"Those kinds of things wouldn't happen to our child."
"He isn't the type of person who would do such a thing."
These are two major misconceptions an average person might have regarding child sexual abuse. But the statistics on the issue show a completely different phenomenon. Across all socioeconomic, educational, racial, and cultural lines, one in three girls, and one in seven boys, are sexually abused before the age of 17 according to statistics, and 90 percent of children who had been sexually abused know their abuser.
Veritable Screening, a background check company, and Church Everyday will be co-hosting a free seminar on child safety, particularly on child sexual abuse prevention. The seminar will feature Pattie Fitzgerald, an expert in the field of childhood sexual abuse prevention education and child abduction prevention, who will be sharing ways parents and children could identify potential abusers, and 10 prevention strategies that parents could take in advance.
"Child sexual abuse is more common than most realize," Veritable Screening stated, and stated recent examples of cases that occurred within the Southern California area. Just last month, a 43-year-old teacher at an elementary school was "arrested for 'inappropriately touching' four female students, who were all under the age of 10," and an Asian high school teacher in Hacienda Heights "had been arrested with an alleged sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student" in February according to Veritable Screening. Veritable Screening provides background check screenings for potential employees as well as volunteers, nannies, and caregivers, who have contact with children and the elderly.
"Because 90 percent of childhood sexual abuse occurs by someone the child knows, teaching children only about 'Stranger-Danger' -- the need to be concerned with strangers -- is ineffective," Pattie Fitzgerald stated. She emphasized that "knowledge is power in prevention and even very young children can be taught some important rules."
Fitzgerald is the founder of Safely Ever After, Inc., which provides safety workshops and seminars in schools, churches, and corporations, and has been featured on various media outlets including Good Morning America, CNN Headline News, and MSNBC.
The seminar will be taking place on June 7 at 4 PM at Church Everyday's education center. Free childcare will be provided, and oragnizers highly recommended parents of children from the ages 4 to 17 to attend. Only adults are permitted to attend the seminar. RSVP is encouraged to provide the proper amount of childcare.
For more information and to RSVP, contact Veritable Screening at support@veritablescreening.com, or (310) 356-7001.
