Our evidence-informed training influences community behavior change. Once certified in Stewards of Children®, adults will take action to protect the children in their lives. Your financial gift is an investment in prevention.
The facts about child sexual abuse can be staggering, but learning them can help us better understand how to protect children.
For instance, we know that over 90% of sexually abused children are abused by someone known by the child or family. This means that “stranger danger” isn’t the biggest risk to children. People they know are.
One-one-one time with trusted adults is healthy and valuable for a child. Ensuring that those opportunities are safe is important as well.
If you eliminate or reduce opportunities for children to be in isolated, one-on-one situations with adults or other youth, you dramatically reduce the risk for abuse.
Children often keep abuse a secret, but barriers can be broken down by talking openly about topics like body safety, sex, and boundaries. One of the best defenses against child sexual abuse is our relationship with children and open, age-appropriate conversations.
Don’t expect obvious signs when a child is being sexually abused. Signs are often there, but you have to know what to look for. Emotional or behavioral signals are more common, and may range from “too perfect” behavior to anger and rebellion.
Disclosure, discovery, and suspicions of sexual abuse provide opportunities to intervene on behalf of a child. Be prepared to react responsibly.
We know that when adults are trained, they take the steps to protect children from sexual abuse.
During our award-winning Stewards of Children® prevention training, you’ll meet survivors who lived through child sexual abuse, experienced its immediate and long-term effects, and ultimately were able to find healing. You’ll meet experts who work with children and families and confront abuse on a daily basis. Lastly, you’ll find concrete steps that you can take to protect the children in your life.
As our fiscal year comes to an end, we want to take a moment to look back on what YOU have helped Darkness to Light accomplish – primarily, that more children than ever are safe because of your support. In partnership with thousands of volunteers worldwide, more than 1.7 million adults have been trained to prevent, recognize, …
Darkness to Light announces third annual child abuse prevention conference. Darkness to Light announces its third annual national child sexual abuse prevention conference, Ignite 2019, October 8-9 in Boston, MA. The conference brings together sexual abuse prevention leaders from across the country around the common goal of making communities safer for children. Marci Hamilton, the Founder, CEO, and …
Darkness to Light partners with Monique Burr Foundation for Children to launch Prevent 360°, a comprehensive approach to prevent child abuse. Two of the nation’s leading advocates for the prevention of child abuse and bullying announced a partnership today called Prevent 360°. Protecting children from sexual abuse and other types of victimization requires a 360° …
