The West Essex YMCA wears blue to support protecting children from child abuse.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges is participating in the Five Days of Action, from April 18 to 22. The Five Days of Action is a weeklong campaign to raise awareness and inspire adults to take action to protect children from sexual abuse. The Y will share statistics and resources throughout the week and invite members to take the pledge to protect children from sexual abuse.
The Metro YMCA of the Oranges encourages adults and organizations to join in marking this special week and to come together to make the community a safer place for children to live, learn and play.
During the Five Days of Action, the Y will be engaging these critical steps of prevention: “know, see, respond.” When adults know how abuse happens, see the warning signs and respond quickly to prevent abuse, they foster a culture of child abuse prevention.
“The children in our communities have the right to a happy and safe childhood, and it’s our responsibility as adults and organizations to stand up to protect that right,” Metro Y President and CEO Richard K. Gorab said. “By joining in the Five Days of Action’s ‘know, see, respond’ campaign, we hope to inspire other organizations and members of our communities to create safe spaces that protect children from sexual abuse.”
According to statistics provided by nonprofit organization Darkness to Light, one in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday; 90 percent of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser; approximately 30 percent of children who are sexually abused are abused by family members; 60 percent of child sexual abuse victims never tell anyone; and false reports are rare, with research showing that only 4 percent to 8 percent of child sexual abuse reports are fabricated.
If you believe a child is being abused, you do not need to have proof that abuse is occurring to make a report, only reasonable suspicion. Reasonable suspicion means that you have witnessed maltreatment or boundary violations in the child and/or adult; or, you have received a disclosure from a child about abuse, neglect or boundary violations toward them. Child sexual abuse reports should be made to the police and/or state child protective services.
To learn what the Y is doing to protect children from sexual abuse, visit www.metroymcas.org/main/child-abuse-prevention.
The Metro YMCA of the Oranges, with support from the YMCA Champions for Child Protection, YMCA of the USA, Darkness to Light, Redwoods Group Foundation, Monique Burr Foundation for Children and American Camp Association, have made materials available to help adults learn more about preventing child sexual abuse.
For more information about preventing child sexual abuse, visit www.fivedaysofaction.org.
Photos Courtesy of Mollie Shauger
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