Last night I attended training at a church in Columbia for recognizing and acting on child abuse and exploitation. The training was intensive and hard to listen to and watch at times. Some of the statistics are quite alarming. I walked away from the workshop feeling disgusted that such behavior is present not only at churches but at schools, sports teams,neighbor's houses and so on. Some of these "people" have violated over 80 children before they were caught and the abuse often starts at a very early age. This ties in to some of the discussions that we have had in class in the past about ethics and teacher responsibility.
The church requires all volunteers and employees participate in this training and I believe that it is essential for any one who works with or around children. If anyone has the opportunity to participate in this type of training, please take the time to do so. I am not sure if schools offer this type of training but they should. The greater the number of people aware of the warning signs, the greater our ability to prevent these activities from continuing and the sooner the victims can get the help they need.
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3 comments:
I could not agree with you more. This is a much bigger problem than I realized. The more people who are educated about this the better. Jennifer Rector
This is probably one of the things I'm most worried about as a teacher. What are the signs and what do I do when I see the signs? I think training for this should be mandatory for prospective educators; however, I worry that it's the sort of thing that no amount of training can ultimately prepare you for.
I agree. I think that all people working with children and minors should be trained in awareness. I am sure that most schools have protocol to follow should the student say anything to you, but it would be great to see the early warning signs and be able to step in and give a voice to the victims.
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