TCP Episode 120 -- April 2022 is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

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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