Prevent Child Abuse New York's Blog

Capital District Law Enforcement Set to Stand Up For Preventing Child Abuse

Schenectady County's District Attorney and Sheriff, Albany's Chief of Police, and Rensselaer County's District Attorney join other area law enforcement to unveil a new report on the child abuse-crime link, costs of abuse. Leaders support efforts to break cycle of abuse through voluntary home visiting. Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at Parsons Family Resource Center, 125 Bigelow Avenue, Schenectady NY 12304.

Schenectady, N.Y. -- Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney, Schenectady County Sheriff Dominic Dagostino, Albany City Police Chief Steven Krokoff and Rensselaer County District Attorney Richard McNally will headline the release of a new report being issued by law enforcement leaders and crime survivors on the extent of child abuse and neglect in New York. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York members are issuing the report showing that over 77,000 New York children suffered abuse or neglect in 2010—more than 200 every day. Among New York children who suffered abuse and neglect in 2010, the report says at least 114 children died. In the Capital District alone, there were 3,986 (Albany: 1,218; Rensselaer: 823; Saratoga: 802 Schenectady: 1,143) children abused or neglected.

Carney, Dagostino, Krokoff and McNally will emphasize the benefits of voluntary home visiting services, which help new parents cope with the stresses of raising a young child.  Research shows that quality home visiting programs can cut child abuse and neglect by as much as 50 percent, significantly reduce later crime and save taxpayer dollars. Carney, Dagostino, Krokoff and McNally will also voice strong support for services proven to prevent child abuse by releasing an open letter to policy makers, signed by more than 1,560 law enforcement leaders nationwide (more than 200 from New York): one for every confirmed child who died from abuse or neglect in 2010.

April 19 Prevention Fundraiser in NYC

Prevent Child Abuse is proud to be partnering with the Lion Fund for Children, which is organizing a fundraising gathering in New York City on Thursday, April 19th.  Proceeds from the event will benefit LFFC and Prevent Child Abuse New York.

The Lion Fund for Children, Inc., is a grassroots non-profit coalition of Penn State alumni and supporters devoted to preventing child abuse and supporting local community efforts to provide child abuse prevention, counseling, treatment and support services. The April 19 event will be a Happy Hour at Tonic East on Third Avenue at 29^th Street, from 6:30 to 8:30.  There is no cover charge, but donations will be accepted.

“We are very pleased to support Prevent Child Abuse,” said LFFC’s President, Bill Lalor.  “Each and every day, this outstanding organization is on the front lines in preventing child abuse, and they deserve the steadfast support of the Penn State community.”

Find more information about Lion Fund for Children at LFFC website.

Pinwheels for Prevention Events Held Around New York

They’re popping up in front yards, at community events and in front of city halls. They’re pinwheels and we’ve distributed thousands of them in preparation for Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month events.

This April, students, families, organizations and advocates around the state are coordinating Pinwheels for Prevention campaigns in their communities. Pinwheels are a happy and uplifting token of childhood. They represent the joyful, healthy and safe life that every child deserves.

Our colleagues at the Family Violence Prevention Council in Broome County have already had their CAP Month event! You can see news coverage of their Pinwheels event here.

Our Pinwheels for Prevention product line includes everything you need for your campaign. Pinwheels, lawn signs, window clings, postcards, buttons and pins can be purchased separately or in one of our Pinwheels for Prevention Toolkits, which come in various sizes to fit your campaign plans. For more information and pricing and other campaign resources, please visit the Pinwheels for Prevention section of our web site.

Spotlight on Child Sex Abuse: Minimizing the Risk to Children

The Penn State and Syracuse University child sex abuse scandals have garnered nationwide attention and understandable outrage. The sad truth is that similar, although less publicized, situations like these happen in our communities everyday. Our task now is to put our collective outrage to good use. What steps can we take to protect children? A good start is to understand where the risk comes from. As the Penn State and Syracuse University cases illustrate, the greatest risk comes from people we know—family members, loyal friends, good employees, trusted members of the community—not strangers.

It’s hard to believe someone we know and like would abuse a child. Perpetrators know this and use that knowledge to ingratiate themselves with parents, children and institutions. In a process called “grooming,” those who sexually abuse children often go to great lengths to appear trustworthy and kind. They are experts at gaining the confidence of children, parents and other adults. They look for situations where they can have easy access to children.

There’s no foolproof checklist to identify an abuser, but there are some warning signs. You should be suspicious of an adult who repeatedly prefers to spend free time with a child or teen rather than adult friends, finds ways to be alone with a child, ignores a child’s cues that he or she does not want to be hugged, kissed or tickled, refuses to respect a child’s privacy in the bathroom or bedroom, discusses sexual experiences or feelings with a child or teen, gives a child money or gifts for no particular occasion.

We must also insist that youth-serving organizations set policies that protect children. Background checks are not enough. People who haven’t been convicted will come up clean. Institutions must establish clear guidelines for adult interactions with children, including eliminating one adult-one child situations, which is where most child sex abuse occurs. They must train their staff how to identify and prevent behaviors that put children at risk. The excuses that it is too expensive or inconvenient to do so cannot stand.

Policies must include immediately reporting any suspicion to police, who are trained to investigate these cases. Right now, there are staff in schools and other institutions who are abusing children or grooming them for abuse. And right now, there are other staff members who suspect this abuse is going on and are doing nothing about it.

Some institutions argue that an internal investigation is enough. This hurts kids. Abused children often don’t respond the way people expect, so they need to be questioned by specially trained personnel. No organization should take the role of determining whether abuse actually occurred, nor should it ignore the signs when confronted with them. The children we fail to protect will suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives.

It is not enough just to believe that the sexual abuse of children is repugnant. If we don’t change our approach—if we don’t take the time to prevent it, or take the risk to believe a child and act on that belief—kids will continue to be hurt.

As part of our commitment to reducing the risk of child sex abuse, our upcoming statewide conference features several workshops on the topics of sex abuse treatment and prevention, including:

• A Truly Safe Place: How Collaboration Between Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Agencies Has Made New York a Better Place
• Think Outside the Box: A Creative Team Approach to Child Sex Abuse
• What Every Direct Services Worker Should Know About Human Trafficking
• Understanding the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
• Engaging Your School Community: Interactive and Accessible Sexual Abuse Prevention
• Preventing Sexual Abuse in Early Childhood (Two-Part Institute)

The conference is April 16-18 at the Marriott Hotel in Albany. Information and registration can be found on our web site.

Price Chopper Pinwheels Pin-up Campaign to Benefit Prevent Child Abuse New York

Price Chopper Supermarkets is sponsoring a pin-up campaign to fight child abuse and neglect. Held during the month of April—Child Abuse Prevention Month—the statewide campaign is a demonstration of the fast-growing belief that we can prevent, not just intervene in, child abuse and neglect to better protect our children.

“There’s no excuse for child abuse. Price Chopper wants to relay that message, raise awareness and raise funds through our partnership with Prevent Child Abuse,” stated Stephanie VanDerwerker, Community Relations Specialist at Golub Corporation, parent company of Price Chopper Supermarkets.

“April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Price Chopper will host its annual fundraising pin-up program to benefit the various Prevent Child Abuse chapters throughout our six state operating area. Customers may support the program by purchasing a $1 pin-up at any register. Last year, Price Chopper stores raised over $22,500 and our goal this year is $30,000. Hosting programs such as the Prevent Child Abuse campaign is one way that Price Chopper demonstrates that we value and support the communities in which we do business.”

Every dollar collected in New York will support Prevent Child Abuse New York’s Parent Helpline, public education, and legislative advocacy work throughout the state. As part of the campaign, Parent Helpline bookmarks will be available at Price Chopper’s customer service desks.

The campaign is co-sponsored by Fox 23 WXXA.

Conference Early Bird Deadline Extended and Other CAP Month News

I'm sure, like me, you're disturbed by what you've been seeing in the news lately. Each new day seems to bring a new horror with heartbreaking stories of children being beaten or sexually abused. The good news is that child abuse is largely preventable. Last week, the Daily News featured an op-ed from seven New York district attorneys. They called for increased funding for child abuse prevention, citing early childhood home visitation—such as Healthy Families New York and Nurse Family Partnership—as a proven model for improving outcomes for at-risk kids. We prepare for April—Child Abuse Prevention Month—deeply concerned about the grievous harm inflicted on some children, but encouraged by the fast-growing support for prevention that we see every day.

Here's more Child Abuse Prevention Month news:

Child Abuse Prevention Conference Early Registration Deadline Extended to March 16

Could you benefit from knowing the latest techniques for working with impoverished families? Wondering about recent shifts in child welfare? Need to better understand commercial sexual exploitation of children, trauma-informed care, attachment, logic models or trained optimism? These and many more topics will be discussed at Diverse Paths, Common Dreams, PCANY's 2012 statewide conference, on April 16-18 at the Marriott Hotel in Albany. We believe professional development opportunities are critically important for service providers working with kids, so we're providing an extra incentive for you to join us at the conference: We've extended the Early Registration deadline by a week. Register and pay by March 16 to receive the special early registration discount.

Pinwheels for Prevention Still Available

They're popping up in front yards, at community events and in front of City Halls. They're pinwheels and we've distributed thousands of them in preparation for Child Abuse Prevention Month events. This April, students, families, organizations and advocates around the state are coordinating Pinwheels for Prevention campaigns in their communities. Pinwheels for Prevention is a nationwide campaign, created by Prevent Child Abuse America and its state chapters. Pinwheels are a happy and uplifting token of childhood. They represent the joyful, healthy and safe childhood that every child deserves. Our Pinwheels for Prevention product line includes everything you need for your campaign. Pinwheels, lawn signs, window clings, postcards, buttons and pins can be purchased separately or in one of our Pinwheels for Prevention Toolkits, which come in various sizes to fit your campaign plans. See our online store for more information and pricing.

Price Chopper Pin-up Campaign to Benefit PCANY

I'm pleased to announce that Price Chopper supermarkets is once again sponsoring a pin-up campaign to benefit Prevent Child Abuse New York. Throughout the month of April, customers can purchase a $1 Pinwheels for Prevention pin-up at any register. Every dollar collected supports our programs. Many thanks to Price Chopper and campaign sponsor Fox 23 WXXA for joining us in the fight against child abuse.

Scared Sick Lecture and Book-signing with Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith Wiley, April 2 in Albany

Toxic: extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful. Stress: a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.

Toxic stress is a regular companion for children living in families where abuse, neglect, and dysfunction are part of everyday life.  The impact on children and on our communities is profound and far-reaching.

No one explains better than Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith Wiley how toxic stress triggers problems that have created a major public health crisis - the research, the risks, and the results. Highlighting case studies and cutting-edge scientific findings, the authors show how our innate fight-or-flight system can injure us if overworked in the early stages of life, triggering diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression, and addiction later in life.

The co-authors of Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence and Scared Sick: The Role of Childhood Trauma in Adult Disease, will speak Monday, April 2, 2012 at 2 p.m. at the School of Social Welfare, University at Albany Page Hall.

Presented by Prevent Child Abuse New York and the University at Albany School of Social Welfare, the event is free and open to the public.

For more information or to register, e-mail Brittani Hanson, bhanson@preventchildabuseny.org.

You may view a video trailer about the book Scared Sick at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLF1jfWbj64

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Robin Karr-Morse is family therapist and a veteran of child welfare and public education systems in Oregon. Formerly the Director of Parent Training for the state child welfare system, she was the first executive director of the Oregon Children's Trust Fund, a consultant to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton's Touchpoints Program and a lecturer on the Brazelton Seminar Faculty. She has worked with county, state and national officials across the country to create social policies which support families in children’s earliest development. Currently, she is working with a group of colleagues to build “The Parenting Institute” to provide parents with state of the art developmental knowledge, skills and support which focuses on building emotionally competent children from conception through adolescence.

Meredith Wiley is a former prosecutor and currently state director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York, a crime fighting organization of law enforcement leaders and victims of violence who work to educate policy makers and the public on what works to get kids off to a good start in life and keep them from ever becoming criminals. Meredith is a former prosecutor.  She has been appointed to the New York State Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council, the Early Childhood Advisory Council, the Governor’s Task Force to Transform Juvenile Justice and the Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, and also is on the National Board of Advisors for the Nurse Family Partnership Program and the National Board of Advisors for the Parent Child Home Program.

Advocates who want to end childhood sex abuse hear first-person accounts of survivors

ALBANY, NY, FEBRUARY 29, 2012 --- Assemblywoman Margaret Markey held a press conference here today to present first-person accounts of abuse survivors. The program was held in conjunction with a Lobby Day by supporters of her Child Victims Act of New York (A5488).

This event is one of three Markey is holding this week to focus the attention of the Legislature and Governor on the issue of childhood sexual abuse and her Child Victims Act of NY legislation (A5488). Tomorrow, Thursday, March 1, 1:00 p.m., speakers will include Henry Miller, past president of the New York State Bar Association, and Albany County District Attorney David Soares.

Speakers today included Professor Marci Hamilton of Yeshiva University’s Cardozo Law School, a nationally-recognized authority of statutes of limitations across America.

“New York is one of the worst states in the country in the protection of children, and that stems from inadequate reporting laws and shockingly short statutes of limitations,” said Professor Hamilton,  “and it appears that the members of the Legislature are now giving the statutes of limitation the serious attention they deserve.”

She added, “At a minimum, there are two reforms needed: extend (and even eliminate) the civil and criminal SOLs and enact a civil window, which would permit victims currently shut out of the justice system to bring their cases against the perpetrators and the institutions that enabled the perpetrators with easy access to children.  As I document in, my book, Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Children, these reforms will protect today's children, prevent abuse in the future, and give a measure of justice to victims.  The New York state courts have repeatedly held that they are not the place to get these laws corrected -- it is up to the legislature. The Markey bill is the best first step for New York, because it provides a window and an extension (5 years).  I would hope in future that extension would be extended again.”

Hamilton continued, “It is well-known that the primary opponent to protecting New York's children is the Catholic Conference, the lobbying organization for New York's Catholic bishops.  The bishops, led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, are sinking hundreds of thousands of their parishioners' dollars to fight child sex abuse victims in New York.  They are joined by Agudath Israel, which means that 2 religious organizations are the political enemies of New York's children. They have chosen the side of the perpetrators.” 

Also speaking was attorney Tina Weber and one of her clients who was among the victims who successfully took their case against a pedophile priest to neighboring Massachusetts courts when they couldn’t get justice in New York. Tina Weber said, “It’s been a year since the conviction of Father Mecure and his sentencing, but in my dealing with church officials on behalf of the men who testified against him, I think the church may have lost its focus.  As the single biggest charitable institution in the world, which has provided for so many over the decades, it cannot now step forward when the most vulnerable members need it the most.”

Mark M. Appel, heads Voice of Justice, a support group that works on domestic violence, child protection and other social justice issues largely in the Jewish community. He introduced a young man his group is working with, Schneur Bornstein, who reported his abuse at the hands of a yeshiva rabbi to authorities but whose case did not go forward before the current statute of limitations expired for him.

Mark Appel said, “Passing  the Child Victims Act is the only way we can ensure that past predators are taken off our streets and bring closure to survivors like Joel Engelman, Schneur Bornstein and others. 2012 is our year of hope to ensure that students of Penn State, Syracuse and children around the state in parochial schools and yeshivas are safe in our communities and past abusers taken off the street.”

Also speaking on the program was Rabbi Gershon Tennenbaum, President of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, an organization that represents more than 850 synagogues. Rabbi Tennenbaum has been a vigorous advocate for the Child Victims Act over several years.

Award-winning journalist and television producer Steve Jimenez was another speaker on the program. Mr. Jimenez said,  “My abuse began when I was 10 and continued until shortly before my 14th birthday. It occurred on school grounds, in Prospect Park, at city beaches, in bathhouses, and during class outings. Like most abuse victims, I concealed my secret and shame until the symptoms of post-traumatic stress overwhelmed my life and I was forced to seek decades of treatment.”

According to Jimenez, he has had several meetings with officials of the Brooklyn Diocese including the most recent two bishops. "I've tried talking with them since 2002 and they've done absolutely nothing, other than acting as if they're the ones that have been victimized rather than the other way around," Jimenez said. "It's upsetting to see other communities around the nation taking the lead for years in offering reparation and healing to abuse victims, while New York State has lagged so far behind."

The Lobby Day activity for the Child Victims Act of New York was coordinated by the New York Coalition to Protect Children (www.nyprotectchildren.org).  The group has an active on-line petition available so that the general public can reach out to their own local legislators as well as the Governor and the top leaders of the Assembly and the State Senate. It is at nychildvictimsact.org   An earlier on-line initiative on behalf of the bill in a previous session of the Legislature resulted in sending more than 70,000 petitions to the Governor and legislative leaders.

Robert Kristan, who heads the Coalition said: “Studies that show 90% of child sexual abuse is not reported. That can mean only one thing--that the thousands of unknown abusers in New York puts tens of thousands of children in jeopardy every day. The only proven way to find these predators is to allow their victims to identify them whenever they are able to do so, not when an arbitrary law says they can. Only the reforms of the Child Victims Act will makes this possible. We're here to carry that message to New York's legislators.”

Markey’s Child Victims Act has been adopted by the Assembly four times, in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. However it has failed to succeed in the State Senate. The bill will extend the current statute of limitations for child sex abuse crimes by five years, to age 28, and will also completely suspend the civil statute of limitations for one year. This will help expose older crimes and make it possible to identify previously hidden abusers through the discovery process in court, exposing them and those who have shielded them to ensure they can never abuse a child again.

 “Laws in New York are so lax that many perpetrators evade exposure by waiting out the short statute of limitations. I want to change that because pedophiles who are not exposed will continue to abuse yet more children in the future,” the Assemblywoman said.

3-Day Focus on Changing New York’s Child Sexual Abuse Statutes of Limitations

Two men who say they were molested by a Syracuse University assistant basketball coach will appear with Assemblywoman Margaret Markey to urge lawmakers to pass a bill that would open a one-year window for sexual abuse victims to file civil litigation, at a February 28 press conference.

Assemblywoman Markey is holding three events in Albany to focus the attention of the Legislature and Governor on her Child Victims Act of NY (A5488), which will give victims of abuse more time to get justice and expose pedophiles who have previously been hidden. All events will be held in the Legislative Office Building Press Room at the Empire State Plaza in Albany.

• Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 2:00 p.m., press conference. Speakers include two men who say they were molested by a Syracuse University assistant basketball coach when they were ball boys, and several who reported abuse by a coach when they were students at a prestigious private school in New York City.

• Wednesday, February 29, Child Victims Act (CVA) Lobby Day. Supporters of the bill meet with Assemblymembers and Senators to support the bill. At a 1:00 p.m. press conference, victims of abuse at the hands of religious organizations will talk about their ordeals.

• Thursday, March 1, 2012, 1:00 p.m., press conference. The third day will focus on broader legal and social issues relating to statutes of limitations; speakers will include a past president of the New York State Bar Association.

Assemblywoman Markey’s explains the Child Victim Act in a recent article that can be found online at Queens Gazette on the Child Victim Act.

To sign an online petition to support the Child Victims Act of New York legislation go to www.nychildvictimsact.org.

 

Support for the Child Victims Act, A.5488

Prevent Child Abuse New York supports A 5488, the Child Victims Act, which would amend criminal procedure law and civil practice law and rules, extending the 5 year statute of limitation for criminal or civil action related to sex offenses against children to begin running at the victim’s 23 birthday.

Sex crimes committed against children leave life-long mental, emotional, and physical scars on their victims. This proposal would extend the authority to prosecute and to bring a civil lawsuit for damages in child sexual abuse cases, provide a remedy for those whose lives have been unalterably changed, and help save other children from future victimization.

This legislation recognizes the substantial research demonstrating that abuse victims often require an extensive period of time before they are ready to confront their abusers. Nine out of ten children who are sexually abused are victimized by people they know and trust: family members and adults they know at school, youth programs, and other settings where they live and play. Most are unable to disclose the abuse to authorities until they are well into adulthood, and are emotionally and financially free.

New York’s current law allows most felony sex offenses committed against a child to be prosecuted for only five years after the child turns 18, misdemeanor abuse for only two years. For civil claims, child victims have just five years from the time they reach their 18th birthday to file a suit against an abuser. By requiring victims come forward by their 23rd birthday, our law has the effect of protecting offenders. Not only does the victim have no legal recourse, but also more children are victimized as the result of our failure to deal with offenders. Child sexual abuse is not a one-time, one-victim offense.

This bill would add five years to the criminal statute of limitations and the civil statute of limitations, which would not begin to run until the victim turns age 23, extending the time for prosecution until a child victim reached age 28. In addition, it would provide a one-year window of opportunity for victims of child sexual abuse to bring civil action, regardless of their current age, when supported by a certificate of merit from a mental health professional.

Prevent Child Abuse New York urges support of this important legislation.