Fall 2023

Welcome to the MassKids Chronicle, our quarterly e-newsletter where we
share the latest news about our [1]Enough Abuse Campaign to prevent child
sexual abuse, and how you can get involved and take action in your home or
community.

"Straight Talk About Child Sexual Abuse: A Prevention Guide for Parents" -
Updated!

Every parent is concerned about keeping their children safe from those who
might sexually abuse or exploit them. Our “Straight Talk” Guide gives
parents the information and skills they need to strengthen safety within
their family and community and reduce the risks of sexual abuse. The Guide
has been updated to include a new section on the 25 Adult
Boundary-Violating Behaviors parents should talk to their children about
and another about online child sexual abuse and internet safety. Download
your free[2] [3]Prevention Guides for Parents today.

“Straight Talk” is available for bulk purchases and for localization by
states, counties, and organizations. For more information please contact us
at [4][email protected].

Enough Abuse Launches Training Curriculum to Address "Problematic Sexual
Behaviors" of Children and Adolescents

Findings from national surveys of youth and their parents/caregivers
(Gewirtz-Maden and Finkelhor, 2019, Child Maltreatment), document that in
over 70% of child sexual abuse cases disclosed to researchers, the harm was
caused by another child.

In response to growing requests from schools, youth organizations and
parents for guidance on this issue, MassKids revised its longstanding
curriculum, “Understanding and Responding to Sexual Behaviors of
Children,” to include the latest about PSB or problematic sexual behaviors
of children.

The updated training is an interactive training that increases the
knowledge and skills of professionals to:
* Identify “developmentally expected” sexual behaviors in children;
* Distinguish them from behaviors that are concerning, and/or illegal;
* Respond to all sexual behaviors in ways that promote the healthy
development of children and teens.

Scenarios are presented describing sexual behaviors of children and
adolescents that participants might witness in day care settings, schools
and other youth organizations. Small group discussions provide an
opportunity to learn how to assess and respond to these behaviors in ways
that model good communication, empathy and accountability. These responses
can build protective factors in children and teens to reduce their risks to
be victimized or to engage in PSB.

An initial group of 80 child welfare professionals that completed the
training this fall gave it high marks, e.g. “Down to earth, engaging, real;
appreciated chance to “practice” with scenarios and developmental levels.
Excellent training!"

For information about how you can bring this in-person or virtual
professional development training to your organization, contact
[5][email protected].

Franklin County Community Forum on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention

MassKids and its Enough Abuse Campaign recently partnered with the Franklin
County Regional Council of Governments and the Children’s Advocacy Center
of Franklin County and North Quabbin to host a Community Forum on Child
Sexual Abuse.

Speakers included Northwestern District Attorney, David Sullivan and Dr.
Jeffrey Trant, Executive Director of the regional Children’s Advocacy
Center. MassKids Executive Director Jetta Bernier delivered the training on
Enough Abuse: Strategies for Your Family and Community. [6]Watch the
recording.

“Communities need to be made aware of what we’re dealing with…I’m the first
one to say, it is easier to prevent a crime than it is to prosecute it,
because as you know, many times child victims are so scared…My number one
priority is to keep kids safe, and this type of prevention program is so
important because you can talk to people about the signs of child sexual
abuse and how to prevent it… We can prevent child abuse on so many
different levels if we do it as a community…

I have three daughters and I don’t want a single child to be abused, in
Franklin County, Hampshire County, or anywhere else, because we could have
prevented it. We could have made that difference for that person just by
listening tonight to what Enough Abuse has to tell us, but also we have to
have the will to keep it going and make sure that we keep spreading the
word.”

Northwestern District Attorney, David Sullivan

Legislative Briefing Held to Promote Passage of Key Bills to Prevent Child
Sexual Abuse in Massachusetts

MassKids held a virtual Advocacy Briefing to educate citizens, policymakers
and advocates about a package of bills that when passed, will prevent child
sexual abuse in Massachusetts homes and communities.

Sen. Joan Lovely and Rep. Natalie Blais discussed the history of these
bills and what each will accomplish. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse
shared the many compelling reasons why passage is so crucial. If you want
to see how advocates and legislators work together to fight for laws that
can really impact the safety of our children, watch this event. You will be
inspired and moved to take action. [7]Watch the recording.

Advocating to "Pass the Prevention Package!"

Pictured above, MassKids E.D., Jetta Bernier and Child USAdvocacy E.D. and
MassKids Board Member, Kathryn Robb, testified at the Joint Committee on
the Judiciary Hearing at the State House. MassKids and our network of
survivors and allies continue to advocate to "Pass the Prevention Package!"
in Massachusetts this session. At the hearing, we presented our Open Letter
to Legislators, which was signed by over 250 citizens, expressing the need
to "Pass the Prevention Package" now and arguing that “delay is no longer
defensible".

"Massachusetts has a black eye... Despite the thousands of victims and
survivors in every city and town and within every legislative district, the
Massachusetts Legislature has failed to act. As a result, we face another
Legislative Session when Massachusetts remains stuck between its ranking as
the best state for children and its less than poor showing when it comes to
protecting them from this major safety threat."

MassKids' Open Letter to Legislators

Read our recent [8]Citizens to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse e-news alert to
learn more. Massachusetts citizens can help "Pass the Prevention Package!"
using our quick and easy Email Campaign feature that will send an email to
your Senator and Representative and ask them to support these child sexual
abuse prevention bills. Click the button below, enter your name, email and
address, and an already drafted email will automatically be generated and
sent. You can choose to edit it, or send as is!

[9]Email your legislators!

Visit our [10]Citizens to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse[11] page to learn more
about the Prevention Package bills, and subscribe for future updates about
their status, Public Hearings, etc.

MassKids’ “States Policy Exchange” to Address Alarming Increases in Online
Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)

While Congress is currently considering federal legislation to address
staggering increases in incidents of online child sexual
exploitation, states are already moving to address how their current
statutes on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) should be updated to include
prohibition of computer-generated sexual visual depictions of children,
including photo edited, morphed, collaged or AI-generated images, and how
to limit the spread of CSAM online.

The November meeting of MassKids' States Policy Exchange will host National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) policy experts, Susan
Kennedy, Director of Community Engagement, Daton Lynch, State Policy
Council, and Daniel Spino, Legislative Affairs Manager, to update the
Exchange about the issue of online child sexual abuse, and state
legislation recently passed or introduced to address these issues, e.g. TX,
LA, CA, RI, and MA. They will also provide updates on key federal bills
being considered, including the Stop CSAM Act, the SHIELD Act, and the Earn
It Act/Child Online Safety Modernization Act (COSMA).

[12]Email us here to join the next States Policy Exchange Meeting on
Tuesday, Nov. 14^th from 1-2:30pm EST. Visit the [13]States Policy
Exchange page to view past meeting recordings and notes.

More about this resource…

The [14]States Policy Exchange is a national bi-monthly online
information-sharing and peer support platform for child advocates,
survivors, legislators and others seeking to advocate for child sexual
abuse prevention policies and laws in their states. It was launched by
MassKids in 2022 as a follow up to a [15]3-Part Webinar Series for
Policymakers and Advocates held in November 2021 that provided over 80
advocates from 25 states an opportunity to learn more about MassKids’
“[16]A Call to Action for Policymakers and Advocates: Child Sexual Abuse
Prevention Legislation in the States". This 112-page report, released
nationally in June 2021, is the only resource in the U.S. that continuously
tracks child sexual abuse prevention legislation in all 50 states.

Enough! Prevention Courses Reaching More Schools & YSOs

The Enough! Preventing Child Sexual Abuse online courses have been
completed by over 15,000 staff at 165 schools and youth serving
organizations (YSOs) in 9 states.

School superintendents and principals, school committee members,
and leaders of youth organizations can preview the one-hour online
course(s) at no cost to consider adopting the training for all their staff.

Evaluations document the courses’ effectiveness in increasing: knowledge
about child sexual abuse and its prevention; the ability of staff to
identify boundary-violating behaviors before they can escalate to illegal
sexual offenses; and confidence/willingness of staff to report suspected
cases and incidents disclosed by youth.

Make your organization a safer place for children! Email us
at [17][email protected] for a free preview. Download our informative
flyer to share with your leadership team.

[18]View Enough! School Flyer

[19]View Enough! YSO Flyer

Join us for Say "Enough!"

Prevent Child Sexual Abuse With MassKids

Whether you have attended an Enough Abuse training, subscribed after
visiting one of our websites, or heard about us in other ways, we would
like to invite you to join us for this free virtual fundraising event where
you will learn how you can prevent child sexual abuse with MassKids, on
Wednesday, Dec. 6th from 12pm-1pmEST via Zoom.

[20]Register here

Donate Online Today

Help us ensure the right of every child to a safe childhood free from
sexual abuse and exploitation.

[21]Donate today!

Stay connected:

[22]Facebook [23]Twitter [24]Instagram [25]Email Address [26]Website

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