SEXUALLY ABUSING STUDENTS IS A CRIME, NOT AN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY
Schools are where the largest groups of children gather on a daily basis. Educators are the very people to whom we entrust to care for our children. We must insist on policies, procedures, and prevention training for dealing with this epidemic. As adults, it is our responsibility to ensure their safety and well-being.
Darkness to Light has developed a simple, pro-active approach to keeping children safer from child sexual abuse. Stewards of Children™ is a third-party evaluated, evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention training program which is available online at www.d2l.org and in a face-to-face format. Stewards of Children has been awarded the National Crime Prevention Council’s Crime Prevention Program of the Year. The program is based on 7 steps:
Learn the facts. 20% of our children are being sexually abused. 1 in 10 report the abuse. 42% of those children who do report, report to a teacher.
Minimize opportunity. 80% of all sexual abuse cases occur in one-adult/one-child situations. You cannot totally eliminate one-adult/one-child situations, but you must make absolutely certain that those situations are observable and interruptible.
Talk about it.
Stay alert. Show up unexpectedly. Learn the signs. Emotional or behavioral signs are more common than physical signs. To make it even more difficult, in some children there are no signs at all.
Have a plan in the event a child comes to you and discloses abuse. Don’t overreact. Know your community resources. If you respond with anger or disbelief, the child may shut down. Trust yourself and take one action at a time.
Act on suspicions. The safety and welfare of a child may be at stake.
Get involved.
The Catholic Church has stood as the example of “how not” to deal with child sexual abuse. We must make certain that our schools do not repeat those errors. Child sexual abuse and its aftermath have long tentacles in much of the societal dysfunction that we all pay for: teen pregnancy, drug & alcohol abuse, depression, suicide, domestic violence, and eating disorders, just to name a few. The National Institute of Justice reported in a 1996 study that U.S. taxpayers paid over $23 billion a year for the direct and indirect cost of child sexual abuse.
For more information and complete training in these simple, proactive steps, and to learn about facilitators in your area or to become a facilitator yourself, go to www.darkness2light.org.
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