The Safety of Alaska's Children Is an All-of-Us Responsibility
Addy Peters is the director of prevention strategies of Alaska Children’s Trust
Summer! There’s no better time to be an Alaskan, and especially an Alaskan kid – long days without school or curfews, playing out, eating out, camping out – we are truly lucky to call this great land home. Yet, month after month, and year after year, our children carry a burden that we are reluctant to talk about openly. One in five Alaskan children experience sexual abuse before age 18. This abuse takes many forms and crosses every boundary of geography, culture and income. It is an all-of-us problem, and it is a preventable problem.
Prevention begins with bringing the issue out of the shadows. It is said that to name a problem is to tame a problem. From the kitchen table to the committee table, we can normalize prevention conversations and build a culture of safety for our children. Together, we must start with dismantling the stigma that persists for the victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, and with mobilizing Alaskans everywhere to play a part in protecting our youth. We must take a look at our environments, from physical buildings to online spaces, and identify and shore up the gaps we see in child safety.
We also need to focus on those who cause harm to children and take steps early to prevent that harm before it happens. Strong organizational policies and consistent responses to boundary-blurring behaviors and violations will reduce child sexual abuse. Research shows that up to 70% of child sexual abuse is carried out by another young person, often an older child or teenager. The encouraging news is that when young people who cause harm receive appropriate intervention and support services, 97% do not reoffend. Prevention works. Early support works. And when we invest in prevention, we stop harm before it happens and spare children and families from long-term trauma.
“Collectively, we have the knowledge, the skills, and the tools to prevent child sexual abuse. In fact, we know more than ever before about what works. The question is not if we can do it, but what role each of us will play.”
Addressing child sexual abuse requires courage; it also requires community. There is an old Irish saying Ní neart go cur le chéile – there is no strength until we come together. Who better to come together than Alaskans, and who better to come together for than our children? That commitment to coming together is what inspired the recently launched Prevent Together: Alaska's Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Plan, the first statewide plan to prevent child sexual abuse before it occurs.
Collectively, we have the knowledge, the skills, and the tools to prevent child sexual abuse. In fact, we know more than ever before about what works. The question is not if we can do it, but what role each of us will play.
Because silence, stigma, and uncertainty often allow abuse to go unchecked, open conversations and a willingness to learn more are two of the most powerful tools we have. Information and ideas, as well at the Prevent Together plan, are available here www.alaskachildrenstrust.org/csa-prevention
Preventing child sexual abuse begins with all of us, and the time to act is now.