Five Days of Action - June 7-11, 2021
Throughout the week, we will be providing information on our Social Media channels. Please visit and follow us!
The Gateway Family YMCA is participating in the Five Days of Action, June 7-11, 2021, a week designed to raise awareness and inspire adults to take action to protect children from sexual abuse. The week will include online awareness information for the community at www.tgfymca.org/events and social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatewayFamilyY Instagram at www.instagram.com/TGFYMCA and Twitter at www.twitter.com/TGFYMCA Information will also be provided to YMCA parents and caregivers.
The Gateway Family YMCA encourages adults and organizations to join in marking this special week as we come together to make the community a safer place for children to live, learn, and play. As summer activities and camps begin to ramp up, June is the perfect time to bring attention to the simple ways we can all make the children in our community safer.
To that end, The Gateway Family YMCA will be focusing on the simple steps of KNOW. SEE. RESPOND. to help adults better protect children. When adults know how abuse happens, see the warning signs, and respond quickly to prevent abuse, they foster a culture of child abuse prevention. Together, we can bring awareness to the issue of child sexual abuse in our communities and have important conversations about how we can all work together to prevent it from happening.
“The past year has been challenging for families and we’re grateful that we can be a fun, safe environment for the children of our community,” said Krystal R. Canady, CEO, The Gateway Family YMCA. “By celebrating the Five Days of Action and focusing on KNOW. SEE. RESPOND. we hope we’re encouraging other organizations to create safe spaces that protect children from sexual abuse.”
The Gateway Family YMCA, with support from the YMCA Guardians for Child Protection, YMCA of the USA, Darkness to Light, the Redwoods Group Foundation, Praesidium, and the Monique Burr Foundation for Children have made materials available to help adults learn more about preventing child sexual abuse.
For more information about preventing child sexual abuse visit www.fivedaysofaction.org. Materials are derived from YMCA of the USA’s “Know. See. Respond.” copyrighted in 2020.
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE STATISTICS – PROVIDED BY DARKNESS TO LIGHT
- One in ten children will be sexually abused before their 18th
- 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser.
- Approximately 30% of children who are sexually abused are abused by family members.
- 60% of child sexual abuse victims never tell anyone.
- False reports are rare. Research shows that only 4 to 8% of child sexual abuse reports are fabricated.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU BELIEVE A CHILD IS BEING ABUSED – PROVIDED BY DARKNESS TO LIGHT
- You do not need to have proof that abuse is occurring to make a report, only reasonable suspicion. Reasonable suspicion means that you have witnessed maltreatment or boundary violations, either in the child or adult, or both. Or, you have received a disclosure from a child about abuse, neglect, or boundary violations towards them.
- Child sexual abuse reports should be made to the police and/or state child protective services.
- Contact the Darkness to Light Helpline at 866-FOR-LIGHT or text LIGHT to 741741 to have questions answered by trained counselors at no charge.
Darkness to Light is a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower adults to prevent child sexual abuse through awareness, education, and stigma reduction. Darkness to Light’s flagship program, Stewards of Children®, is an evidence-informed, award-winning training that teaches adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. More than 1.9 million adults have been trained using Darkness to Light trainings. For more information, visit www.D2L.org.
The Gateway Family YMCA is a leading 501(c)(3) non-profit, health and community service organization committed to strengthening community by connecting all people to their potential, purpose and each other. Working locally, the Y focuses on empowering young people, improving health and well-being, and inspiring action in and across communities. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y ensures that all have access to the opportunities, relationships and resources necessary to learn, grow and thrive.
For more information about The Gateway Family YMCA, visit www.tgfymca.org or contact 908-355-9622.