Islanders organize to combat sex abuse
Posted Courtesy of the Daniel Island News (www.thedanielislandnews.com)
Published on 5/24/07
BY ELIZABETH BUSH
Of the Daniel Island News
Prevent-a-thon scheduled for August
The numbers are alarming.
It is estimated that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthdays. Perhaps even more frightening is that more than 90 percent of the time, the offender is not a stranger, but someone the child and his or her family knows and trusts.
A group of Daniel Island parents and community members has decided to take a stand against child sexual abuse, a crime that has no socioeconomic boundaries. Their message for predators is loud and clear.
"Not in my backyard!"
Under the guidance of Darkness to Light, a national non-profit organization based in Charleston that seeks to protect children from sexual abuse, the new Daniel Island coalition is gaining momentum.
"Children being sexually abused is a reality we live in," said Ann Lee, president and CEO of Darkness to Light, at a recent meeting on Daniel Island. "It is. It is. It is. What we’re trying to do is encourage individuals not to go into hysteria, but to understand the simple common-sense approach that if we acknowledge the reality, put safeguards in place, if we will demand that our youth-serving organizations have policies and procedures, and do prevention training…then we can begin to eliminate it."
Lee also told the group that the Internet is fast becoming one of the most dangerous places for children. Daniel Island, she said, is not immune.
"You will not believe what is going on in this community around Internet sex crimes," she warned. "It is unfathomable what is happening to our kids…Letting your child go online unmonitored is like dropping your kid off in a high-crime area and saying ‘I’ll pick you up in five hours’".
One of the key components of Darkness to Light is its Stewards of Children initiative, a revolutionary program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.
"It’s incredibly powerful and empowering," commented Lee.
Designed for parents, teachers, day care workers, coaches, and any other individuals who interact with children, the program teaches that child safety is an adult’s job. In August, Darkness to Light will conduct its annual "Prevent-a-Thon" program, a media-driven event that offers multiple trainings at various sites across the region. Daniel Island’s coalition, headed by island resident Gary White, has already signed on to participate and hopes to train at least 5 percent of the island population, or about 250 people, in the coming months.
"What are we going to do to protect our children?" asked White at the group’s recent kickoff gathering at Providence Baptist Church. "I think collectively if we come together as a community, this is how we do it…For anyone who is involved with children, even grandparents, the opportunity is there for them to take advantage of [this training]."
"I think we all want to protect our children and we all want to make sure that children remain innocent as long as possible," said Sandy Hill, another islander involved in the coalition. "This [program] is a great way to make sure that it happens."
The Daniel Island Community Fund has offered to underwrite the $5,250 it will cost to train island facilitators to lead sessions. Darkness to Light’s Daniel Island coalition will seek to raise an additional $3,500 to cover scholarships for the community training sessions, which typically cost $10 per person. Lee hopes to hold Daniel Island up as "a shining example" to other communities throughout the region and country.
"We’re just thrilled that there is an energy and a synergy here," she said. "Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could really hold Daniel Island up as a community that gets it, demonstrates it, and moves into action the desire to keep kids safe?"
"If it stops one child from being abused, that’s all that matters," added Hill.
Daniel Island’s "Prevent-a-Thon" training will be held on Aug. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Daniel Island School.
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