Child Abuse Educational Programs
Figures from the National Children's Alliance illustrate the scope of the problem. About 256,000 people were alleged child abuse offenders in 2012. Of that number, 91 percent were known to their victims. At least 57 percent of alleged abusers were adults. Sixty-five percent of the victims were sexually abused, 15 percent were physically abused and 5 percent were neglected. Among the 286,457 children who've had contact with the NCA's Children's Advocacy Centers, more than 179,000 were girls and more than 106,000 were boys. Nearly 75 percent were younger than 12 years old. These numbers are incomplete, because not all cases of child abuse are reported. Professionals in the field estimate between 8 percent and 20 percent of all children have experienced sexual abuse.
-
Educating Children
-
As the National Children's Alliance notes, knowledge is the strongest weapon against child abuse. Childhelp, founded in 1959, offers a school-based child education program called Speak Up, Be Safe, which is an evolution of the Good Touch Bad Touch program. Curricula are provided for grades one through six and are aimed at bolstering self-esteem and safety skills, addressing issues of Internet and cell phone safety, identifying problem settings and responding appropriately. Specific concerns addressed include understanding of private body areas, safe and hurtful contact, cyberbullying, emotional abuse and physical development at puberty.
Educating Parents
-
Darkness to Light offers a program called Stewards of Children that emphasizes adult responsibility in preventing child abuse. A centerpiece of this effort is an educational campaign that outlines seven steps for preventing, recognizing and reacting to child sexual abuse. The steps are learn the facts and understand the risks; minimize opportunity; talk about it; stay alert; make a plan; act on suspicions; and get involved. Although the step titles might appear superficial, each step is explained in clear detail. As part of step one, parents learn that 70 percent of all sexual assaults, including adults, occur to people age 17 and younger and 70 percent of offenders have multiple victims.
Educating Communities
-
Community outreach is typically a community effort and involves coalitions of local agencies and institutions; schools, churches, family service agencies, justice departments and domestic violence support groups. An example is Northern Virginia's Stop Child Abuse Now. Many of these efforts focus on prevention by providing workshops that emphasize risk reduction, stress and anger management, how to deal with difficult children and appropriate/effective discipline techniques. Simply encouraging parents to seek help when then need it and pointing them to available resources can help reduce abuse.
Best Practices
-
The National Parenting Education Network distributes a report titled ̶0;Best Practices for Parent Education Programs Seeking to Prevent Child Abuse.̶1; Based on a review of effective programs, it recommends several approaches. First, target as many risk factors as possible, including secondary pressures such as unemployment and substance abuse. Second, programs should target knowledge, attitudes, skills and aspirations. Knowledge alone is not enough; it's important to develop positive attitudes, acquire skills and make it a goal to use all three together with knowledge. Third, a program's frequency and duration is important; ongoing reinforcement and long-term support help increase program effectiveness. Fourth, effective leaders and parent educators are vital to any program's success. Fifth, coordinate efforts with multiple agencies. Sixth, to the extent possible, tailor programs to individual client needs. Seventh, plan. As the adage goes, if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.
-
-
The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends holding off giving children aspirin until they are 19 years of age. If aspirin is taken, babies, children and teenagers all run the risk of contracting a dangerous condition called Reye’s syn
-
For children, school is a place to learn and have fun but it can also pose numerous hazards. Electricity is one such danger that can prove deadly if not handled properly. There are precautions that can ensure your child understands and heeds the dang
-
Keeping a child safe in the car requires securing the youngster into a car seat. Purchasing a car seat and buckling your child into the seat aren’t the only requirements for safety, however. You must also understand the specific instructions of
