2017 Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Parents, guardians and adults who care for children face constant challenges when trying to help keep them safe in today’s fast-paced world. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) offers easy-to-use safety resources to help address these challenges. Visit the NCMEC web site at www.missingkids.com and check out the helpful topics. Watch this space in the coming weeks for tips on how to create safe environments for children and youth! To see what the Diocese of Erie is doing to keep children and youth safe, check out http://www.eriercd.org/protectyouth.htm
Below are links to two flyers – one for elementary parents and one for junior/senior high parents.
Flyer for ELEMENTARY parents
Flyer for JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH parents
Child Protection and Creating Safe Environments Online Safety Tips for Parents & Kids:
Chat rooms can be a treacherous place and parents need to talk to their children about the potential dangers. Children ‘meet’ new friends virtually but in the virtual world you never really know who you are talking to. Sometimes these ‘friends’ are adults trying to gain the friendship and trust of children and youth. Continual monitoring of children’s participation in chat rooms is required to keep children safe!
Sexual abuse of minors is a pervasive societal problem. Only concerted and sustained efforts by all adults in every segment of society can help to protect children and youth. It is every adult’s moral responsibility to protect possible victims by reporting suspected abuse or neglect to the responsible authorities at the Pennsylvania Child Abuse Hotline, Child Line,
1-800-932-0313.
There is no better time than the Easter season to celebrate the protection of one of our most valuable gifts from God - our children. According to Scripture and Catholic teachings we are called to protect the life and dignity of all human persons, no matter how young or old. Child abuse remains a national problem and working to prevent this abuse is an important response to what we are called to do as Church.
“I don’t want to be the first to say anything.” “It’s none of my business.” “Let’s just pretend it didn’t happen.” “I’m not going to be the one to tattle.” The distinction between “tattling” and “telling” is a simple one. Tattling is done to get someone in trouble. Telling is done to stop a person from hurting themselves or someone else. So don’t be the one to “tattle,” but please be the one who “tells,” and save a child’s life. Call reports of disclosed or suspected abuse to the Pennsylvania child abuse hotline, Child Line, 1-800-932-0313.
A child’s safety is an adult’s job. Children are often taught how to keep themselves safe from sexual abuse – and that’s important to learn – but that’s no substitute for adult responsibility. We make sure out children wear seat belts, we keep poisons out of reach, we teach them to drive safely. When would we leave the job of preventing child sexual abuse solely to children and youth?