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Wilmington, Del. —
Approximately one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18, according to Attorney General Beau Biden.
That is a number the state hopes to see dramatically decrease after kicking off a new training program designed to teach Delawareans how to spot possible signs of child sexual abuse.
Biden, along with child advocates from the YMCA of Delaware, Delaware Family Court and Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, unveiled the details of the program Wednesday morning at the Central YMCA in downtown Wilmington.
“It’s not a child’s job to protect him or herself from abuse, it’s our job,” Biden said. “This program gives adults the tools and the information we need to protect kids.”
The training program, known as “Stewards of Children,” is a three-hour training session led by an authorized facilitator who teaches participants the signs of child sexual abuse, how to prevent it and to report suspected incidents.
The state has set a goal to train 35,000 Delaware residents by 2015.
Karen DeRasmo, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, said the recent case involving Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley, who sexually assaulted nearly 100 of his patients, did play a part in the state’s adoption of this program.
“There were ripples from that situation,” she said, “and one of the things that happened was the folks in Sussex County came to us and said, ‘We want to do something to prevent this from happening again.’ We now have 13 facilitators in that county.”
Another 22 facilitators have been trained in New Castle County along with several others in Kent, she said.
DeRasmo said parents should be vigilant about who is with their children at all times.
“The number one thing we’re telling people is to reduce the number of one-adult-one-child situations,” she said.
DeRasmo said she knows this program will succeed in improving child safety over the next five years.
“Every single person in this room has the ability to make this a safer place, and if you magnify that by the number of people we are trying to reach with this program, we have the capability to make Delaware a safer place,” she said.
Chief Family Court Judge Chandlee Johnson Kuhn said all 330 employees of Delaware Family Court will take part in this program. At least 245 staff members have already been trained.
Biden pointed out that all residents are obligated under the law to report suspected incidents of child abuse and these sessions will show adults what to look for.
“You have a duty to report it,” he said. “We need to encourage people to follow this law, because when you do follow it, fewer kids get hurt.”
Approximately one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18, according to Attorney General Beau Biden.
That is a number the state hopes to see dramatically decrease after kicking off a new training program designed to teach Delawareans how to spot possible signs of child sexual abuse.
Biden, along with child advocates from the YMCA of Delaware, Delaware Family Court and Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, unveiled the details of the program Wednesday morning at the Central YMCA in downtown Wilmington.
“It’s not a child’s job to protect him or herself from abuse, it’s our job,” Biden said. “This program gives adults the tools and the information we need to protect kids.”
The training program, known as “Stewards of Children,” is a three-hour training session led by an authorized facilitator who teaches participants the signs of child sexual abuse, how to prevent it and to report suspected incidents.
The state has set a goal to train 35,000 Delaware residents by 2015.
Karen DeRasmo, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, said the recent case involving Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley, who sexually assaulted nearly 100 of his patients, did play a part in the state’s adoption of this program.
“There were ripples from that situation,” she said, “and one of the things that happened was the folks in Sussex County came to us and said, ‘We want to do something to prevent this from happening again.’ We now have 13 facilitators in that county.”
Another 22 facilitators have been trained in New Castle County along with several others in Kent, she said.
DeRasmo said parents should be vigilant about who is with their children at all times.
“The number one thing we’re telling people is to reduce the number of one-adult-one-child situations,” she said.
DeRasmo said she knows this program will succeed in improving child safety over the next five years.
“Every single person in this room has the ability to make this a safer place, and if you magnify that by the number of people we are trying to reach with this program, we have the capability to make Delaware a safer place,” she said.
Chief Family Court Judge Chandlee Johnson Kuhn said all 330 employees of Delaware Family Court will take part in this program. At least 245 staff members have already been trained.
Biden pointed out that all residents are obligated under the law to report suspected incidents of child abuse and these sessions will show adults what to look for.
“You have a duty to report it,” he said. “We need to encourage people to follow this law, because when you do follow it, fewer kids get hurt.”
