>> THIS IS SUCH A TOUGH TOPIC BUT "THE NEW YORK TIMES" SAYS IT’S A VERY REAL ISSUE THAT’S
GONE INTO A CRISIS.
THE TIMES REPORT REVEALS THE
INTERNET SEEMS TO BE OVERRUN
WITH IMAGES OF CHILD SEXUAL
ABUSE SO MUCH SO THAT THEY ARE
CALLING IT AN EPIDEMIC.
>> REPORT SHOWS TECH COMPANIES
CANNOT KEEP UP WITH FLAGGING
REPORTED 45 MILLION PICTURES
AND VIDEOS ONLINE.
>> AND I’S BECOME HARDER TO
FLAG INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT
UNLESS SOMEONE FINDS IT AND
REPORTED THEMSELVES.
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT
IT.
TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD FROM
SEEING THIS TYPE OF MATERIAL,
YOU NEED TO MONITOR THEIR
ACCESS.
THIS IS A BOOK OF REPORTS LAST
YEAR CAME FROM FACEBOOK
MESSENGER.
FACEBOOK SAYS THEY ARE
INCREASED SECURITY AND
INSTAGRAM TOO.
YOU SHOULD MONITOR WHO IS
MESSAGING A CHILD ON SOCIAL
MEDIA AND BE AWARE OF WHAT IS
BEING SHARED TO THEIR FEEDS
BECAUSE PHOTOS LIKE THESE CAN
SLIP TO THE TRACKS.
IF YOU COME ACROSS A SUSPICIOUS
ACCOUNT TO ANY OF THESE IMAGES,
JUST REPORT THEM ONLINE.
CALL LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND
GIVE THEM AS MUCH INFORMATION
AS YOU CAN ABOUT ACCOUNT NAME
AND MAYBE SCREENSHOTS OF WHAT
HAS RAISED YOUR SUSPICIONS.
MORE PORTLY, HAVE THIS TOUGH
CONVERSATION WITH YOUR CHILD.
LET THEM KNOW WHAT THEY CAN DO
BEYOND SCROLLING PAST THE
DISTURBING PHOTOS.
IT COULD POTENTIALLY HELP
ANOTHER CHILD IN NEED.
THEN THERE’S THE OTHER SIDE TO
CONSIDER, IF A CHILD IS BEING
PHYSICALLY ABUSED AT HOME.
>> KNOWING THE SIGNS AND
GETTING THE COURAGE TO SPEAK UP
CAN BE DIFFICULT BUT THERE
RESOURCES AVAILABLE.
>> IN CENTRAL FLORIDA THERE IS
AN ORGANIZATION PROVIDING
NECESSARY SERVICES TO CHILDREN
AND FAMILIES WERE VICTIMS OF
ABUSE.
JUNE IS OUR JOY, THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR AT THE CHILDREN’S
ADVOCACY CENTER OF OSCEOLA
COUNTY.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS
MORNING.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS TOPIC
BEING SO DIFFICULT BUT IT IS A
TOPIC WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
BECOMING EPIDEMIC.
WHAT YOU SEE WHEN IT COMES TO
YOUR STATS?
>> OUR CENTER IN OSCEOLA COUNTY
WE HAVE OVER 700 CHILDREN
REFERRED FOR SERVICES LAST
MOST PART, CHILDREN WHO ARE
DISCLOSING OR WE’VE INDICATION
OF ABUSE.
REALLY UNFORTUNATELY, LIKE
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
STATISTICS ONLINE AND SUCH, WE
BELIEVE CHILD ABUSE IS
SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERREPORTED.
IT REALLY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST
PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS.
WE KNOW THAT BASED ON THE
SCIENCE THAT CHILDREN CAN HAVE
IMPACT INTO ADULTHOOD IF THEY
ARE EXPOSED TO TRAUMATIC
EXPERIENCES AS A CHILD AND NOT
EFFECTIVELY TREATED.
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THAT AS WE
KNOW HOW TO EFFECTIVELY TREAT
TRAUMA AND THAT IS ONE OF THE
ADVOCACY CENTERS GOALS, CONNECT
THE FAMILY AND THE CHILD WITH
RECOVERY RESOURCES SO THEY CAN
THRIVE FOLLOWING AN ABUSE
INCIDENT.
>> WHAT HE THINK IT IS SO
UNDERREPORTED?
I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE MAYBE
WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN SOMEONE
ELSE’S FAMILY BUSINESS.
TALK ABOUT THAT.
>> ABSOLUTE, THAT IS PART OF
IT.
A LARGE MAJORITY OF CASES THAT
DO GET REPORTED ABOUT SOMEBODY
WHO IS CLOSE TO THE FAMILY.
MAYBE NOT LIVING IN THE HOME
BUT SOME IN THE FAMILY KNOWS.
SO THERE IS A CONCERN FOR FOLKS
GETTING INVOLVED.
WE RELY ON THE COMMUNITY TO
ABUSE SPECIFICALLY, IT BREEDS
IN SECRECY AND SEXUAL ABUSE IN
PARTICULAR.
FOLKS DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT
THE ISSUE BECAUSE THEN THEY CAN
POSSIBLY HAVE AN IMPACT AND
PEOPLE ARE SOMETIMES RELUCTANT
TO GET INVOLVED.
>> WE TALK ABOUT TREATMENT, IT
IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT
REALLY CANNOT BE CURED, RIGHT?
SOMETHING HAS TO BE TREATED FOR
BASICALLY THE REMAINDER OF THAT
CHILD’S LIFE.
>> WELL, WE ARE ALL
INDIVIDUALS.
AND SO I RESPOND TO STRESS
DIFFERENTLY THAN YOU RESPOND TO
STRESS.
THE GOOD NEWS IS MANY CHILDREN
HAVE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO
THEM.
AND THE CHILDREN ACTUALLY JUST
AS LIKELY AS COMBAT WAR
VETERANS TO DEVELOP PTSD BUT
NOT EVERYONE DOES.
IS A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT.
THE SECOND POINT IS EFFECTIVE
TREATMENT CAN BE DONE
RELATIVELY SHORT-TERM BASIS.
I LIKE TREATING TRAUMA TO A
SPECIALTY.
IF I HAVE A CANCER ALL GO TO A
SPECIALIST INSTEAD OF HER
PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR.
GOOD NEWS IT DOES NOT HAVE TO
BE IN TREATMENT FOR EVER.
NOT EFFECTIVELY TREATED.
>> WAS SIGNED TO LOOK FOR IN
CHILDREN YOU KNOW?
>> CERTAINLY IF A CHILD MAKES
AN OUTCRY OR SAYS THAT
SOMETHING HAPPENS AND IS TO BE
TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
CHILDREN DO BEST AND HAVE
ADULTS AROUND THEM WHO BELIEVE
THEM, SUPPORT THEM AND
REPORTING IS KEY.
THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS WITH
YOUR CHILD’S BEHAVIOR, IT COULD
BE SLEEP CHANGES, APPETITE
CHANGES, IT COULD BE
AGGRESSION.
SOME OF THE SCIENCE TELLS US
THERE ARE ACTUALLY CHANGES IN
THE BRAIN FOR SOME KIDS.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THAT FIGHT
OR FLIGHT RESPONSE THAT IS
SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US AND HELP
US SURVIVE.
BUT OUR BODIES ARE NOT MEANT TO
A BODY DOES NOT KIND OF SELF
REGULATE BACK DOWN TO NORMAL
THEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE WALKING
AROUND THIS FIGHT OR FLIGHT
STATUS ALL THE TIME.
AND WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE TODAY
WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE
DEVELOPING THAT RESPONSE, THEY
WANT TO OVERREACT BECAUSE WHEN
YOU’RE IN FIGHT OR FLIGHT, ALL
OF YOUR HIGHER-LEVEL BRAIN
FUNCTIONS ARE TRYING TO
SURVIVE.
YOU MIGHT SEE ISSUES WITH
MANAGING EMOTIONS, YOU LOOK FOR
ALL THOSE INDICATIONS AND TALK
TO YOUR CHILDREN.
USE THE, REALLY ALARMING TO
START A CONVERSATION IF IT’S ON
THE NEWS TALK TO YOUR KIDS, ASK
WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT THIS.
WHAT WOULD THEY DO IF THEY HAD
A FRIEND WHO WAS FACING THIS
ISSUE?
>> BESIDES CALLING THE POLICE
THERE ARE MANY RESOURCES YOU
CAN CALL IF YOU SEE SOMETHING
OR THAT YOU NOTICE SOMETHING,
YOUR KIDS CAN SAY SOMETHING.
WHO CAN YOU CONTACT, WHAT CAN
YOU DO?
>> ABSOLUTE.
IF YOU’RE AN ADULT AWARE OF A
REPORT WE HAVE SOME CONCERNS,
YOU NEED TO CONTACT LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND OR THE
DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES.
THEY MAKE IT REALLY EASY
THERE’S A STATEWIDE HOTLINE,
800-962-2873 .
IT NEEDS TO BE REPORTED.
OBVIOUSLY A SITUATION IN FRONT
OF YOU IMMEDIATELY CALL NUMBER
ONE.
WE GET A LOT OF CASES THAT COME
THROUGH.
WERE ACTUALLY CHILD HAS TOLD A
FRIEND AT SCHOOL AND THE BRAVE
FRIEND WENT TO TELL AN ADULT.
REALLY THAT IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING.