When I found six evidence-based recommendations on the topic of “What helps children tell,” a blog post was born! As a survivor of child sexual abuse and a body safety educator in public schools, I’ve got some things to say about each of these suggestions listed on the website of the fantastic child safety organization,
Two recent events led to this blog post regarding individuals living with a sexual attraction to children. Earlier this month, I attended a virtual lunch-and-learn on the topic of people living with a sexual attraction to children. The Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse (out of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
A few weekends ago, a friend invited a group of gal-pals over to watch the virtual version of, “In Bloom: A Love and Relationships Summit.” My favorite session was with psychotherapist and relationship expert, Terri Cole, who spoke on the four A’s of keeping love alive. Or as Cole put it: cultivating lasting love. If you’re
Guest post by Mandi Pierson For the better part of two decades, I have worked with women who have survived unthinkable trauma. I live in central Ohio where sex trafficking is being recognized, and innovative efforts are made to address the issue on all fronts, from demand to treatment and recovery. Having worked in gender
Guest post by Nicole Braddock Bromley I am overwhelmed and pained by the stories around us of coaches and teachers grooming players and students for sexual abuse. This scenario is every parent’s nightmare and terribly devastating when it happens under the leadership of someone you trusted as a coach and/or school professional. 90% of the
Child Safety Parenting Tips–guest post by Kristin Peters No matter where you live or what you do for a living, parenting is hard. Full stop. It’s a lot of other things, too—joyful, fun, refreshing, rewarding, exciting—but “hard” is right up there. Within the first few years of parenting, you learn how little you know and
Child on child sexual abuse—also known as COCSA—is on the rise. When I heard the above fact announced more than once at last year’s Darkness to Light Envision conference, I was concerned. Because growing up, I experienced child on child sexual abuse at the hands of an older, more powerful child. If you’re asking yourself
You may not believe pornography is a child safety issue, but as a child safety educator (to kids and adults) who’s done her homework, I’m here to disagree. In my opinion, Two topics are of particular concern right now regarding today’s kids: sextortion and pornography To read about the current sextortion scheme that’s making the
Ever since I listened to this podcast episode, I’ve been a bit obsessed. About the current sextortion scheme—I blogged about it here—and kids watching pornography. The statistics on the topic are pretty crazy, so I decided to check out the report mentioned during the podcast episode. The very long report. Since not everyone has as much time on
Did you know the FBI—in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children—recently issued a national public safety alert regarding sextortion schemes? I had no idea all this was going down until I listened to this episode on my friend, Nicole Bromley’s, podcast last week. Wait, do you even know what
