April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and to bring attention to the issues of child abuse, neglect and human trafficking, the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will host a conference on April 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Don Taft University Center.
Lauren Book, bestselling author, survivor of child sexual abuse and CEO of the Lauren’s Kids Foundation, will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers will include police officers, FBI agents and psychologists.
Denise Crammer-Turner, associate professor in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and director of the child protection master’s program, said that the conference is designed to bring awareness to human trafficking and child abuse.
“There are a lot of people out of work and having financial problems, and because of that, we see a lot more abuse,” she said. “There are a lot of people who self-medicate with alcohol and drugs, and that, at times, leads to child abuse.”
Maribel Del Rio-Roberts, assistant professor in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and director of the developmental disabilities master’s program, will co-present at the conference on strategies to protect children with developmental disabilities.
“We want to help kids understand their limitations and be able to identify appropriate interactions and inappropriate interactions, tailoring how we teach children based on their needs,” she said.
Del Rio-Roberts said that some kids have cognitive limitations that keep them from being able to understand personal space and boundaries. She also said that children with developmental disabilities are overrepresented among children who are abused or neglected.
“They’re so excited that someone wants to be around them and interact with them that they may not recognize an inappropriate experience,” she explained. “We need to understand what each child’s strengths and weaknesses are and tailor the conversations we have with him or her about abuse and neglect.”
Del Rio-Roberts said she hopes that any students who attend will be motivated to make changes.
“I want the conference to incite a little bit of excitement or interest in regards to wanting to take action and be advocates, to be more proactive,” she said.
Crammer-Turner said she hopes the conference will help more people recognize problems and keep their eyes open for issues.
“I know that, sometimes, people have a blind eye until it happens to them,” she said. “I’d like to affect at least one person, but I’d also like to affect a lot more.”
When it comes to recognizing abused children, Del Rio-Roberts said educators are more adept at identifying a child who is being physically abused than identifying a child who is experiencing neglect.
“It’s important to focus on whether a child is being emotionally cared for, whether their needs are being met,” she said. “Is the child clean? Do they have an odor about them? Are they losing weight? Have they brushed their teeth? Is their attire appropriate? These are all risk factors that can lead to serious consequences long-term.”
To register for the free conference, visit cahss.nova.edu/masters/childprotection/conference.html. For more information about the conference, contact Crammer-Turner at crammerd@nova.edu.
