February 6, 2012
Contributor: Karen Brown
Listen here: http://nepr.net/news/enough-abuse-campaign-focuses-adults-likely-offend
Child advocates in Springfield are launching a coalition to identify and stop child sexual abuse – starting off by trainings at community agencies.
For many years, those trying to end child sexual abuse focused primarily on the children themselves – teaching them to recognize good versus bad touching, for instance, or to stay away from strangers. But a statewide campaign called “Enough Abuse” wants to shift the focus to identifying the adults most likely to commit abuse. Campaign trainer Jetta Bernier was in Springfield recently – at the invitation of the family advocacy center at Baystate medical center.
“People are thinking, if someone is abusive, i could figure out who they are. They would look funny, they'd speak funny, they would be weird, we'd all get a funny feeling. The fact that has been proven again and again is that those who abuse children are often very socially adept, they're very nice, they build this sense around them they are trustworthy. Everyone loves them. They do that purposefully bcecause they want cover. “
She was teaching these tips to a roomful of representatives from local youth-oriented agencies – from head start to the Springfield Housing Authority -- who spent several days poring over abuse case studies.
“The movie of the week version of rape is not what we're talking about here,” says Baystate pediatrician Stephen Boos, co-director of the family advocacy center.
“This is something that evolved over time. There's opportunities that need to be created and sought, victims need to be tested whether the abuser is going to get away with it. And then things progress slowly. So if you identify signs early, you can possible prevent the first abuse event.”
Boos says he evaluates two to three hundred suspected cases of child sexual abuse every year – about half of which are verified. He says high-profile abuse cases have brought attention to the problem of child sex abuse – including claims against jerry Sandusky at Penn state and the local trial of an Easthampton arts administrator accused of statutory rape.
“People start talking about it. But the other thing that happens is that pp look at the legal process as some arbiter of truth, and the fact is, most sexual abusers are not prosecuted, and many who are prosecuted are not convicted.”
Boos says he’s assembled a group of community members – from the district attorney’s office to the school system – to launch the “Enough Abuse Springfield” campaign. He’s hoping they’ll learn not only to identify predators, but also to recognize the signs that abuse has already occurred.
“If you are a professional -- say a pediatrician or teacher or school counselor -- and you're dealing with a kid who's acting out….. You might be the person who surprising then finds out the child is abused. and prevents the next abuse.”
Those who attended the recent training have promised in turn to train others back at their agencies in how to identify – and head off – sexual abuse.
