Raising awareness about child abuse

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- In recognition of child abuse victims, April 4 was

declared National Day of Hope by Congress in a measure that was first

adopted exactly one year ago.

Following suit, Fountain Valley council members Laurann Cook and John

Collins accepted the proclamation on behalf of the city last week. In an

effort to further expand awareness, Collins and Cook have since

challenged residents to take the time to recognize the signs that

children are in trouble. Furthermore, they want the public to understand

just how prevalent the problem of child abuse is in today’s society.

“About one out of every three girls and one out of every five boys

will be sexually abused before the age of 18,” Collins said. “Knowing

these and other statistics like that 80% of adults who abuse children

were themselves victims of child abuse, really helps to tell the story

here.”

With that, Cook threw down the gauntlet to parents, asking them to use

April as a catalyst to increase their awareness and interest in the

prevention of child abuse.

“Our hope is that it [child abuse awareness] doesn’t just happen for a

month, but a lifetime,” Cook said.

The council members are well known for their Child Safety Program,

where they work at teaching preventive measures and safety skills to

second- and fourth-graders. Cook, who has also taught the Child Abuse

Resistance Education program at Fountain Valley schools for 19 years,

said that she and Collins started their partnership in 1996. Collins, who

is the director of community programs for Childhelp USA, said that

everything fell into place after a meeting with then Orange County

Supervisor Bill Steiner, who is now director of national programs for

Childhelp USA.

“Steiner approached us to develop a child awareness program to be

taught in schools,” Collins said. “After agreeing, we then began working

out of Childhelp’s Los Angeles area headquarters in Hollywood.”

Sponsored by Childhelp USA, a nonprofit organization that focuses on

helping abused and neglected children, Cook and Collins’ Child Safety

Program took eight months to get off the ground.

“We had to do a lot of work and research,” Cook said. “We trained with

the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and then

implemented the best elements of an Atlanta-based program called

Good-Touch/Bad-Touch as well as from the CARE program.”

Going strong for three years now, Collins and Cook have been teaching

the program solely in San Gabriel Valley schools. But that geographical

restriction will change May 18 when for the first time in Orange County,

they will be begin teaching their child abuse prevention class at the Oka

Elementary School in Huntington Beach.

“We talked to Supt. Marc Ecker and asked if the Fountain Valley School

District would allow us to come in and teach the program to a

second-grade level at one of the district’s schools,” Cook said. “He

agreed to it as a pilot program for five weeks at Oka.”

Marc Ecker said that it is not often that you get elected officials

that really take to heart the important issues that society faces and

that because of Collins and Cook’s dedication and track record, he was

more then happy to open discussions with them.

“We talked earlier about them possibly expanding the program,” Ecker

said. “They don’t want the program to be just in Fountain Valley; they

want to take it out all over the county. They were looking to pilot the

program in Fountain Valley, and because I have such confidence in them

and their work, we thought it would be a great idea to give them the

opportunity.”

Paul Klempner, Oka Elementary principal, said officials feel honored

to be selected the first school in Orange County and that are confident

that any tools that will be given to the children will be beneficial.

“I have previously worked with John and Laurann and hold them both in

the highest esteem,” Klempner said. “I am enthused by their involvement

with our school and impressed by their skill with kids.”

The goal though remains to increase public awareness and teach

prevention rather then cure. Collins and Cook said that by utilizing the

National Day of Hope as a springboard to the community at-large, they

will be able to help facilitate a broader knowledge of the signs that

children exhibit when something is wrong.

“We would like to see parents cut out the piece of paper [see adjacent

box] that lists the indications to look for in an abused child,” Cook

said. “They should learn them, know them and talk to their kids about

them.”

FYI

Watch for Signs of Abuse

No single sign necessarily indicates abuse. Look for a combination or

pattern of the following symptoms and behaviors. Also keep in mind that

some abused children exhibit none of these signs at all.

EMOTIONAL ABUSE

- Apathy, hopelessness

- Depression

- Hostility or stress

- Loss of appetite or overeating

NEGLECT

- Unsuitable clothing for the weather

- Continually dirty

- Extreme hunger

- Lack of apparent supervision

SEXUAL ABUSE

- Inappropriate interest in, or knowledge of sexual acts

- Nightmares, bed wettting/soiling

- Drastic change in appetite or behavior

- Over-compliance or excessive aggression

- Fear or intimate contact

- Expression of suicidal thoughts or gestures

- Fear of a particular person or family member

PHYSICAL ABUSE

- Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises or welts

- Bite marks

- Swollen or tender limbs

- Long sleeves worn to hide injuries

- Antisocial behavior

- New or continuing problems in school

- Fear of adults

- Rope burns on ankles, wrists or torso

If you suspect abuse, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at

(800)4-A-CHILD.