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Dear Parents and Friends of Children:
As parents everywhere prepare to send their children back to school, equipping them with new backpacks and supplies, new school clothes, etc., we want to remind you this is a good time to equip yourself with important information to keep your child or teen safe.
Sadly, in a survey of recently graduated high school students, 12%
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reported having experienced some type of inappropriate sexual behavior by an adult in their schools sometime between K-12. This surpasses the rate of 10% of students reporting sexual misconduct documented earlier by the U.S. Department of Education. Increases in reports of peer-to-peer sexual misconduct in schools are further challenging schools to understand the issue of Problematic Sexual Behaviors of children and teens and how to respond appropriately to those harmed and those causing the harm. |
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To support you in your efforts to keep your children safe, Enough Abuse is pleased to share with you the free “Straight Talk About Child Sexual Abuse: A Prevention Guide for Parents.” The guide will give you the information you need to speak confidently to your children about the appropriate behaviors they should always expect from the adults in their school, and what to do if they see behaviors that cross the line into sexual misconduct or “grooming”. The booklet also includes information about how to ensure your child’s safety from sexual exploitation on the internet. |
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We also recommend you keep this tool handy, and share it with your friends: "25 Boundary Violating Behaviors Schools, Students and Parents Should Know About and Avoid".
Here are highlights of other resources Enough Abuse provides to schools to ensure they are safe havens where children and learn, play and grow safely:
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Over 15,000 employees in 165 schools in 9 states have been trained with our online, evidence-informed and highly-rated course, “Enough! Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in My School”.
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We train school and and child and family-serving professionals using our recently updated curriculum, “Understanding and Responding to Sexual Behaviors of Children”, addressing growing requests for guidance to address the problematic sexual behaviors of children.
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Through our “Safety STARS” initiative, we deliver expert technical assistance and resources to schools to strengthen their policies and practices to prevent child sexual abuse.
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Enough Abuse is leading the effort to pass crucial child sexual abuse prevention legislation that would 1.) require training of all school staff about child sexual abuse prevention; 2.) improve screening of prospective new school hires; and, 3.) close the age of consent loophole that currently protects persons in positions of authority in schools and other organizations who engage in sexual behavior with a youth age 16 and older. See July news coverage of our efforts: WCVB5 News, Boston 25 News, New Bedford Light.
To support this crucial work, we hope that you will choose Enough Abuse as your charity of choice and join us in carrying out our cutting-edge work to keep more children safe from the devastating yet preventable effects of child sexual abuse. Know that your support will result in tangible outcomes and help us reach our goals faster and for more children.
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We believe that working together we can create transformative social change to end child sexual abuse.
We are changemakers for children.
We are building a movement.
Join us.
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Jetta Bernier
Executive Director
Enough Abuse
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About ENOUGH ABUSE
ENOUGH ABUSE (formerly Massachusetts Citizens for Children/MassKids) is the nation’s oldest, private citizen-based child advocacy nonprofit working effectively in states and nationally to ensure the right of every child to live a life free from abuse, neglect and violence.
Our programs include the Enough Abuse Campaign, providing a comprehensive set of child sexual abuse prevention strategies to schools, youth organizations and communities in several states and countries; the online Pledge to Prevent® Campaign, educating and engaging citizens everywhere to take prevention actions in their homes and communities; and the Children’s Justice Campaign, leading the effort to reform child sexual abuse Statutes of Limitations across the country. Together, these campaigns are equipping citizens, survivors and policymakers with the knowledge and skills they need to become changemakers for children and put an end to the silence, and eventually, the epidemic of child sexual abuse.
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