LAKE COUNTY — April is both child abuse prevention month and sexual assault awareness month, according to Lake Family Resource Center (LFRC).
“It”s unfortunate and appropriate that they are both in the same month,” said LFRC Director Gloria Flaherty. “So many sexual assault cases do happen to children.”
Crime statistics on the Lake County Sheriff”s Office Web site indicate that of 66 total sex crimes reported in 2006, 32 were child molestation cases. If the 11 statutory rape cases are counted, that puts sex crimes committed against children at just more than 65 percent.
“And that”s just the ones that are reported,” said LFRC Director Gloria Flaherty. “People don”t report because of fear, because of the culture of blame … they don”t report because of guilt … and embarrassment,” she added.
LCSO statistics further indicate that while property, drug and alcohol and other violent crimes in Lake County are declining, sexual assault is on the rise.
The county”s Child Abuse Prevention Council received a proclamation Tuesday from the Board of Supervisors designating April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Lake County.
The previous Tuesday a proclamation was issued to LFRC designating April 5 as “the day to end sexual violence,” April 25 as “Denim Awareness Day,” and the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Lake County.
LFRC board member Kathy Fowler asked, “how do you tell a parent … don”t be paranoid, but be observant?”
“I think the word is vigilant,” intoned Flaherty. “I think we all have to be observant, because perpetrators are going to look like you and like me and like our husbands and like our neighbors and like our friends and like the grocery story guy and like our child”s teacher and like the cop on the beat,” she added.
LFRC”s board members concurred that the most important preventative measure a parent can take is listening to their children and following your intuition. “(Children) have instincts just like we do,” said board member LeMon (Lee) Perales. “They may not be able to articulate or translate those instincts as well as an adult can, but they have them.”
Perales does presentations at local junior high and high schools about what rape and coersion are and how to prevent them. In addition, the agency has the Men of Strength Club, whose theme is “My strength is not for hurting.”
Perales will conduct a community workshop on keeping children safe, which is scheduled for May 31 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at LFRC.
“This is a local issue that is affecting our children in our community, and it is not acceptable,” said Flaherty.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
