P.O. Box 127, Glenn Dale MD 20769 www.stopcsa.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 1, 2007
CONTACT: Pamela Pine, 301-464-4791
STOP THE SILENCE, INC. RECEIVES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GRANT FOR JUDICIAL TRAINING ON CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL DISCRETIONARY GRANT TO HELP CATALYZE JUDGE’S EDUCATION AND APPROPRIATE ACTION ON CSA Non-Profit to Provide Judges with Information about Trauma Caused by Child Sexual Abuse November 1, 2007, Washington, DC— Members of the judicial and legal community from across the nation will benefit from a landmark project that will address how the courts can best affect children who have been sexually abused by a family or community member. Children’s fate is often left to judges who are in need of more information to make the best decisions for the child. As a result, children can face peril at the hands of a judicial system designed to protect them. Child abuse professionals report that confirmed cases of child abuse are often not handled as criminal matters even when that is the appropriate response according to experts, and an abusive parent or guardian may be granted inappropriate visitation rights and, sometimes, even custody. Yet one in three girls and one in six boys are sexually abused by the time they are 16 with devastating physical and emotional consequences. In at least 90 percent of cases, the child knows and trusts the person who commits the abuse and 30 percent of that 90 percent are family members, according to Dr. Pamela Pine, Founder of Stop the Silence: Stop Child Sexual Abuse, Inc. (Stop the Silence) a non-profit, charitable organization addressing the comprehensive prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse (CSA). Stop the Silence announced today that it is has been awarded a Byrne Memorial Grant from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct a training using information gathered and compiled in the National Children’s Bench Book (NCBB), the development of which was funded through a Ford Foundation grant. “Stop the Silence is grateful to the Department of Justice for their generous grant and commitment to children’s issues and judicial information sharing,” said Dr. Pine. We know that judges and child protection professionals are in dire need of current information on critical findings regarding abuse-related issues. Armed with this information, they will have the information needed to make sound judgments and ensure the protection and healing of children who are victims of sexual abuse and maltreatment.” The NCBB is derived from the Children’s Bench Book Framework™, a unique training approach developed by Nora Sjoblom Sanchez, who currently serves as the NCBB Project Director for Stop the Silence and is also Director of the Children's Law and Policy Initiative in Massachusetts. According to Attorney Sanchez, “the training protocol was not only designed to bridge the gap between reliable social science data and the law, but to encourage a “holistic” view of our complex child protection system, through multi-disciplinary cooperation and a commitment to a childcentered approach. Judges can play a crucial role in child protection yet they are often omitted from the dialogue, and judicial training opportunities on child sexual abuse and trauma are rare.”
Ultimately, up to 150 judges and other court-related personnel will attend a training to take place in Washington, D.C. Internationally recognized experts – physicians, social scientists, attorneys, judges and others – contributed to the development of the Bench Book on a how to best protect children when they come before the courts. Several international law firms, including Nixon &Peabody, LLP, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., and Foley Hoag LLP donated hundreds of hours and support to the Children’s Bench Book project. Many of the professionals who contributed to the writing of the NCBB will be invited to present information during the training. Their presentations will include scientific evidence establishing that children can be victimized over and over by improper handling of their cases, often due to lack of understanding the complexities of abuse disclosure, and the impact of trauma on children. “So many crimes of abuse against children are committed by a trusted adult in the child’s life,” said Attorney Sanchez. “Just as we have come to understand the horrors of clergy and stranger abuse, we believe the public and our legal system are ready to address the effects of abuse committed by a parent or guardian”. Kids have to feel safe as well as be safe. Studies tell us that emotional trauma is just as severe as physical trauma,” said Sanchez.
About Stop the Silence Stop the Silence is a non-profit, charitable organization working with individuals, companies, and community- and faithbased organizations in various states to raise awareness and funds to support comprehensive programming and provide technical assistance in order to prevent and treat child sexual abuse. The National Children’s Bench Book and the associated training is Stop the Silence’s response to growing concern regarding the legal interests of abused and neglected children. The Bench Book project serves to create a legal environment that protects children and restores their emotional and physical wellbeing. More information on Stop the Silence is available at www.stopcsa.org.
About the origins of the NCBB The origins of this growing national endeavor began in 2003 in association with Constella Futures with funds from Health and Human Services, and derived from the Massachusetts CLPI Children’s Bench Book Framework™ project in 2002. Massachusetts participants included Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, Dr. John Conte, Dr. Peter Jaffe, and Robert Reece, M.D. among other noted experts, and with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.