TW: Childhood, Sexual, and Domestic Abuse.
Editor’s Note – This article mentions sensitive topics such as childhood, sexual, and domestic abuse.
By Alyssa Spagna, Staff Writer
Safe Center LI announced that they will be holding informational courses at Post that cover the issue of child abuse. Everyone is welcome to attend these courses.
“We all know a child, so it’s important that all of us are trained in how to recognize child abuse,” Keith Scott, the Director of Education for the Safe Center, said.
Safe Center LI provides counseling for adults and children, group therapy, advocacy for victims and their non-offending family members, specialized forensic exams, forensic interviewing, housing, educational seminars, legal representation, and other services.
“The Safe Center’s mission is to protect, assist and empower victims of family violence and sexual assault while challenging and changing social systems that tolerate and perpetuate abuse,” Scott said.
Child abuse often occurs more often than the public knows, according to Scott.
“Child Sexual Assault is a frighteningly common occurrence in our communities. Indeed, one in five children will be sexually abused before they turn 17, and these victims account for two thirds of all sexual assault survivors in the United States,” Scott said.
Cases of child abuse and domestic abuse are currently rising in the U.S., according to Scott.
“While we know that one in four women and one in seven men is abused by an intimate partner, within the LGBTQ community the numbers are even higher. 44 percent of lesbians, 61 percent of bisexual women, 26 percent of gay men, and 37 percent of bisexual men experience some form of partner abuse,” Scott said. “When we focus on college students, across the board one in three will be subjected to domestic violence during their college experience.”
The Safe Center is providing courses on abuse because they believe this is a serious and chilling topic. They are trying to break the stigma that abuse is taboo to discuss.
“The goal of these courses is to establish a safer community through awareness,” Scott said. “Our hope is that participants walk away with applicable knowledge on the recognition and reporting of child abuse.”
The courses being offered are recommended for survivors of abuse and the general public. Some people do not recognize the signs of abuse.
“Many survivors are reluctant to acknowledge that their partner is abusing them, don’t want to or are afraid to report it and may flat out deny that it is even happening,” Scott said. “We must remember that their abuse is not their fault, and that they need our understanding, our patience and our support.”
Safe Center LI can be reached at (516) 465-4700. To learn more about abuse and how to identify it, students can take part in these courses or contact Safe Center LI or Promise for more information.
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