Providing Resources To Prevent Abuse
By Adriana Ramelli, executive director, Sex Abuse Treatment Center
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The Sex Abuse Treatment Center (SATC), a program of Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children, is using the campaign to focus on preventing child sexual abuse.
Last year, 60 percent of survivors served by our center were under age 18; the youngest child was 12 months old. It is very common for children to know the person who harmed them. In 90 percent of our child sexual abuse cases, the child knew the abuser. Many children do not report the abuse because they are scared, threatened, or tricked into secrecy. When parents talk to their children about safe and unsafe touching, it helps children identify abusive situations, and motivates them to tell a parent should abuse occur.
