| September 10, 2007 | Volume 82, Number 23 | |
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Safety for childrenParents of young children wouldn’t bat an eyelash at the suggestion they should teach their children about obeying red and green lights when crossing the street. They also would agree that children should be taught the importance of thank-you notes when they are old enough to write one to express gratitude for a gift. Why then is there reluctance on the part of some parents to warn them about sexual abuse? Yes, we would like our children to keep the innocence of youth as many of us had in earlier generations. But sadly it ignores the reality that one out of five girls and one out of 10 boys will be sexually abused by the time they are adults. On the other hand, five of these 10 girls and nine of 10 boys will be spared this abuse. But would any parent want to not help protect their children from abuse? The Diocese of Richmond uses the VIRTUS program as its response to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People which was created by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In addition to a program required of all diocesan staff and volunteers who have contact with children, VIRTUS offers a Teaching Touching Safety Program for Children. The program seeks to help parents talk about such issues with their children. It is not easy to do. But most parents would agree that not all aspects of parenting are easy. According to VIRTUS leaders, children easily accept new information on how to avoid sexual abuse the same way they accept information on other safety issues. Here is the response of one youth who attended a VIRTUS session: “An important thing I learned is never to talk to strangers and if they still follow you after you say ‘No!,’ call for help.” Catholic schools in the Diocese of Richmond are mandated to offer some kind of sexual abuse awareness to their students. Annette Parsons, Chief School Administrator, said that each school has an option on how to deliver the message appropriate to each grade level, but it is woven into the curriculum from kindergarten through high school. It is done in a format meant to be comfortable for the children. Parents — who are always the first educators of their children — ideally should talk to their children about these issues at home.
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