Satisfaction

BCAC sees over 1000 people a year. Most of them enter our building scared and unsure what lies ahead. For each family we see we provide a satisfaction survey. For the last 2 years now we've 95% of respondents state their experience at BCAC was either good or very good. We're very proud of these numbers.

One such survey came across my desk today. I'm pretty proud of what it says about our impact - even on a 17 year old girl. We often forget that they are still children and appreciate all that we can do for them. Please read.

a message to oprah

yes, i admit it. i watch oprah. its on the tivo and the dvr and sometimes i fall asleep to it. i stumbled upon this week's episode. it was a follow up on the mackenzie phillips incest story.

i watched with curiousity and fascination to see if the show would (a) call incest abuse and (b) provide resources. although indirectly done, it did call incest abuse. but no resources were provided. the women (and their books) featured were found through oprah's website and message boards. after the episode ended, rather than going to sleep, i logged in.

this is what i wrote:

I watched with great interest your follow up show on incest. Center for Disease Control states the best way to end sexual child abuse is by public awareness campaigns. Your courage in airing such episodes is commendable.



However, I fear you left an important element out of this show: what viewers can do to stop & report abuse. Your next follow up show should highlight these agencies. At the Baltimore Child Abuse Center, we are one of 600 children’s advocacy centers giving voices to children when abuse is suspected. We work with police, social services, and families to give a voice to end abuse as well as provide treatment and prevention. As this episode aired, 150 of us were meeting in Denver to discuss how to best continue this battle. We make investigations better, we empower families, we even save taxpayer dollars, and we can do more.


The fight against sexual child abuse- which is incest, molestation and "consensual" intercourse within families- and providing help to families who need it continues. We must get word out that we are here working as a team to help. Ample resources are available and I was hoping your episode would provide numbers or web addresses. For those interested, help can be found at www.baltimorechildabusecenter.org and nationalchildrensalliance.org. We are here to help.


- Adam Rosenberg, Executive Director, Baltimore Child Abuse Center

the episode is here http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20091008-tows-incest-survivor-rena watch it. tell me what you think. does this help us, hurt us, make the issue more tangible or more unthinkable. tell me your comments.
 
oprah links to RAINN which is a great resource - but can we give more? can we and oprah who get millions of viewers (empathetic to the cause and some victims themselves) to understand how we are here to help?
 
oprah - if you are out there, we want in - we want to be a part of the dialogue and to help end abuse.

What has your first month’s experience at BCAC been? What has it taught you and what would you change?

what if we advertised the same way?

just saw an excellent ad for the humane society of north america. dozens of grusome pictures of dogs crammed into crate like cages, horses being led to slaughter, cats with maimed legs - all filmed in grainy dim color with dark music. horrific statistics about the number of dogs forced to fight, slaughtered for meat, terrible stuff. and for just $19 a month you can stop it (cut to scene with acress and adorable healthy puppy).

imagine if the child abuse community posted the same ad? images of abused children, kids with horrible bruises, children terrified in beds with adults? the outcry would be deafening.

i think its one of the major stumbling blocks we face as a community to get our message out there that for the same $19 you can stop child abuse.

this is not meant to knock animal abuse - i love my dog, we got him from the SPCA. its a great and important organization. but the fact that substantially more money goes to animal causes versus people causes is mind blowing.

captions such as what did i do wrong? why did they abandon me? will i die today? every day 1000s of animals throughout america are tortured and killed. couldn't we say the same thing about children?

the add concludes with "if these animals could talk they'd tell you they desparately need you to save them right now." couldn't we make the same claim for children - except even worse, they do talk, and we don't listen.

how do we begin to make the sea change and get people to notice, and more importantly, act to keep children safe from abuse?

what are your thoughts on this?

6 Easy Ways to Keep Kids Safe

The Baltimore Child Abuse Center wants to help you keep kids safe. Below are 6 easy things that you can do. Learn more at our site www.baltimorechildabusecenter.org/prevent_abuse

1. Learn the facts-

Abusers are not always strangers. In fact, in the majority of sexual abuse cases, the perpetrator is very close to the family. Learn how to identify the signs of abuse and abusers.

2. Know the Signs-

Physical signs of sexual abuse are not always present. Know how to identify behavioral and emotional signs of abuse. Does your child fear a specific person? Are they afraid to be left alone? Do they have nightmares? It could be nothing, or together, could be early indicators of abuse. Know what to look for.

3. Talk to Them!

Only 1 in 10 children who have been sexually abused actually report it. Often it is because they do not have an adult they trust. Let your children know it is okay to talk to you about anything, and that you will not get angry or upset if they think they made a mistake.

4. Minimize Opportunity-

Educated children are much harder targets for abuse. Teach your children about their own bodies, and the correct names of their body parts. Teach them what is an inappropriate touch, not a "bad" touch, as this can be confusing for young children. Often times a "bad touch" feels good and is confusing to them. Also teach them to avoid being left alone with an adult they do not trust. Let your child tell you if there is somene they do not trust, and believe them when they tell you they do not want to be alone with that person; there is probably a reason why.

5. Have a Plan-

Talk to your child about people who they can go to at any time if something bad happens. Establish a place where they can go where they feel safe if something bad happens. Let your child tell you who they trust or where they feel comfortable. This way, if something goes wrong, both you and your child have a place and a person where you know they can go and feel safe, and you can easily find them.

6. Take Action-

Don't overreact if your child discloses something bad that has happened to them. Let them know that you are listening and that what they have to say is important. Refrain from asking them too many questions, as they may become confused or think they are in trouble. Report any incident immediately to the proper authorities. 911 or 410-361-2235, are both reporting lines.

Prevention - what can you do?

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.

What can you do spread the message and help prevent abuse?

• Wear a ribbon in support of the cause (you can get them from us by emailing info@bcaci.org, or just looping blue or teal ribbon)
• Join our cause on Facebook and make a statement to your online friends that you aren't tolerating abuse. http://tiny.cc/fvVYo
• Learn the 6 easy ways you can keep your kids safe. http://www.baltimorechildabusecenter.org/prevent_abuse
• Invite someone from BCAC to speak to your group about prevention