New activity booklet educates children about sexual abuse
Ottawa, ON, December 2, 2009: In response to Cybertip.ca’s recent research findings on child sexual abuse images on the Internet, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection is launching a new activity booklet to educate children about child sexual abuse. With support from Bell, the Be Smart, Strong and Safe booklet will be distributed free, to approximately 300,000 Grade 6 students across Canada.
“Children require a higher level of protection and that is why this government supports educational initiatives such as the Smart, Strong and Safe pamphlet. Preventing child victimization includes developing materials that educate children about how to protect themselves from those who seek to harm them,” said Hon. Peter Van Loan, Canada's Minister of Public Safety.
The creation of the educational booklet addresses some of the recommendations released in the study entitled Child Sexual Abuse Images: An analysis of websites by Cybertip.ca. The report found that 82% of child sexual abuse images assessed by Cybertip.ca were of children 12 years of age and under. Such results reinforce the immediate need for child sexual abuse prevention and education in this country.
“There needs to be a shift in the way we view the problem and solutions of child abuse images on the Internet,” said Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “The truth is that sexual abuse begins in the offline world. Efforts should be focused on preventing child sexual abuse from occurring in homes and communities.”
Recognizing the challenges in discussing the issue of child sexual abuse, the Be Smart, Strong and Safe activity booklet helps teachers educate children about this subject in an empowering way. Through a myriad of fun activities, children learn how to identify inappropriate behaviour, and how to talk to a trusted adult when something makes them feel uncomfortable. Lessons have been developed to accompany the activity booklet so teachers can incorporate this important bilingual program into daily teaching activities.
“Bell is committed to keeping children safe online by investing in educational programs that focus on issues impacting children today,” said Mirko Bibic, Bell’s Senior Vice President Regulatory and Government Affairs. “We are pleased to partner with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in educating kids to be smarter, stronger and safer in both the online and offline worlds.”
The Be Smart, Strong, and Safe booklet is the first of several education properties that will be unveiled by the Canadian Centre to address recommendations from their recent research report.
“Education on this subject is critical in assisting young children in recognizing signs of abuse and disclosing to a trusted adult if they are being abused or photographed inappropriately,” said McDonald.
Be Smart, Strong, and Safe is part of the Canadian Centre’s national program called Kids in the Know (KIK). KIK is an interactive safety education program for children from Kindergarten to High School (www.kidsintheknow.ca).
Information:
Erin Madden, Communications Coordinator, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Office: (204) 945-1866 Cell: (204) 918.7325
Email: erin@protectchildren.ca