More than 20 percent of children who are sexually abused are assaulted before the age of eight, resulting in some of these children developing emotional and mental health problems, abusing alcohol and drugs, and dropping out of school. Early intervention and prevention efforts can decrease many of the long-term consequences of sexual abuse.
“Raising Safe and Healthy Children,” the annual child maltreatment awareness event sponsored by Penn State's Child Maltreatment Solutions Network and the Human Development and Family Studies Vladimir de Lissovoy Program Support Endowment for the Protection of Children, will be held April 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Founder’s Room of the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State’s University Park campus.
The event will kick off with a welcome from Jennie Noll, professor of human development and family studies and director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network. Dave Heckler, the Chairman of the Children’s Advocacy Center Advisory Committee, will also give remarks.
Additional speakers include Iris Beckwith, who serves as the President of ConnectED4safety, an organization that provides safety tips for adults on how to keep children safe online. Attendees will also hear from Ana Meyer, a sexual abuse survivor from RAINNs, the world's largest anti-sexual violence organization.
Kate Guastaferro, assistant research professor in the Methodology Center and affiliate with the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, will present her research on the development, optimization, and evaluation of interventions with a specific focus on the prevention of child maltreatment and risk factors including parental substance use.
The event is funded through Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute and the Human Development and Family Studies’ Vladimir de Lissovoy Program Support Endowment for the Protection of Children.
For more information, visit the event’s website.