A Time for Reflection and Looking Forward, Together.

In the wake of the Penn State settlement with Jerry Sandusky's victims this week, Prevent Child Abuse America released a Statement today - here - titled "A Time for Reflection and Looking Forward, Together." We hope you will take a look and let us know if you have any questions. We have also pasted an excerpt below.

"Following the flood of attention, and funding, that child sexual abuse prevention received during the last year, some tremendous things have occurred:

- Support for the Enough Abuse Campaign from the Ms. Foundation has helped expand this community mobilization and citizen education program from MA to NJ, MD, and now NY and CA where thousands of parents, youth-serving professionals and concerned citizens are engaged  in comprehensive strategies to prevent child sexual abuse,

- Darkness to Light provided their Stewards of Children training to 130,000 adults in the last year, and certified over 1,200 facilitators of the program,

- The National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation has developed a national child sexual abuse prevention plan,

- And Prevent Child Abuse Vermont ‘s SAFE-T program reached 4,713 students, in 53 middle schools across VT, and 1,428 adults through 39 trainings for parents, teachers school staff, and administrators."

Prevent Child Abuse America and Jake Corman v. The National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Prevent Child Abuse America recently took the opportunity to weigh-in on Jake Corman v. The National Collegiate Athletic Association. We have pasted an excerpt from the letter below, but to read the full letter please go here. Please share your thoughts and questions with us as well. Thanks.

"Pennsylvania has the chance to be a national leader in the effort to eradicate child sexual abuse across the country and by that action, benefit from it as well within the state. The Commonwealth has the nation’s attention and it is in this moment that Pennsylvania can transform a horrific tragedy into a new national movement to confront and address a silent epidemic affecting children nationwide. It is a rare and powerful moment."

Prevent Child Abuse America's Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, author of The Sex-Wise Parent, talks human sexuality and child sexual abuse prevention on Conversations from Penn State.

We Can Make It Right.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, IL, January 14, 2013 – Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett recently launched a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) seeking to have all of the NCAA penalties against Penn State’s football program thrown out. These sanctions brought about by the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse case include a $60 million fine which is to be used for funding child sexual abuse prevention and treatment programming.

The lawsuit represents an about face in terms of Governor Corbett’s public position on the sanctions. This past July he was quoted as saying, “We must repair the damage to this university. Part of that corrective process is to accept the serious penalties imposed by the NCAA on Penn State University and its football program.”

The temptation is to ask why Governor Corbett has chosen to do this, or even seek to answer that question ourselves. But asking why or trying to discern the impetus for this decision is not where we need to focus our attention. What’s important is recognizing that our real focus is on fixing an ugly situation that is all too common.

We live in a culture that up until now has allowed for silence and shame, and at times has all too willingly puts profits and brands ahead of people. It doesn’t have to be this way though, we can do what’s right, not sometimes, all the time, and when we do, what’s wrong will be illuminated for all to see.

Each one of us has the ability to change this culture; and both individually and collectively, we can do something every day to prevent not just child sexual abuse, but all forms of child abuse and neglect.

We can all knock on our neighbor’s doors and offer to be of assistance during times of crisis. We can all volunteer at child sexual abuse prevention organizations. We can all ask our local media to highlight what works in terms of enhancing the lives of the children and families in our communities. And we can all ask business leaders and policymakers what their vision is for the healthy development of all children and their families.

We can do this, all of us, together. We can shine a light on what’s wrong and we can make it right.

“I call on the citizens of this great country to say enough,” said James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America. “Enough silence. Enough shame. I also call on everyone to join us in this dialogue and provide a voice in your communities that says we are done looking the other way. We all play a role in prevention, now let’s come together and do something about it.”

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ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA
Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1972 in Chicago, works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide. The organization promotes that vision through a network of chapters in 50 states and 530 Healthy Families America home visitation sites in 39 states, the Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. A major organizational focus is to advocate for the existence of a national policy framework and strategy for children and families while promoting evidence-based practices that prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring. To learn more about what we’re doing to prevent child abuse and neglect and how you can help, please visit us here and here.

The Joe Paterno Statue, Sanctions, and Looking Forward

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, IL, July 23, 2012 – Many will question whether Joe Paterno's statue needed to be removed from Penn State's campus; noting the important work he did for the community, the university, and the athletes he coached.

Many more will decry the NCAA and Big Ten’s decision to punish Penn State in the unprecedented fashion they have. They will say things like Penn State paid for the very investigation it is being punished for producing, a report that saved the NCAA and Big Ten countless dollars and time.

And even more will also ask why student athletes who had nothing to do with this horrible situation and the university at large should be punished for the actions, and non-actions, of the few who chose to do nothing, or worse, cover-up this case.

To make these arguments, however, is to ignore and blatantly dismiss the most important aspect of the situation: children were harmed and it could have been avoided

And because of this, there has to be not just consequences for this failure, but severe consequences. The leadership at Penn State, however, is looking forward, and we agree that to focus on these efforts, and offer our support along with the collective wisdom of our 49 state chapters nationally is the right thing to do.

We also think that this is a moment where we should all recognize that there are organizations at our nation’s universities and colleges, and in communities across the country, that have been doing the right things on behalf of children for some time; and we all should take a moment to find out more about those organizations and how to support them: 

• Our national partners Darkness to Light - here - and Stop It Now! - here -, as well as, Prevent Child Abuse America - here; and


• Local organizations in communities like yours, including the Enough Abuse Campaign - here, The SAFE-T Program - here, Healthy Families America - here, and many others you can learn more about by contacting the Prevent Child Abuse America chapter in your state - here.

"We must recognize that the sanctions imposed today begin to correct a wrong that needs to be righted,” said James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America. “We also must recognize that for the survivors of these terrible acts, it will take more than the ‘punishment’ of a university for them to heal, and our thoughts and prayers are with them. As a nation, we must ensure that the abuse of children never occurs. Prevention is possible; we know what to do, now let’s see if we have the public and political will to not just change laws, but renew our commitment to children and change the norms of a culture that allowed this to even happen in the first place."

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ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA

Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1972, works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide while recognizing that child development is a building block for community development and economic development. We believe that communities across the country are doing innovative things with great results to prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring, and what we need to do as a nation is commit to bringing this kind of ingenuity to communities everywhere. Based in Chicago, Prevent Child Abuse America has chapters in 49 states and over 400 Healthy Families America home visitation sites in 37 states, the Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. For more information, please visit here and here.

A "total disregard for the safety and welfare'' of children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, IL, July 12, 2012 – Maybe we can no longer be surprised by the contents of the report released this morning by former FBI Director Louis Freeh regarding Penn State’s “total disregard” for the victims of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look at the contents as a call to action for all adults and all institutions to play a more profound role in the prevention of child sexual abuse and the healthy development of all children:

"The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized.''
 

"The evidence shows that Mr. Paterno was made aware of the 1998 investigation of Sandusky, followed it closely, but failed to take any action, even though Sandusky had been a key member of his coaching staff for almost 30 years, and had an office just steps away from Mr. Paterno's."

"Their failure to protect the … child victim, or make attempts to identify him, created a dangerous situation for other unknown, unsuspecting young boys who were lured to the Penn State campus and football games by Sandusky and victimized repeatedly by him."
 

We say enough. Enough secrecy and shame. Enough cover-ups. And enough prioritizing institutional reputations over doing the right things by children.
 

We continue to believe that encouraging all parents to play an active role in their children’s lives and assume more responsibility for the prevention of child sexual abuse is a must.  

We believe that all organizations and communities can develop sexual abuse prevention plans that would be comprised of strategies such as following:

• Educating all adults and children about healthy sexuality; 


• Passing, and enforcing, policies that minimize one-on-one contact between children and adults;


• And when needed, reporting perpetrators to the proper authorities even when it comes at the expense of institution’s public image.

But we also believe that stronger laws and penalties won’t solve the problem by itself.
 

“When will it be the right time to awaken to the fact that organizations and institutions across the country have failed children and disregarded their welfare and healthy development?” said James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America. “We say that time is now. We no longer have a choice. The Penn State report shows us that we can no longer blindly trust that community leaders will do the right things on behalf of children. This is a call to action for all communities to play whatever role they can in prevention and we hope people everywhere are ready to join us in this fight.”  

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ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA
Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1972, works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide while recognizing that child development is a building block for community development and economic development. We believe that communities across the country are doing innovative things with great results to prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring, and what we need to do as a nation is commit to bringing this kind of ingenuity to communities everywhere. Based in Chicago, Prevent Child Abuse America has chapters in 49 states and over 400 Healthy Families America home visitation sites in 37 states, the Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. For more information, please visit here and here. 

Jerry Sandusky and Penn State Seven Months Later: What have we learned?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, IL, June 4, 2012 – It’s been seven months since the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal broke at Penn State, and as Sandusky goes to trial, the question before us as a nation is: What have we learned?

“We have learned that communities are prepared to come together and support healthy, happy childhoods and the prevention of child sexual abuse before it ever occurs, says James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America. “We have learned that policymakers both local and federal now better understand that the laws in place are inadequate if we are going to prevent child sexual abuse from ever occurring. And we have learned that as a country the impact of child sexual abuse remains far more reaching than most of us were able to acknowledge, or even understand, before the Sandusky scandal happened.”

We have also learned that all adults must play an active role in the lives of the children who live in their neighborhoods and communities if we are to ensure that child sexual abuse is prevented before it ever occurs.

To accomplish this we must:

All learn about the grooming techniques of perpetrators and how to recognize the signs of abuse.

Let our children, all of our children, know that we are interested in who they play with; where, and how, they spend their time; and what’s going on in their lives.

Begin a dialogue with children and their parents focused on healthy sexuality at the age-appropriate time.

Minimize one-on-one contact between adults and children.

Advocate for innovative, evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention policies at all levels of government.

And trust our best instincts when we believe abuse is occurring and report it.

What have we learned?

“We have learned that what happened at Penn State is a terrible tragedy for those who were victimized and silenced,” continues Hmurovich, “but that it doesn’t have to be the whole story. We as a nation can, and must, prevent this kind of abuse from occurring to future generations, because at the very least all of our children deserve happy and healthy childhoods, free of abuse.

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ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA

Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1972, works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide while recognizing that child development is a building block for community development and economic development. We believe that communities across the country are doing innovative things with great results to prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring, and what we need to do as a nation is commit to bringing this kind of ingenuity to communities everywhere. Based in Chicago, Prevent Child Abuse America has chapters in 49 states and over 400 Healthy Families America, home visitation sites in 37 states, the Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. For more information, please visit here and here.

Prevent Child Abuse America in The Christian Science Monitor.

Prevent Child Abuse America was invited by The Christian Science Monitor to comment on the latest stage in the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse case and the decision to allow him to visit with his grandchildren. We hope you will take a look at the interview in its entirety - here - though we specifically want to draw your attention to the below quote from Prevent Child Abuse America's President & CEO James M. Hmurovich.

“Under no condition should children be put in a position to defend themselves,” Hmurovich says. “It is an adult’s responsibility to keep the child safe, not the child’s.” 

Prevent Child Abuse America and Massachusetts Citizens for Children in the Boston Globe.

We are excited to let you know that representatives from both Prevent Child Abuse America and Massachusetts Citizens for Children, the organization that houses Prevent Child Abuse Massachussets, were quoted in an article in the Boston Globe titled "After Penn State, states reconsider sex abuse laws." One reason we are especially excited, and appreciative, is that in the midst of an important discussion about the legal implications of cases like these, were we still given the opportunity to discuss how we need to prevent sex abuse before it even occurs in the first place.

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Advocate Rates Sandusky Media Coverage a “C.”

In a Ms. Foundation funded study released today on the early media coverage of the Penn State child sexual abuse case, "Breaking News on child sexual abuse: Early coverage of Penn State," the Berkeley Media Studies Group found that the coverage not only missed an opportunity to focus on prevention, but on the potential solutions for preventing child sexual abuse before it ever occurs. We believe that all adults play a role in preventing child sexual abuse, and given this, we hope that you will not only revisit our initial post here regarding our thoughts on the case and how we can all become better educated about this issue, but that you will also consider contacting the Prevent Child Abuse America in your state here to see how you might support their prevention efforts as well. 

An Update and Summary: Prevent Child Abuse America's response to the Penn State case.

It has been three weeks since the story regarding the Penn State case first broke and as we turn our focus towards not only the healthy growth and development of all children, but healing the children who were victims of this abuse, we must redouble our effort to make sure this doesn't happen again.

We all have a role to play in prevention and Prevent Child Abuse America has been actively engaged in the national dialogue about this case starting with the release of “Talking Points, sexual abuse prevention tips and signs to look for” on November 5th, the day the story was first reported.

We worked with Prevent Child Abuse Pennsylvania to coordinate the Penn State’s community response to the case at the Penn State football team’s first home game on Saturday, November 12th.

We have been in conversation with a number of media outlets on a variety of topics related to the story including “mandatory reporting laws” which led to an appearance by James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America on the NBC Nightly News.

Finally, Prevent Child Abuse America has looked to focus on the larger themes of the story as well, including the specter of institutional failure and the promotion of healthy child development and distributed a Letter to the Editor analyzing this theme in more depth.

Going forward, we intend to stay focused on the prevention of sexual abuse and the expansion of innovative programming and policies that ensure we can prevent sexual abuse before it ever occurs. We will keep you apprised on what we are working on in this area. And we ask all of you to learn more, support this work and explores ways you can play a role in the healthy development of all children.

Penn State, the Specter of Institutional Failure and the Promotion of Healthy Child Development.

We wanted to take a moment and share a Letter to the Editor we wrote on Penn State, the specter of institutional failure and the promotion of healthy child development. 

To the Editor, 

Most of us want to live in a country that we can be proud of, where powerful institutions and people seek to ensure that all children have equal opportunities for healthy growth and development. The specter of institutional failure at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) is one reason why the unfolding scandal disturbs those of us who advocate on behalf of children. But the scandal should also serve as a wake-up call for everyone in the country that we all play a role in raising healthy children free of abuse and the long-term adverse impacts that can result when we don’t prevent it. 

As a nation, we should demand to know what kind of organizational culture at Penn State exists that even allowed the university to be in this position? We as a community of people who care about children should demand to know why these allegations were not reported. And as interested individuals we must demand to know how other interests may have taken precedent over the best interests of a child. We should be morally outraged that subsequent allegations of abuse occurred because no one acted with a focus on fixing the situation. There is no conceivable justification that would support the apparent actions taken, and not taken, by the university that placed other interests over the best interests of children. 

Prevent Child Abuse America applauds the Board of Trustees’ decision to fire the individuals who failed to act, including Coach Paterno and President Graham Spanier, and their efforts to improve the school’s obligations to the community and state. But as we turn our focus towards healing the children who were victims of this abuse we must redouble our effort to make sure this doesn't happen again. 

Through advancing evidence-based prevention strategies, including child sexual abuse prevention services, Prevent Child Abuse America seeks to ensure access to prevention in every community in the United States. But that is only part of our mission. 

I also believe that together we have the chance to make a meaningful impact in the lives of all children and that's why Prevent Child Abuse America helped found the National Movement for America’s Children (movementforchildren.org). We call on the public to help us ensure that policies and programs that promote healthy child growth and development are put in place and maintained. Together we can ensure that the next Penn State incident is prevented from ever occurring in the first place. 

Sincerely, 


James M. Hmurovich President & CEO, 
Prevent Child Abuse America

James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America talks about Penn State and Mandatory Reporting laws on the NBC Nightly News.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

More here.

Talking points. Penn State Assistant Football Coach and the prevention of sexual abuse.

Many of you may now be aware that a former Penn State Assistant Football Coach has been charged with multiple counts of alleged sexual abuse; and that a number of school administrators have also been charged with failing to properly report the allegations. Below please find the talking points we have developed in response to the case and our position on the prevention of sexual abuse.

This is a situation that should be discussed publicly, but one where we would like to raise some points that are not being discussed.

While the alleged perpetrator will be the focus of much of the discussion, we wish to change the focus to “what could have been done to prevent these children from being harmed”?

The right questions are now being asked by local authorities as to a) who had earlier suspicions and who received reports about the Assistant Coach’s behavior, b) did those in a position of authority meet both the letter and the spirit of the law when the reports came to their attention several years ago, and c) what changes in policy must be made.

REMINDER: About 90% of the sexual abuse cases involves a person close and known to a child; stranger danger is real, but is a much smaller percentage of sexual abuse cases.

This incident points to the facts that:

It is the not the responsibility of the child to keep themselves safe, it is an adults.

Abuse can happen to any child, regardless of wealth.

We all have a role to play in the development of our children and that includes becoming involved in situations where children’s well-being is or can be jeopardized.

Situations such as this in a child’s life could result in life-long adversities including a greater potential for mental health and health issues, substance abuse, delinquency and criminal behavior and that costs our nation $104 billion to remediate when abuse and neglect is not prevented.

The trial is the not the end of the story, we should ask many questions and share the lessons learned.

Once the trial and the Governor’s investigation are completed, we need to take action and the public should demand it.

Children Need Your Help to Stay Safe

Take an active role in children’s lives:

Both the activities children are involved in and the people in children’s lives.

Talking to children regularly about what they’re doing can help you stay alert for possible problems.

Know about sexual predators and sexual behavior problems and how they work.

Teach children important skills to help them protect themselves. Make sure they know they can talk to you about anything that’s bothering them or if they feel mixed-up or confused.

Be alert for signs of sexual abuse. If you suspect or are told abuse, report it right away.

Support community efforts, for example:

Volunteer your time to organizations that help protect children.

 

Getting involved in public education campaigns that help raise awareness.

Things parent should look for as possible symptoms of sexual abuse:

Physical signs include:

Stained or torn underwear.

Trouble walking, sitting or going to the bathroom.

Difficulty swallowing or eating.

Emotional signs include:

Depression, anxiety, anger or mood swings.

Fears of certain places, people or activities.

Nightmares or sudden fear of the dark.

Behavioral signs include - for example these children may:

Act out sexually or show knowledge of sex that’s not appropriate for their age.

Show self-destructive behavior, such as pulling their hair or cutting their skin.

Act younger that their age, such as wetting the bed or sucking their thumb.

All children are different; parents know when something is wrong and should trust their instincts.

What parents can do:

Believe the child - children usually don’t make up stories of sexual abuse.

Get help for the child.

Be careful with questions - try to find out as much as you can about what happened, but avoid leading questions.

Report it!

Further:

Depending on the age of the child, stay in the room during a physical.

Talk to their child prior to a medical visit and after the examination.

Point out to the medical staff any discomfort you as a parent have with an examination and or procedure.

All children should know that they can come to you or another adult if they feel mixed-up or confused, or if someone is not listening when they set limits about play or touch.

Teach children:

The right names of their body parts.

When they should talk to you - for example, when any behavior confuses them and when touching or other situations make them feel uncomfortable, mixed-up or confused.

When not to keep secrets - help children understand the difference between secrets and surprises.

That no one has the right to touch them if they don’t want to be touched.