Child Abuse Prevention Month & 5 Days of Action at the Y

The Y Steps Up To Protect Children From Sexual Abuse

YMCA promoting child protection during National Child Abuse Prevention Month

The YMCA of South Hampton Roads is marking Child Abuse Prevention Month with Five Days of Action, April 22-26, 2019. Leading up to Healthy Kids Day® on April 27—a national initiative to improve the health and well-being of kids—Five Days of Action focuses on preventing child sexual abuse by sharing tips on how adults can step up and speak out to prevent child sexual abuse.  

During April and all year long, The Y encourages adults and organizations in the community to play a vital role in making the community a safer place for children. By encouraging adults to step up and speak out, we can bring awareness to the issue of child sexual abuse in our communities and foster conversations around how we can all work together to prevent it from happening. 

“Protecting children from sexual abuse must be the number one goal of every person who cares about the health and well-being of kids,” said Ed Lee, Vice President of Social Responsibility, YMCA of South Hampton Roads.

“Together, we can stand up to demand that children are protected and speak out to encourage adults to make it happen in our community. It takes all of us.” 

The YMCA of South Hampton Roads and the YMCA Guardians for Child Protection, with support from YMCA of the USA, Darkness to Light, the Redwoods Group Foundation, and Praesidium, have made materials available to help adults learn more about preventing child sexual abuse. Visit www.fivedaysofaction.org for more information about preventing child sexual abuse.

Show your support April 22-26 by stopping by any YMCA of South Hampton Roads location and participate in a commitment card signing event—let your community know you will step up and speak out to protect children. You can follow the campaign on social media at facebook.com/YMCAofSouthHamptonRoads or the hashtag #fivedaysofaction.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE STATISTICS - PROVIDED BY DARKNESS TO LIGHT

• One in ten children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday.
• 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser.
• Approximately 30% of children who are sexually abused are abused by family members.
• 60% of child sexual abuse victims never tell anyone.
• False reports are rare. Research shows that only 4 to 8% of child sexual abuse reports are fabricated

You do not need to have proof that abuse is occurring to make a report, only reasonable suspicion. Reasonable suspicion means that you have witnessed maltreatment or boundary violations, either in the child or adult, or both. Or, you have received a disclosure from a child about abuse, neglect, or boundary violations towards them. Child sexual abuse reports should be made to the police and/or state child protective services. Contact the Darkness to Light Helpline at 866-FOR-LIGHT to have questions answered by trained counselors at no charge.


ABOUT THE YMCA OF SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS

The YMCA of South Hampton Roads is a nonprofit, community-based health and human services organization that serves over 250,000 children and families throughout Coastal Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina. More than 30% of those families receive financial assistance through the Open Doors program, whose funding is made available by the generosity of donors, helping them achieve their full potential in spirit, mind and body. The Y’s doors are open to people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and incomes.


About Darkness to Light

Darkness to Light is a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower adults to prevent child sexual abuse. Through education and awareness, the organization seeks to create a safer world for children to grow and thrive. Darkness to Light’s flagship program, Stewards of Children®, is a one-of-a-kind, award-winning training that teaches adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. More than 1.4 million adults have been trained using the program. For more information, visit www.D2L.org.  


About Redwoods Group Foundation

The Redwoods Group Foundation supports programs that can change the world and helps them reach more people than ever before, through funding and backbone support. We currently focus on child sexual abuse prevention, drowning prevention, and growing the field of social entrepreneurship. For more information, visit www.redwoodsgroup.com/about-us/redwoods-group-foundation.


About Praesidium

Praesidium specializes in preventing sexual abuse in organizations that serve youth and vulnerable adults. Over a period in excess of 25 years, the company has reviewed over 4,000 cases of abuse within organizations to determine the root causes of sexual abuse within organizational settings. Praesidium employs more than 40 staff, including licensed social workers, lawyers, psychologists, health care researchers, and other experts. The company has served over 5,000 clients with a broad range of products and services to aid organizations in preventing abuse, including online and instructor‐led trainings; organizational risk assessments; model policies and incident investigations. Having trained more than one million people online and hundreds of thousands in person, Praesidium is the largest and most comprehensive sexual abuse risk management firm globally.