Workshop A1
The Enough Abuse Campaign:
Organizing a Movement to End Child Sexual Abuse
Jetta Bernier, Chair, Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership
Executive Director, Massachusetts Citizens for Children

The Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership (the Partnership) was formed in 2002 with the goal of creating a statewide movement to eliminate child sexual abuse. The work of the Partnership has been described by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “trailblazing”, and has placed Massachusetts in the forefront of a national effort to prevent child sexual abuse by mobilizing parents and other adults to prevent the perpetration of child sexual abuse.

In this workshop, the presenter described the history of the Partnership’s approach and the evolution of its prevention strategy, now referred to as the Enough Abuse Campaign. The Enough Abuse Campaign includes the state-level Partnership and its three pilot site communities of Gloucester, Newton and the nine-town North Quabbin area. Ms. Bernier detailed the exciting work that is taking place in the Commonwealth and provided an overview of the philosophy of the Campaign. Most significantly, she demonstrated how every workshop participant can take the messages of the Campaign back to their families, colleagues and communities.
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Workshop B2
Child Sexual Abuse: Prevention Strategies for Your Family & Community
Anne Douglass, EdM, Director, Burr Cooperative Nursery School
Melissa Gopnik, MBA, Director, Administration & Finance, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center

This workshop provided a comprehensive overview of the Enough Abuse Campaign's approach to the prevention of child sexual abuse. The Enough Abuse Campaign was developed by Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership to mobilize adults and communities to eliminate child sexual abuse in the Commonwealth. The Campaign’s approach focuses on 1) adult and community responsibility for preventing abuse and protecting children, and 2) preventing adults and young people from becoming perpetrators of sexual abuse. This presentation  provided information about the nature and scope of child sexual abuse, the conditions in our society that allow it to flourish, and four key prevention strategies.

Presenters are members of the Newton pilot site of the Enough Abuse Campaign. ^return to top

Workshop C1
Talking to Kids about Sexuality:
Communication Strategies for Parents
Cheryl Favalora, LICSW, Cape Ann Early Intervention
Susan Warner, LCSW, Social Worker, Gloucester Public Schools

Child sexual abuse is a problem that most of us wish would just go away. Many of us are sad and angry to find out that our families and communities are not always the safe, happy, caring places that we thought they were. It is hard for many of us to imagine a friend or loved one ever touching our children in a sexual way. However, statistics tell us that child sexual abuse is a very real problem.

Society is full of messages about sex and sexuality, and these messages can be confusing to children. People who wish to sexually abuse children can and do use this confusion to their advantage when targeting potential victims. Also, as children grow into adulthood, having accurate information and a strong sense of personal values is key to having safe, pleasurable relationships and making healthy decisions. For these reasons, it is very important that parents talk with their children about sexuality and their values. Yet sexuality is a complex and at times confusing subject that many adults have difficulty defining and/or discussing. This skill-based workshop taught attendees more about how to protect our children and encourage their healthy development.

This training was developed by Prevent Child Abuse Vermont, and presenters are members of the Gloucester pilot site of the Enough Abuse Campaign.^return to top

Workshop D3
The Prevention of Sexually Abusive Behaviors in Childhood & Adolescence
Rebecca, J. Bialecki, PhD, Coordinator, North Quabbin Community Coalition
Kathleen Hardie, MPH, Executive Director, Valuing Our Children Program
Eve Bogdanove, MSW, Director, Child & Family Services - Athol

This interactive workshop worked to help adults understand children’s sexual behavior and help them respond in ways that will promote healthy child development. Presenters described the range of child sexual behaviors from healthy to unhealthy and taught attendees to recognize the difference. Workshop participants learned how to interact with children when confronted with confusing or unhealthy behaviors. They were taught skills to redirect children’s behavior in order to promote healthy development and prevent child sexual abuse. This training program was developed by Gail Ryan of the Kempe Children’s Center in Denver and has been used extensively across the country.

Presenters are members of the North Quabbin pilot site of the Enough Abuse Campaign. ^return to top

• The components of specialized sex offender treatment and how it differs from traditional therapy;
  
  
• The context of treatment as part of the containment approach with offenders under court-ordered supervision; and,
  
  
• The role of victim advocates in sex offender management.

Panelists discussed connections between MCSOM and prevention efforts in Massachusetts. This included a summary of the recommendations resulting from the forum, Preventing the Perpetration of Child Sexual Abuse in Massachusetts, held on March 3, 2004, and the initiatives that resulted. In particular, panelists outlined the groundbreaking new collaborative effort between MCSOM and Stop It Now!, a national non-profit organization that uses the tools of public health to prevent the perpetration of child sexual abuse. ^return to top

Workshop F1/F2
Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Organizations
Janet Saul, PhD
National Center for Injury Prevention & Control
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

In August of 2004, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, convened an expert meeting on the organizational prevention of child sexual abuse. The objectives for this meeting were to identify: the critical components for preventing child sexual abuse within organizations; the challenges for organizations that might hinder adoption of these critical components; mechanisms for overcoming these challenges; and, strategies for dissemination and implementation of the components critical for prevention. In this workshop, Dr. Saul shared the findings from this expert meeting. ^return to top

Workshop G1/G2
Deflecting Deception
Anna C. Salter, PhD
Author of Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists and other Sex Offenders: Who They Are,
How They Operate and How we Can Protect Ourselves and Our Children

This workshop focused on ways parents can protect their children from sex offenders. It distinguished between detection and deception as strategies and made the case that only deflection -- limiting opportunities for access to children -- will work. It  examined places and situations that draw pedophiles and discussed high risk versus low risk situations. Finally, it discussed the balance between over-protecting children (and thus severely restricting their opportunities for growth) and not protecting them enough (thus allowing many opportunities for pedophiles). ^return to top

Workshop H2/H3
Race, Prevention & Child Sexual Abuse
La Wanza Lett-Brewington, Director of Community Education
Everywoman’s Center, University of Massachusetts

This workshop provided a forum for discussion of best practices currently used locally and nationally for the prevention and intervention of child sexual abuse in communities of color. Participants were encouraged to think critically about the following:

1) Child sexual abuse in families of color and how it manifests itself – Discussion  covered the prevalence, myths and facts, signs of sexual abuse, and six ways in which molesters and rapists of color are supported by their community.

2) How issues of discrimination and racism intersect with child sexual abuse – Discussion covered “whose” values are the measure of sexual abuse, using cultural context, and recognizing our own biases.

3) How to work effectively with families of color dealing with child sexual abuse– Discussion covered reporting, cultural competency, internalized racism and sexism, and viable options for the child and family.

Participants shared what has worked or not worked within their agencies, and discussed how to apply best practices exchanged within the workshop. ^return to top

Workshop I3
So Sexy, So Soon:
The Sexualization of Childhood & What We Can Do about It
Diane Levin, PhD
Professor of Education, Wheelock College

Today’s children are growing up in an environment saturated with images of sexual appearance and behavior that they cannot fully understand. It can influence how they think about being male and female, their bodies and what they want to wear. It can confuse children about the nature of adult relationships and promote precocious sexuality. This session explored the current situation, how it is affecting children, and what we can do to promote healthy development in these times. ^return to top

What is needed is a medium through which everyone can talk in the same language as they work together to understand how sexual abuse can happen and how to reduce the risk of abuse. In teaching about child sexual abuse, the use of simple, concrete metaphor allows one to consider a concept, such as how children are engaged in an abusive relationship, while talking about something similar, but entirely different, and definitely not sexual. Listeners can first pay attention to the non-threatening metaphor and then gradually apply the ‘insight’ gained to the more threatening topic of sexual abuse. Teaching adults and children, either separately or together, through metaphor allows the development of a simple common language for speaking about the unthinkable. ^return to top

Workshop K2/K3
Using Poetry & Art to Explore Barriers to Prevention
Marta Sanchez
Survivor, Poet & Artist

This interactive workshop used a combination of poetry and art to examine myths about sexual violence and their effects on child survivors of sexual abuse. The presenter, Marta Sanchez, is a self-taught visual artist and poet who was born and raised in the Republic of Panama. She is a sexual assault survivor and her art is a means of breaking the silence and healing wounds that no one can see. Her goal is to raise awareness, and hopefully, prevent sexual violence from happening to others.

Ms. Sanchez displayed pieces from “The Angel Series”, part of her current works, and facilitated a discussion on how the series addresses the way society views survivors of sexual violence. Participants used “The Angel Series” to consider how important it is to reassure children that sexual violence is never the victim’s fault, no matter the circumstances.

Participants left the workshop with a well-developed understanding of the pervasiveness of victim blaming and how they can counter it in their individual and collective efforts to end child sexual abuse. ^return to top

Workshop L2/L3
When There Is No Evidence to Report: An Opportunity for Prevention
Amanda Horowitz, Helpline Coordinator, Stop It Now!
Joan Tabachnick, Public Education Director, Stop It Now!

As parents, relatives, community members and professionals, we sometimes see an adult or older youth acting in ways towards a child that concern us. We may develop a “gut feeling” that something is not right. We may recognize in an adult or adolescent the warning signs for the development of sexually abusive behaviors towards children. However, often we do not know for sure that a child has been harmed or that the risk exists.

Stop It Now!, a national non-profit organization using the tools of public health to prevent the perpetration of child sexual abuse, refers to these situations as “yellow light” or “at-risk.” Adults in “yellow light” situations have expressed that they are concerned, but do not know what to do. These adult family members feel compelled to take action to protect the child from possible or future abuse, yet there is no evidence of sexual abuse to report. Stop It Now! has created a framework for responding to these situations through activating and engaging the family or community.

This workshop presented information about Stop It Now!’s approach to preventing the perpetration of child sexual abuse. The presenters offered specific information about what has been learned through the Stop It Now! Helpline and how this knowledge has guided and shaped our prevention work. Focus was placed on what adults can do in “yellow light” situations to prevent a child from being harmed. Through case examples and an interactive format, participants discussed the available options and necessary tools to motivating adults to have conversations with other adults, as well as the concrete steps they can take to prevent the perpetration of child sexual abuse. ^return to top