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| Child Abuse
Child Sexual Abuse… Child sexual abuse is a hidden but significant problem in every community in America, including Vermont. Experts estimate that one in three girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday (Faller, Kathleen C. (1993). Child sexual abuse is engagement in any sexual act with a child by an adult, an adolescent, or a peer (when one peer exerts power over the other). These acts include all forms of sexual contact including fondling, oral sex, and intercourse, and non-contact sexual acts including exhibitionism, exposure to pornography, voyeurism, and communicating in a sexual manner by phone or internet. Perpetrators are often adults or older children who are known to the child. The Scope… Approximately 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused during childhood. (Faller, Kathleen C. (1993). Child Sexual Abuse: Intervention and Treatment Issues. McLean, VA: The Circle, Inc. and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.) 1/3 of all sexual assaults reported to law enforcement agencies involved a victim under the age of 12; 1 in 4 of these victims is male. (U.S. Department of Justice) More than 2 million cases of child abuse are reported annually and 40% of these cases involve sexual abuse. (U.S. Department of Justice) 48% of males are raped before the age of twelve; 23% between 12 and 17. (National Violence Against Women Survey) 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims knew their attacker; 34.2% were family members and 58.7% acquaintances. Only seven percent of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim. (Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 2000) Female children are at elevated risk of sexual assault in the context of domestic violence; girls whose fathers batter their mothers are 6.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted by their fathers than are girls from non-violent homes. (Bowker, L.H., Arbitell, M. & McFerron, J.R., "On The Relationship Between Wife Beating and Child Abuse." In K. Yllo & M. Bograd (Eds.), Feminist Perspectives on Wife Abuse, Sage, 1988. Cited in B. Hart, "Children of Domestic Violence," May, 1992. In Courts and Communities: Confronting Violence in The Family, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, March, 1993.)
In Vermont… According to the Vermont Department For Children and Families: 2003 Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics · 411 children were substantiated victims of sexual abuse in 2003. (These only represent those cases that were reported to, investigated and substantiated by Vermont’s child protection agency.) · Perpetrators of sexual abuse were referred for criminal prosecution in 258 cases. · Females in their teens were more likely to be victims of sexual abuse. For more statistics about Child Abuse and Neglect in Vermont, visit the Department for Children and Families, Family Services statistics web page: http://www.path.state.vt.us/cwyj/stats/can/abuse.shtml (Vermont DCF Defines Sexual Abuse as: Any act or acts involving sexual molestation or exploitation of a child including, but not limited to, incest, prostitution, rape, sodomy, child pornography, or any lewd and lascivious conduct involving a child.)
Child Sexual Abuse Resources and Links…
KidSafe Collaborative: www.kidsafevt.org KidSafe’s Mandatory Reporting Information Page: http://www.kidsafevt.org/mandatory.htm KidSafe Collaborative 308 Pine Street, Burlington, VT05401 Tel: (802) 863-9626 Vermont’s KidSafe Collaborative has developed a toolkit, training, and web page with easy to understand information about mandatory reporting of child abuse in Vermont. The Department for Children and Families, Family Services Unit http://www.path.state.vt.us/cwyj/index.shtml Vermont’ child protection agency, DCF/FS, has created documents to help Vermonters understand who is mandated to report child abuse and how to report child abuse.
Materials: 7 Steps to Protecting Our Children From Sexual Abuse: A Guide for Responsible Adults (CSAD2Lbooklet.pdf) This 7 page booklet suggests clear steps that adults can take to help protect children from sexual abuse. From Darkness to Light: www.darkness2light.org The Teen Victim Project of the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) is dedicated to improving the national response to teen victims of crime by raising awareness of the incidence and impact of teen victimization and encouraging youth leadership and community collaboration to identify, support, and refer teen victims of crime. The NCVC have created great tools for teens on a variety of topics about teen victims of crime: Teen Tools: Child Sexual Abuse (csancvc.pdf) Protecting Your Children From Child Molesters (OHchildmolbrochure.pdf) This brochure was developed and written by child molesters in treatment at The Center for Behavioral Intervention in Beaverton, Oregon. The content is directed at parents with clear and straightforward messages about prevention. It was adapted with permission for use in Vermont. AmericanAcademy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry AACAP: www.aacap.or This site has easy to read information sheets called “facts for families” (link to: http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/index.htm) on a variety of topics. AACAP Child sexual abuse related information pages: Child Sexual Abuse (link to: http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/SEXABUSE.HTM) Responding to Child Sexual Abuse (link to: http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/RSPDABUS.HTM)
Web Sites: National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information: http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/ This site is part of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The mission of the Clearinghouses is to connect professionals and concerned citizens to practical, timely, and essential information on programs, research, legislation, and statistics to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families.
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont: http://www.pcavt.org/ Prevent Child Abuse Vermont promotes and supports healthy relationships between children and the people who care for them in order to eliminate child abuse.
Mothers Against Sexual Abuse (MASA): http://www.againstsexualabuse.org/
Darkness 2 Light: www.darkness2light.org Teaching adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.
Justice For Children: http://www.jfcadvocacy.org/ Justice For Children is a national nonprofit organization of citizens concerned about children's rights and their protection from abuse. Our mission is to raise the consciousness of our society about the failure of our governmental agencies to protect victims of child abuse, to provide legal advocacy for abused children and to develop and implement, on a collaborative basis where possible, a full range of solutions that enhance the quality of life for these children.
Childhelp USA® : http://www.childhelpusa.org/ Childhelp USA® exists to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of abused and neglected children. We do so by focusing our efforts in the areas of treatment, prevention, and research. Childhelp USA runs the 24 Hour National Child Abuse Hotline
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