In the midst of the blooming flowers that bring hope and renewal, April also calls on us recognize Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind the University community that all employees and volunteers of UW are required by Washington State Law to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the appropriate authorities.
Please take a moment to remind yourself of your responsibilities by visiting our reporting webpage: https://www.washington.edu/youth/report/
Contact the youth protection coordinator at uwminors@uw.edu to discuss any questions you have about these responsibilities, or to discuss concerns about a minor affiliated with a UW program.
Recognizing and educating ourselves about these important issues is a step towards create a safer community for children and youth.
Did you know?
- UW encounters over 200,000 minors annually, through various research, academic and enrichment initiatives; more than adult students and employees combined.
- Sexual abuse of minors by known peers (i.e., acquaintance, romantic partner) has increased dramatically.
- Technology facilitated sexual abuse towards minors has increased significantly.
- Fifty-nine percent of survey respondents of a national online child sexual abuse survey had a potentially harmful online experience.
On the bright side…
- There is some evidence that abuse within families has decreased.
- New research published in JAMA Pediatrics proves the effectiveness of prevention education in reducing child sexual abuse: “…a seventeen percent decrease in substantiated child sexual abuse cases, and a thirty-four percent drop in unsubstantiated sexual abuse cases, compared to a control group that didn’t receive these measures.”