By Madison Remrey
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. In recognition, there is going to be a community class held that will teach adults how to recognize the signs of child sexual abuse.
Stewards of Children is a two hour long video-driven training course that features the stories of survivors of child sexual abuse, parents and professionals.
Ann Thompson, a facilitator of the training course, has taught this class to various groups of people. These groups include nursing students, businesses, doctors, dentists and more. This April will be the first time she hosts a class meant for the community.
The course is focused on adults and what they specifically can do to help prevent child sexual abuse.
Thompson has taught courses the are centered towards children and what they can do to help keep themselves and others safe, but Stewards of Children is entirely focused on the adult’s role in child sexual abuse.
Thompson said that this is important because ultimately, the responsibility of prevention falls on the adult.
“Children are resilient if they’re provided with the support they need,” Thompson said.
According to the course material, 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before the age of 18. Ninety percent of those children will be abused by someone they know and trust.
The children that are abused are more susceptible to numerous health issues such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, cancer and more. They are also more likely to engage in criminal activity and experience homelessness.
“Child sexual abuse is likely the most prevalent health problem children will face with the most serious array of consequences,” Thompson said.
Thompson said that although the statistics may be staggering, she still encourages all adults to go through the training needed to learn how to know the signs and learn prevention tactics.
“I think with it being kind of taboo and us not talking about it — the facts and statistics can be overwhelming, but the training is not,” Thompson said.
The training will be held at the Lincoln Parish Library April 26 from 6-8 p.m. and again April 28 from 10 a.m. to noon.
To register for the course, you can click on the following links — http://wellspringofnela.org/
