Roman Polanksi's long-ago rape of a drugged 13-year-old finally lands him in jail. Jaycee Lee Duggard, imprisoned by a pedophile for more than a decade, is freed. Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper goes on trial. Mackenzie Phillips declares herself a victim of incest. Queen Latifah and Tom Arnold tell their stories of sexual abuse. And Michael Jackson's death brings old allegations of abuse to the surface again.
Child sexual abuse has been headline news for months now and the result is public outrage, which is welcome and long overdue. However, it is also irrelevant, unless it becomes a springboard for public action to prevent these crimes from happening to our children.
There is a lot to learn about child sexual abuse, beginning with the identification of the magnitude: more than 40 million adults in the U.S. are victims. It ranks second only to murder as the most expensive victim crime; costs for intervention and treatment surpass $35 billion annually. Victims suffer long after the abuse stops, as sexual abuse is linked to teen pregnancy, psychiatric disorders and substance abuse.
Yet, the media and the public continue to focus on dramatic headlines rather than the cure, which is prevention. Prevention does not take hundreds of billions of dollars and laboratory research. It does take responsible adults learning common sense proactive steps to keep children safe and the mobilization of an entire community.
As an example, we should demand that all youth serving organizations make sexual abuse prevention training mandatory. The U.S. insurance industry assessed such a risk a number of years ago; which lead to youth serving organizations becoming required to carry molestation insurance. Prevention is a better policy than insurance when it comes to our children.
Is 2009 the year when public consciousness of child sexual abuse turns the corner? Will awareness and outrage be positively channeled?
You can learn how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Get involved in your local school, church, youth service organization, youth camp or sports league to ensure proper screenings and prevention trainings are provided.
Our children deserve an investment of your time to protect their innocence and well-being. Unless more adults become involved, one in four girls and one in six boys will likely become victims and headlines that leave us only more outraged. Please call Angelina Alliance for Children at (936) 634-1999 to learn more about our Stewards of Children prevention training for adults. Trainings are offered both on-site and off-site twice a month and are free to the public.
Cassie Leonard, M.S., Counselor in Training and Education Specialist, Angelina Alliance for Children Inc., Lufkin
