Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: a National Resource Directory And
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National Sexual Violence Resource Center A Project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape This publication was supported by Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number H28/CCH317184-05 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the NSVRC. THIS PUBLICATION IS AVAILABLE IN PDF AND TEXT ONLY FORMATS ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.NSVRC.ORG OR BY CALLING TOLL FREE 877-739-3895. NOTE: This resource directory does not purport to contain a comprehensive list of all organizations and programs contributing to child sexual abuse prevention. The information in this resource directory was submitted by each organization for the purpose of publication in the directory. The NSVRC has edited some of this information for length, clarity, and uniformity. The NSVRC does not attest to the quality of services or the veracity of information provided by the organizations and individuals listed herein. If you are considering implementing one or more of these programs/strategies, it is important to thoroughly investigate and evaluate its appropriateness for your setting and consider other factors such as evidence of effectiveness, audience appropriateness, etc. Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: A National Resource Directory and Handbook National Sexual Violence Resource Center A Project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape © NATIONAL SEXUAL VIOLENCE RESOURCE CENTER 2005. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Acknowledgements The National Sexual Violence Resource Center wishes to acknowledge the following for their contributions to this publication: ❚ We thank the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for providing leadership, vision and funding for this project. ❚ We thank the Association of Sexual Abuse Prevention (ASAP) for their pioneering efforts to identify and coordinate prevention initiatives and advising our staff in this process. ❚ We thank STOP IT NOW! for sharing their environmental scan of prevention programs. ❚ We thank Ms. Foundation for sharing their booklet Beyond Surviving: Toward A Movement to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse. ❚ We thank the programs and individuals who provided information about their resources or recommended others to be included in this directory. ❚ We thank the authors who provided articles for our “Voices From the Field” section. ❚ We thank the PCAR/NSVRC staff and NSVRC Advisory Council members who assisted with the development and review of this directory, especially Carol Nodgaard, who assumed the lead role in organizing this project. ❚ We thank all who are working to make this world a much better place by eliminating and preventing the sexual abuse of our children. 2 Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Table of Contents Introduction . 5 Comments from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . 6 Overview The National Sexual Violence Resource Center . 7 Project Background . 7 About this Directory . 8 How to Use this Directory . 9 Voices from the Field The Role of the Association for Sexual Abuse Prevention . 11 Child Abuse Prevention: Role of Nurse Examiners . 13 The Role of the Center for Sex Offender Management . 15 The Role of the Child Welfare League of America. 17 The Role of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in Combating Child Sexual Exploitation . 19 The Role of Children’s Advocacy Centers in Prevention. 21 The Role of Rape Crisis Centers and Anti-Sexual Assault Coalitions in Preventing Child Sexual Abuse . 22 The Role of Prevent Child Abuse America . 24 Having New Eyes: Bringing Public Health Science to the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse . 25 Research and Resources Costs and Consequences of Child Sexual Abuse . 28 Developing, Selecting, and Evaluating Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs and Initiatives . 33 Selected Bibliography of Research Articles . 35 Directory of Resources, Programs, and Initiatives . 39 Preventing Online Exploitation Web-based Resources. 211 Online Documents . 213 Selected Bibliographies Child Sexual Abuse Prevention, Articles and Reports . 215 Selected Book List—Adults, Professionals, Parents . 227 Selected Book List—Children. 229 Organization Index. 231 Directory Index . 235 Table of Contents 3 Preventing Child Sexual Abuse 4 Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Introduction BY KAREN BAKER, LMSW, NSVRC DIRECTOR Child sexual abuse violates the trust, safety sexual abuse. We must make it our business to ensure and age-appropriate development that the safety of children in every venue including homes, should be a natural part of each child’s life. schools, churches and neighborhoods. Even worse, this especially offensive crime is We do not yet know which prevention approaches, or most commonly committed by adults combination of strategies, will ultimately prove to be known to the child, in fact, often by those most effective. Many programs are understandably quite invested in their particular model. We are very people entrusted with the child’s care. encouraged by the abundance of passion, creativity, and Its frequency and deeply harmful impact genuine commitment to preventing child sexual abuse make it one of our most heinous social throughout the country. What is most lacking at this problems with heartbreaking long-term time is a coordinated national prevention plan. A costs and consequences for individuals, comprehensive approach will employ multiple families and communities. strategies; provide thorough evaluation of existing programs; and assure sufficient resources to Many otherwise divergent organizations find common simultaneously address the current victims and ground in a shared commitment to preventing child perpetrators; while effectively preventing any further sexual abuse. Importantly, they share a similar vision of child sexual abuse. creating strong, healthy communities that include adults from all walks of life working together to protect, value The National Sexual Violence Resource Center and nurture all children. While they agree that more (NSVRC) hopes that this resource collection will prove resources must be devoted to preventing child sexual useful for those currently working to prevent child abuse, it is more difficult to arrive at consensus on which sexual abuse; will inspire others to join the cause; will strategies work most effectively. This publication offers a raise important questions about the current status of snapshot of some of the currently available resources and prevention efforts; and will stimulate additional research, and identifies themes and key players. creativity and the development of layered strategies. We encourage ongoing community discussions allowing us It is critical to draw upon a wide range of strategies to to identify the next steps necessary to move child sexual begin to impact this highly complex problem. In abuse prevention to the forefront of the national reviewing the current status, it is clear that many more agenda. resources exist in certain areas than in others. A truly comprehensive approach to preventing child sexual abuse must involve adults and children; males and females; individuals, groups and organizations; and be offered in a variety of formats and settings that are culturally appropriate. We must also implement a range of prevention strategies including those designed to prevent adults from ever abusing a child; those giving children some skills and language to report potential boundary violations; and tools to reduce the likelihood of high-risk behaviors from escalating into sexual abuse. All adults and every organization and community needs to assume personal responsibility for preventing child Introduction 5 Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Comments from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention BY CORINNE GRAFFUNDER, M.P.H., CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC) Child sexual abuse is a wide-spread and very serious Efforts to prevent perpetration must include advances public health threat with significant long-term in public health research. To provide a framework for consequences. Child sexual abuse affects victims not only this research, CDC’s Injury Research Agenda, published while they are young, but throughout their lifetime with in 2003, highlights several focus areas: a wide range of adverse physical and behavioral health ❚ Examining how perpetration develops, risk and conditions, including poor academic performance, protective factors for perpetration, and optimal depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and times and settings for prevention; risky sexual behavior. It may even shorten life expectancy by heightening the risk of chronic and infectious disease. ❚ Developing, evaluating, and disseminating interventions to prevent perpetration; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) utilizes the public health model to address the ❚ Identifying and changing societal norms that prevention of child sexual abuse with a focus on support child sexual assault; and primary prevention, preventing perpetration before it ❚ Documenting the health consequences of child occurs. As with all of its violence and injury prevention sexual assault across the lifespan. activities, CDC is focused on developing a strong evidence base and using this evidence to develop and Prevention is a challenge, but CDC is dedicated to disseminate effective programs to prevent child sexual increasing the safety and protection of children by assault. encouraging the