On many occasions I have had the opportunity to speak on the topic of prevention of child sexual abuse. This presentation is based on my book titled “Father Figure – my mission to prevent child sexual abuse” which describes a true account story. I have spoken to school counselors, school psychologists and social workers, school principals, child protection workers, child care providers, etc at many different conferences and professional events. I have also spoken to parents and the general public at several community events. The presentation focuses on the numerous challenges involved in working with the “systems” in trying to prevent a situation that could lead to child sexual abuse.
Purpose of the presentation is as follows:
- To describe a true account story that focuses on prevention of child sexual abuse
- The story is about “intervention” and “prevention” and the numerous challenges faced in the process
- To bring about an awareness of the associated issues that require immediate attention
- To emphasize the fact that the challenges can be overcome if we are truly conscientious about prevention and are willing to work through a multidisciplinary approach
- And finally, some comments about what could have been done differently in this specific case to promote a more preventive mindset
It is an extremely important topic because:
- Child sexual abuse is a major issue even though we don’t really seem to want to talk much about it
- It has been established through studies that even one episode can impact the life of a victim for many years