RSS Feed
|
|||||
|
Internet Proves To Be Family and friends will never forget Brooke Bennett, and neither will those of us who work at Prevent Child Abuse Vermont. This was the first time we saw a close, trusted family member, most often the perpetrator in sexual abuse cases, use the internet to con and sexually abuse a child. Blessed as we are with such a beautiful and rural state, we like to believe that we are immune from much of the crime that we associate with urban areas. The internet, though, is truly global, and as our state strives to lead the nation in cell phone and internet access for all of its citizens by 2010, it’s critical that we pay attention to how these technologies can impact our children and how we can protect children from those who would sexually abuse them. The children and teens growing up in our communities today are among the first generation who don’t remember the world before computers and the internet. They’ve been using these technologies, in many instances, since they could walk and talk, and they’re often better at it than their parents and their teachers. Programs that monitor or filter the internet are an important part of any attempt to protect children and teens online, but savvy users can often bypass or disable these tools. The most important aspect of any such prevention effort is communication between parents, children, and teens. Just as we must continue to ask our sons and daughters what happened at school, at camp, at the babysitter’s, at grandma’s today, we also need to be asking what happened online, on MySpace, on their game of choice. Know who your children and teens are talking to online, and what they’re doing. Agree to rules around what they do online and when. Like so many things about parenting, there is no magic wand—but there are a lot of little things that we can do to help keep them safe. Vermont has many resources available to schools, families, communities of faith, and local communities. Prevent Child Abuse Vermont is one of these resources. We offer two technology safety workshops, a middle school prevention curriculum addressing child sexual abuse for students, parents, teachers, youth workers, early childhood educators, grandparents and students. We also have a toll-free stress line staffed by professionals ready to help. Our number is 1-800-CHILDREN (800-244-5373). We pray that Brooke Bennett’s memory will strengthen Vermonters’ resolve to guide and protect all our children so that no more families, in Vermont or elsewhere, will ever go through this sort of unimaginable pain. Our prayers and thoughts go out to Brooke’s family and friends in this difficult time. Linda E. Johnson Executive Director Ms. Robin T. Castle Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Manager Prevent Child Abuse Vermont Montpelier |
for larger version     |
||||
