Agencies Team Up to Fight Child Sexual Abuse, Call on Community to Help
Several community agencies are teaming up in an effort to try and prevent child sexual abuse in our area. They're also asking that you too be involved.
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Employees at the
Bivona Child Advocacy Center, the
YMCA of Greater Rochester, and 10 other agencies in our area will undergo the
Darkness to Light training. It's a two and half hour program teaching adults how to recognize child sexual abuse, what to do about it if they suspect it and how to prevent it from happening in the first place.
"It is the single largest community-wide effort to address the issue of child sexual abuse by preventing it," said Bivona Executive Director Mary Whittier.
The goal is also to grow outside of these first agencies that are involved, and get five percent of the adults in Greater Rochester trained within the next five years.
"We would love it if the average concerned adult could get engaged and be willing to learn more about this," explained Whittier. "Whether it's a business person, a company, a concerned citizen, a grandparent – adults in children's lives – to be able to understand what it is to look for [or] that this is even a problem to begin with."
Bivona and the YMCA are training other staff members to help teach the course.
"This is not a Y program. This is not a Bivona program. This is a community program," said George Romell, Executive Director, YMCA of Greater Rochester. "We ask everybody involved in this program to take this mission and spread the word."
If you or your organization is interested in taking the training, contact the Bivona Child Advocacy Center at (585) 935-7800.