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Diana's Viewpoint
Diana Waggoner | Executive Director
Sexual Abuse Support and Recovery Programs
On a recent Not Alone radio broadcast, we learned more than we
truly wanted to know about sexual abuse in children. Although it is much
easier to zone out this topic and pretend that if we didn’t talk about it,
it didn’t happen, protecting children from sexual abuse is a growing
responsibility. Parents need to talk to little ones, in words the children
understand, that parts of our body are ‘private and precious’ and nobody
needs to see or touch these private parts. And most importantly, we need to
remember that children may not have the vocabulary or the words to tell us
that another child, a sibling, or an adult has been touching or abusing
them. Adults have the responsibility to listen between the lines and make
sure children know that you believe them and will help them.
Lutheran Family Services developed a program 10 years ago called RSAFE which
offers a continuum of care to families who are healing from child sexual
abuse, as well as serving children who are struggling with sexual acting out
behaviors. One note of encouragement was that children who have been
sexually exploited, as well as children who have become sexual exploiters,
can be successfully treated; without treatment both the victim and the
perpetrator risk depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviors, and unsuccessful
relationships as adults.
Vickie Peyton the director of RSAFE, encouraged family members dealing
with sexual abuse to participate in support groups, and suggested two
available in the Omaha community. Parents United is a support group for
adults affected by childhood sexual abuse (survivors, protective parents,
offenders, supporters) and Sons and Daughters United is a support group for
children/adolescents (ages 8 – 18) affected by childhood sexual abuse,
including survivors and their siblings. For more information about either of
these support groups, contact
Lisa Pohl for more details.
In highlighting the need for more awareness regarding sexual abuse, Not
Alone will also soon welcome
children’s author Julia Cook who has written a wonderful book that we
highly recommend for children who may have been enticed by an adult called
"The Kid Trapper". It’s written in a simple, non-threatening manner and
could help open conversation with children about sexual abuse.
In her introduction, Ms. Cook states: The book can be used to teach children
and adults how to recognize and prevent traps that acquaintance molesters
often set. It can also be used as a diagnostic tool, as any child who has
been offended will get it, while the child who has not been offended will
only become more aware of how to prevent themselves from becoming ‘trapped.’
Finally, concludes Ms. Cook, [the book] can be therapeutic to any parent who
suffers both from blame and guilt as a result of their child being violated.
The Kim Foundation draws your attention to RSAFE and “The Kid Trapper”
because we appreciate the positive changes they are making for children. If
there are other programs or support groups across Nebraska that deal with
sexual abuse, please let us know and we will help make your local resources
known to those in need. We are grateful to see more and more peer support
groups developing across Nebraska addressing topics of concern in the area
of mental health care. We remind everyone that there is help, there
is hope, and there is healing.
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