Education key to ridding world of child abuse

    30

    By MICHELLE NELSON AND GEOFF DUPAIX

    (Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a two-part series on child abuse.)

    Many psychologists, therapists and police agree that teaching children of all ages about sexual abuse is vital to finding a solution to the growing problem.

    “Teach them (ways to protect themselves from abuse) several times according to their development level. You can teach a three-year-old about good touch and bad touch,” said Lane Fischer, a BYU psychology professor.

    Typically, Fischer said, habitual perpertrators manipulate their victims as they prepare them. The perpetrators encourage the children into the abuse, so that it’s a step-by-step process and not a hit-and-run.

    Fishers explained that experts have developed a three-step process to help protect children from perpatrators. The steps are:

    1- Teach children to loudly and forceable say “stop” when they are uncomfortable with a situation.

    2- Teach children to get away quickly from the situation.

    3- Teach children to tell a trusted adult about the incident.

    Fischer said there are no guarantees that children can be kept completely safe from abuse. He said parents have a natural sense about whether they can trust a person to watch their children, and they should trust that sense.

    Jennifer Bean, director of Prevent Child Abuse Utah, said increased public awareness is necessary if communities are going to be safer. Prevent Child Abuse Utah is a nonprofit advocacy group in Salt Lake.

    “Everyone has a right to be safe and everyone has a right to their personal space and not be violated in any way,” she said.

    In most cases victims are usually abused by someone they know or trust, Bean said. She recommends that if children have a variety of people like teachers or other adults they can talk to, children will be more likely to report abuse.

    She also said if children will walk with a buddy, in groups or with a trusted adult, they will be safer because sexual abuse normally occurs when a victim is alone.

    Communities as a whole can help prevent abuse as well by not ignoring signs of abuse.

    “Be aware of that sexual abuse is out there; don’t bury your head in the sand,” said Officer Chris Rockwood of the Orem Police.

    Rockwood said residents need to keep an eye out for each other. For example, he said if a strange car is circling a neighborhood, residents should report it to police.

    Both police and therapists said adults need to believe kids more often when they talk about abuse and then act on it.

    The Children’s Justice Center, a Provo-based, community-supported children’s home, provides individual counseling and group therapy for children who have been abused.

    “It’s important to start right at the beginning by believing the child and telling them they did the right thing by letting someone know,” said Laura Blanchard, the director of the Children’s Justice Center of Utah Valley.

    Blanchard said children need to be taught that they have a right to say ‘no’ when someone touches them in a way they don’t like.

    Blanchard said communities need to accept the fact that abuse is a part of today’s reality. She said people no longer have the luxury of innocence.

    Print Friendly, PDF & Email