5 Days of Action

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. As part of our commitment to protecting the children in our community, we’re participating in the Five Days of Action - a week-long campaign to increase awareness of child sexual abuse and empower and equip us all to prevent it. By taking part in this important campaign and through implementing abuse prevention practices year-round, the YMCA of Long Island is committing to the safety of all children in our community.

 

Know: KNOWing about child sexual abuse can help adults better understand what to look for and how to prevent it. As parents, caregivers, and trusted adults to the young people in our lives, we play an important role in protecting them from abuse. This requires our commitment to continually learn and then ask questions about the safety of our loved ones. The Y – and other youth serving organizations – implement a series of measures to keep the kids in their care safe. When evaluating camps, sports, and other activities for your child, do you KNOW what questions to ask about abuse prevention? Learn the key questions to ask from Praesidium, the YMCA's partner in child abuse prevention: praesidiuminc.com/6-key-questions-a-parent-should-ask-of-an-organization

 

See: When we SEE boundaries being crossed or SEE grooming patterns—methodical, subtle, gradual, and escalating behaviors used to groom a child for sexual abuse—we can identify them, strengthen our intuition, and protect children. Learn the 6 grooming behaviors every parent or caregiver needs to know and what to do if you see them, from our partner, Saprea: saprea.org/blog/6-perpetrator-grooming-behaviors.

 

Respond: It is our responsibility to RESPOND to any and all disclosure, discovery or suspicion of child sexual abuse. RESPONDing starts when a child or teen feels heard and is helped. How can you take action to prevent child sexual abuse? The Trusted Triangle (for younger children) and the Safety NETwork (for older youth) are strategies from Lauren’s Kids Safer, Smarter Families Family Safety Toolkit. These resources are designed to help families and caregivers teach personal and digital safety in a comfortable and accessible way.

This week we learn the importance of Know. See. Respond. as practical tools for preventing child sexual abuse—but our work is never done. We are committed to year-round prevention, and we hope you are, too!