April is National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month. The Center is located in DeKalb County. The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy is the leader in prevention and treatment and is located in DeKalb Center ...

Bria was an 11-year-old concert violinist and a straight-A student. Her parents were well-educated, had respectable jobs, and were heavily involved in their community. On the outside, her life appeared to be perfect, and no one would ever suspect her to be a victim of child abuse. One day, Bria revealed to her mother that her father had been touching her inappropriately since she was eight years old.

Thousands of children in America are victims of child abuse, just like Bria. In fact, an estimated one in four girls and one in six boys is sexually abused before the age of 18. April is National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, and there is no better time to raise awareness about child abuse prevention. The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy is helping adults learn to prevent child sexual abuse from happening to loved ones through its Stewards of Children program.

“Every 30 minutes, a child is the victim of abuse in Georgia, and too often they remain silent about what is happening to them,” said Nancy Chandler, executive director of the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. “Our goal is to protect Georgia’s children by educating adults on the potential symptoms and situations of sexual abuse, so they can recognize any signs of sexual abuse in their young loved ones.”

The Georgia Center’s Stewards of Children education program is a statewide training program aimed at teaching adults to take responsible action to end child sexual abuse. Through compelling survivor testimonials, the advice of experts, and facilitated discussion, the program educates adults, such as parents, educators, coaches and youth organizers to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. It also equips and empowers all adults, even those without children, to keep children safe using seven key steps.

According to Stewards of Children, the seven steps to protect a child from sexual abuse include:

1. Learn the facts (Realities—not trust—should influence decisions regarding a child.)
2. Minimize opportunity (By eliminating or reducing one-adult/one-child scenarios, the risk of sexual abuse for a child dramatically lowers.)
3. Talk about it (Children often keep abuse a secret, but barriers can be broken down by talking openly about it.)
4. Stay alert (Do not expect obvious signs when a child is being sexually abused.)
5. Make a plan (Learn where to go, who to call and how to react.)
6. Act on suspicions (The future well-being of a child is at stake.)
7. Get involved (Volunteer and financially support organizations that fight the tragedy of child sexual abuse.)

The Stewards of Children training has been tested and proven to change knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of those who participate. Local organizations that are implementing the training include Woodward Academy, the Atlanta Presbytery, Atlanta Public Schools and the Boys & Girls Clubs among others.

“We often find that adults don’t know what to do to protect their children from sexual abuse or don’t even believe that sexual abuse can be stopped,” said Chandler. “The Georgia Center’s Stewards of Children program is a step in the right direction of informing adults how to be aware of and help prevent child sexual abuse in their communities.”

After Bria confided in her mother, Bria's mom called the police who told her about the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. With the help of the Georgia Center’s therapists, Bria began expressing her anger, grief and sadness through artwork.

The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy is a private, non-profit agency that facilitates the healing for children and families that have experienced child sexual abuse and depends on the support of the community to continue to provide free services. This month the Georgia Center will hold its annual Birthday Benefit on April 26 at Turner Studios. The event will feature music, dancing, food and a silent auction. All proceeds benefit the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, and tickets are available by emailing lavannl@georgiacenterforchildadvocacy.org.

The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy was established in the fall of 2007 with the merger of the Fulton County Child Advocacy Center and the Georgia Center for Children. With two locations in DeKalb and Fulton counties, over the past 20 years, the Georgia Center has offered assistance and healing for more than 9,200 children and their families by providing evaluation, therapy and treatment to aide in each child’s long-term recovery. Its professionals conduct forensic interviews, provide expert testimony in trials, supervise and train interviewers and conduct multidisciplinary case review.

Five years later her mother reports Bria is doing well. With the help of the Georgia Center they began the healing process and created a new life. To learn more about the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy or its Stewards of Children education program, please visit www.georgiacenterforchildadvocacy.org.

About the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy

The nationally certified child advocacy center in DeKalb and Fulton County, the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy is the preeminent authority on the treatment of childhood sexual abuse, providing evaluation and treatment for a child's long-term recovery and leading a statewide prevention and education program to end the sexual abuse on children. For more information on the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, visit www.georgiacenterforchildren.org or call (678) 904-2880.