Decatur Police Hosting Child Sex Abuse Prevention Presentation on July 11th
Decatur Metro | June 26, 2012Decatur Deputy Police Chief Keith Lee sends in this press release…
Child sex abuse is in every community. You see the statistics and it is difficult to accept that your children and the children in your community are more likely to be victimized by someone they know, someone that you know and trust. It can be difficult as parents to decide how to approach your children to educate them without scaring them. It is up to each parent to determine how they want to approach this sensitive topic with their children. The impact of child sex abuse on children, families and the community as a whole is bigger than most of us realize.
Documented research shows that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18, yet only 10% of victims ever disclose their abuse. The results of sexual abuse reach far beyond the immediate trauma and disruption in a child’s life. The ripple effect of sexual abuse is vast and can lead to depression, drug and alcohol abuse, poor school performance, inappropriate sexual behaviors, eating disorders and cutting. Abused girls are more likely to turn to self-destructive behavior such as promiscuity leading to teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. They are also more vulnerable to being commercially sexually exploited. Abused boys are more likely to turn to aggressive or criminal behavior leading to incarceration.
These are not just statistics; these are our neighbors, our friends, and our family members. The most important thing to remember is that child sex abuse is preventable. When adults and youth serving organizations learn the risks, know the signs, and understand how to react responsibly, we can change the culture of abuse.
On Wednesday, July 11, 2012, the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy and The Decatur Police Department will host a “Prevent Now” presentation at 6:30 p.m. at the Decatur High School Auditorium. The presentation is FREE and for adults, not children. The professionals working these types of cases in your community will be your presenters. You will be given an overview of what is going on in your community rather than just having national statistics thrown at you. The overall purpose of this presentation is to raise awareness for parents and those who are responsible for the care of children and to give parents options and resources to choose from when making the decision on how to educate their children about this topic.
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I don’t have children but I have been to the sex offender website and it appears that several live darn close to FAVE. What are the rules on that and who is responsible for enforcing them?
http://services.georgia.gov/gbi/gbisor/ControllerServlet?cmmd=search&searchType=all&fname=&lname=&streetname=&city=&zip=30030&county=&gender=A&incarc=A&x=42&y=6
It’s something like sexual offenders or predators cannot live or work within a 1,000 feet of anywhere that children congregate which would include a school. I don’t know what happens when a new school like FAVE opens. Does anyone routinely check the sex offender registry to see if there’s an issue?
If the person lived there before the law went into effect and hasn’t moved, they can stay where they are. If they move, they have to follow the rules. If something like a new school is built, they can’t be forced to move if they were legal before.
This is correct.
I’ve seen those pins on the mapping app. As a parent living in Oakhurst, I look at the photos of those guys every other week or so, to commit their faces to memory. I am not usually the type to light a torch and storm the castle, but having worked with an urban DA’s office on many child abuse cases, I am well aware of recidivism rates and of the lengths that some predators will go to get what they want.
Yeah, I don’t want to burn any torches and go looking for trouble but I think your approach is wise – know who to avoid, make sure your kids do, too – and understand that we don’t know how to fix what is wrong with these people yet.