Video on preventing child sexual abuse now online
A powerful, 12-minute video featuring adult survivors of child sexual abuse from Hawaii, “Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Let’s Talk about It,” can be viewed or downloaded free of charge on the Sex Abuse Treatment Center website, www.satchawaii.org.
The purpose of the video is to educate the viewer about child sexual abuse. “Child sexual abuse is more common than many think and it exacts a huge toll on victims,” said Christine Trecker, LSW, manager of community education. “We want to help people understand how serious the impact is, and to motivate them to take steps to protect the children in their lives from abuse.”
In the video, survivors Janelle and Allicyn share their personal experiences of abuse and provide insights on how adults can protect children. The video also includes interviews with clinical psychologist Sherrie Takushi-Isara from the Sex Abuse Treatment Center and Detective Jim Maurer from the Honolulu Police Department, Sex Crimes Detail. They provide facts about this serious crime, explain how to respond if a child discloses sexual abuse, and highlight important prevention tips.
In particular, the video discloses that more than 90 percent of abusers are known to the child and will employ a careful “grooming process” to manipulate the child into sexual activity and keeping it secret.
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to pay close attention to the relationships a child has with the adults in their life. They are also given tips on how to talk with their child about safe and unsafe touching, which increases the likelihood that the child will be able to identify abusive situations and to speak up and tell a trusted adult if it happens to them.
Produced by Shooters Production Company, the video is part of the One Strong Ohana Campaign, a statewide child abuse prevention effort. The video was made possible through a grant from the Hawaii Children’s Trust Fund. The Sex Abuse Treatment Center is a program of Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, an affiliate of Hawaii Pacific Health.
