an advocate for the creation of child protection policies if they do not currently exist. Ask about screening and hiring practices: Are complete written applications collected? How are reference checks conducted? Are criminal background checks completed (including Social Security checks and traces)? And, are personnel/volunteer files maintained? Inquire about training practices and insist that written rules and expectations clarify expected behaviors which are shared with each new hire/volunteer and reinforced through regular trainings. A solid child protection program elicits assistance from parents by ensuring that you also know the behavior rules for staff and volunteers. Be vigilant about reporting gaps between expected protocols and actual behaviors.
Participate in Child Abuse Protection Month activities. Display pinwheels, the symbol for child abuse prevention because they represent a happy and uplifting childhood. Wear blue ribbons, pins, and tshirts to help promote awareness and show your support for protecting children.
Sign a pledge card. Download and print a pledge form at www.hvymca.org/advocacy or make your own form that promises:
I pledge to support efforts to end child sexual abuse and exploitation in Hopewell Valley; I pledge to protect the innocence of all children in my world; I pledge to monitor one on one interaction between an adult or older youth and a child; I pledge to believe a child, intervene and report if I suspect child sexual abuse; I pledge to get educated on how to predict and prevent child sexual abuse; I pledge my eyes, my voice, to protect children.
Immediately report any suspicions of child abuse. In the state of New Jersey, anyone with reasonable cause to believe a child is being abused should immediately call the 24-hour Child Abuse Hotline at 1-877 NJ ABUSE. Callers can remain anonymous and are not required to provide proof when alleging child abuse. When calling the hotline, be prepared to provide the name, age, and address of the child. Additionally, you should provide the name and pertinent information about the alleged abuser. An officer from the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency will investigate cases of child abuse within 24 hours of receiving the report.
If you know about a case of child abuse and neglect to report it, in New Jersey, you are considered a “disorderly person” and can be charged by law enforcement.
Finally, know that you are investing in building healthy youth and a healthy community. The Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance fosters that motto as a cornerstone of its work. Invest in protecting our children. Together we can build a stronger future by supporting our children.
Doug Pszczolkowski is the CEO of the Hopewell Valley YMCA and a volunteer facilitator for Darkness To Light’s Stewards of Children.
This op-ed is part of a series presented by the Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance, which envisions a community united in the development of caring, confident and responsible youth. Heidi Kahme, coordinator.
