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Show Notes
White House Proclamation
- Goals
** Condemn and combat child abuse – physical, emotional, sexual, and online sexual exploitation
** Heighten awareness of risk factors
** Highlight importance of supporting families - Child abuse occurs at all socioeconomic and educational levels, and in all religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds
- Key tool for fighting child abuse is prevention
Child Abuse Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- At least 1 in 7 children have experienced abuse or neglect in the past year
** In 2019, there were 73 million children in U.S.
** In 2019, 1,840 children died from abuse and/or neglect - Long-term economic burden of child abuse and neglect is enormous
** 2015 estimate – $428 billion, comparable to economic costs of strokes and Type 2 diabetes
Risk factors
- Risk Factors for Individual Perpetrators
** Caregivers with drug or alcohol issues
** Caregivers with mental health issues, including depression
** Caregivers who don’t understand children’s needs or development
** Caregivers who were abused or neglected as children
** Caregivers who are young or single parents or parents with many children
** Caregivers with low education or income
** Caregivers experiencing high levels of parenting stress and economic stress
** Caregivers who use spanking and other forms of corporal punishment for discipline
** Caregivers in the home who are not a biological parent
** Caregivers with attitudes accepting of or justifying violence or aggression - Risk Factors for Families
** Families that have family members in jail or prison
** Families that are isolated from and not connected to other people (extended family, friends, neighbors)
** Family violence, including relationship violence
** Families with high conflict and negative communication styles - Risk Factors in Communities
** Communities with high rates of violence and crime
** Communities with high rates of poverty and limited educational and economic opportunities
** Communities with high unemployment rates
** Communities with easy access to drugs and alcohol
** Communities where neighbors don’t know or look out for each other and there is low community involvement among residents
** Communities with few community activities for young people
** Communities with unstable housing and where residents move frequently
** Communities where families frequently experience food insecurity
Role of Technology
- Number of children using a mobile device has more than doubled in last few years
- Parents have legitimate concerns about online safety
- “Sad fishing” – Predators search “for kids who seem sad, lonely, or depressed based on their public profiles on a variety of social media platforms.”
- “Online sexual exploitation”
** Grooming
** Live streaming
** Consuming child sexual abuse material (#CSAM)
** Coercing and blackmailing children for sexual purposes (“sexploitation”)
Preventative Measures
- Child Abuse in General
** Individuals
*** Caregivers who create safe, positive relationships with children
*** Caregivers who practice nurturing parenting skills and provide emotional support
*** Caregivers who can meet basic needs of food, shelter, education, and health services
*** Caregivers who have a college degree or higher and have steady employment
** Families
*** Families with strong social support networks and stable, positive relationships with the people around them
*** Families where caregivers are present and interested in the child
*** Families where caregivers enforce household rules and engage in child monitoring
*** Families with caring adults outside the family who can serve as role models or mentors
** Communities
*** Communities with access to safe, stable housing
*** Communities where families have access to high-quality preschool
*** Communities where families have access to nurturing and safe childcare
*** Communities where families have access to safe, engaging after school programs and activities
*** Communities where families have access to medical care and mental health services
*** Communities where families have access to economic and financial help
*** Communities where adults have work opportunities with family-friendly policies - Online Sexual Abuse
** Familiarize yourself with the apps and online services used by each child and supervise activity
** Open lines of communication
** Acknowledge importance of online interactions for children
** Persistent discussion of online safety over a long period time, beginning early and adjusting to age and maturity of each child
** Clear and reasonable rules regarding online activity, developed in conversation with each child
** Deploy technology to assist in child safety, but don’t expect it to replace adult supervision
** Assist each child in setting and adjusting privacy controls
Resources
- 4 April 2022 -- Children’s Trust Fund of Alabama Awards Grant to Create Digital Safety Video to Better Educate Alabaman’s Youth
- 3 April 2022 -- April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month: Maui events promote healthy keiki
- 2 April 2022 -- Juneau recognizes Child Abuse Prevention Month
- 1 April 2022 -- Nebraska To Recognize April As Child Abuse Prevention Month
- 31 March 2022 -- A Proclamation on National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2022
- 28 March 2022 -- Flickr Press Release
- 16 March 2022 -- Protecting children from online abuse
- 1 November 2021 -- How to protect children from online sexual harm
- 25 October 2021 -- U.S. Department of Justice – Keeping Children Safe Online
- 2021 -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – 2021/2022 Prevention Resource Guide
- 7 December 2019 -– How to Protect Your Children From Online Sexual Predators
- [n.d.] -- [End Violence Against Children Online](https://www.end-violence.org/safe-online
- [n.d.] -- Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina
- [n.d.] -- U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime – Online child sexual exploitation and abuse
- [n.d.] -- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention
- [n.d.] -- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Preventing Child Sexual Abuse
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