Treasure Valley Family YMCA promoting child protection during National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Adults coming together to protect children from sexual abuse 

5 days of actionBOISE, IDAHO – Treasure Valley Family YMCA is marking Child Abuse Prevention Month with Five Days of Action, April 22-26, 2019. Leading up to Healthy Kids Day®—a national initiative to improve the health and well-being of kids—Five Days of Action focuses on preventing child sexual abuse by sharing tips on how adults can prevent child sexual abuse.

During April and all year long, the Treasure Valley Family YMCA encourages adults and organizations in the community to play a vital role in making the Treasure Valley a safer place for children. This year’s Five Days of Action theme is “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. Together, we can bring awareness to the issue of child sexual abuse in our communities and have important conversations around how we can all work together to prevent it from happening.

“Protecting children from sexual abuse must be the number one goal of every person who cares about the health and well-being of kids,” said David Duro, Treasure Valley Family YMCA President and CEO. “Together, we can take action to ensure that children are protected and encourage adults to do their part in making our community safe. Through simple steps, we will make a difference, but it takes all of us.”

Free child abuse prevention classes April 23-26

During the 5 Days of Action, learn how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse in a group setting led by a Darkness to Light Authorized Facilitator. Stewards of Children® uses real people and real stories to show you how to protect children. Register here

Treasure Valley Family YMCA and the YMCA Guardians for Child Protection, with support from YMCA of the USA, Darkness to Light, the Redwoods Group Foundation, and Praesidium 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 or at any Treasure Valley Family YMCA facility. Materials are derived from YMCA of the USA’s “Know. See. Respond.” copyrighted in 2019.

Child sexual abuse statistics

  • One in ten children will be sexually abused before their 18th
  • 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser.
  • Approximately 30% of children who are sexually abused are abused by family members.
  • 60% of child sexual abuse victims never tell anyone.
  • False reports are rare. Research shows that only 4 to 8% of child sexual abuse reports are fabricated.

*Provided by Darkness to Light

What to do 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, either in the child or adult, or both. Or, you have received a disclosure from a child about abuse, neglect, or boundary violations towards them.
  • Child sexual abuse reports should be made to the police and/or state child protective services.
  • Contact the Darkness to Light Helpline at 866-FOR-LIGHT or text LIGHT to 741741 to have questions answered by trained counselors at no charge.

*Provided by Darkness to Light

About Treasure Valley Family YMCA

Established in 1891, the Treasure Valley Family YMCA (the Y) is a cause-driven, nonprofit organization that works to strengthen the foundation of our community by developing successful youth, engaging people in healthy living and instilling a commitment to social responsibility. Annually, we operate over 100 programs that serve 110,000 youth and families throughout our four facilities, 440-acre summer camp, and 23 child development sites. We believe all people deserve the chance to achieve their highest potential; therefore, we do not turn anyone away due to an inability to pay.  The Treasure Valley Family YMCA provides over $4 million in financial assistance every year so all may participate in our life-changing programs and services.

About Darkness to Light

Darkness to Light is a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower adults to prevent child sexual abuse through awareness, education, and stigma reduction. Darkness to Light’s flagship program, Stewards of Children®, is an evidence-informed, award-winning training that teaches adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. More than 1.7 million adults have been trained using Darkness to Light trainings. For more information, visit www.D2L.org.

About Redwoods Group Foundation

The Redwoods Group Foundation supports programs that can change the world and helps them reach more people than ever before, through funding and backbone support. We currently focus on child sexual abuse prevention, drowning prevention, and growing the field of social entrepreneurship. For more information, visit www.redwoodsgroup.com/about-us/redwoods-group-foundation

About Praesidium

Praesidium specializes in preventing sexual abuse in organizations that serve youth and vulnerable adults. Over a period in excess of 25 years, the company has reviewed over 4,000 cases of abuse within organizations to determine the root causes of sexual abuse within organizational settings. Praesidium employs more than 40 staff, including licensed social workers, lawyers, psychologists, health care researchers, and other experts. The company has served over 5,000 clients with a broad range of products and services to aid organizations in preventing abuse, including online and instructor‐led trainings; organizational risk assessments; model policies and incident investigations. Having trained more than one million people online and hundreds of thousands in person, Praesidium is the largest and most comprehensive sexual abuse risk management firm globally.