How can children be protected from sexual abuse without causing them to be afraid?
The Children’s Advocacy Center of McKean County highlighted on its Facebook page a free webinar scheduled for Wednesday, starting at 3:30 p.m., that will answer that question and others.
The center will share Kidpower’s nearly three decades of teaching child protection and abuse prevention skills. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Among topics covered in the webinar will include looking out for potential problems with people and situations; making decisions about people and places a person will trust with his or her children; and knowing what to do if someone notices inappropriate behavior or fears abuse.
“If we know more about the grooming behaviors and children know body safety, that is where prevention starts,” said Tonia Hartzell, family advocate/case manager of Children’s Advocacy Center of McKean County. “You can see the topics covered in the webinar — asking questions about situations and a child’s feelings — may seem like such a simple thing to do, but it doesn’t happen all the time.”
Caregivers may inquire how a child’s day went at school, after a sleepover or another activity, but youngsters often say something along the lines of “good or bad,” or “yes or no,” thus ending the conversation, she said.
It is also vital that caregivers and community members trust their gut instinct about a situation, Hartzell said.
“If a person senses something is off, it probably is. Make the call to (Children and Youth Services) or ChildLine. If the person was wrong, that’s okay. If they weren’t, they may have saved a child from experiencing further abuse,” she said.
The webinar can be accessed at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ay2sI1yTSPqHU-CKN-ONsg
“This is just one of many webinars and resources from one of many great awareness/education websites that are available to the public — for free,” she said. “Bottom line is, the importance of these trainings and resources leads to community awareness, which is key to prevention.”
The Children’s Advocacy Center, based at 424 W. Main St., Smethport, is considered a one-stop shop for providing support and services to victims and their families.
Hartzell said she considers child sexual abuse an epidemic. And with that said, prevention is not impossible, she said.
“The day that the CAC has to close its doors because it isn’t needed will be a great day,” Hartzell said. “And I feel comfortable speaking for the three of us at the Center, as well as all of our team members, we would all be okay looking for other jobs, if we knew ours didn’t have to exist.”
