Cincinnati Church of Christ: News You Can Use! PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN By Julie Poling Posted October 5, 2006 On Saturday, August 19, 2006, a workshop on child abuse was presented at the church building. The main purpose for this workshop was to help educate people on the seriousness of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children as well as provide to parents the groundwork for prevention. As evangelizing Christians, we are or may be in touch with people who have or are still suffering from the effects of child abuse. Through education, we can raise our awareness of life situations that can affect our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. When we become aware of certain situations, we are in a better position to be supportive and point people in the direction of professionals who can help. Unfortunately, child abuse/child neglect is widespread and is seen throughout all levels of society. Angie Smith, one of the presenters and a school guidance counselor, described the different types of abuse as well as the characteristics of each. Dan Newman, a counselor who works with adults abused as children, talked about the cycle of abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. He also pointed out that in most cases, abusers are related to the victims or are friends of the family Child abuse is everyone’s problem – even if you don’t have children of your own. All of us need to be the ‘eyes, ears, and voice’ for abused children. What can you do? First, start by listening to the presentations given below. Second, consider attending a class with your child that teaches him/her about the touches and behaviors of others that are permissible and not permissible. If you are interested in attending a class with your child, please contact Julie Poling at polingjulie@yahoo.com or call (513) 347-9848 for further information before October 15, 2006. You can download or listen to the audio files online by clicking on the links below: Child Abuse Awareness By Angie Smith Child Abuse Statistics By Daniel Newman