TRAVERSE CITY — The inaugural Great Lakes Region Child Safety Conference took place in Traverse City Thursday, with a focus on preventing maltreatment and child sexual abuse.
Speakers from Northern Michigan and around the country discussed how to best identify and respond to signs of abuse and what to do if you’re worried about a child’s safety.
“It’s important for all forms of maltreatment, that whenever we have a suspicion for somebody’s safety, we prioritize that safety and we report things right away,” said Jenna Baker, director of prevention for the Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center.
According to the CDC, around 1 out of 10 children experience sexual abuse before they turn 18. That figure is 1 out of 4 for girls.
Jenna Baker says that adults need to take a prominent role in watching for the signs of abuse.
“The best way to understand if anything is going on with a child — not just child sexual abuse, but anything at all — is to get a good understanding of their baseline behavior, of mood, and if you notice a shift in that, it is an opportunity to check in,” shesaid.
A 2018 survey from the Advocacy Center found that nearly two-thirds of adults in Northern Michigan say they personally know a survivor of child sexual abuse.
“Think about the kids in your lives, and think of how you can develop a good baseline sense of their behavior, their mood — and so you can start developing open communication with them,” Baker said. “No matter what issue you’re talking about, talk early, talk often and talk honestly.”
Nationally, about 90% of child sexual abuse is committed by someone who already knows the victim.
Baker says that anyone who suspects child abuse should make a report to the state hotline.
“It’s really important that if a child discloses any form of maltreatment to you, you simply allow them to share what they’re willing to share, and you pass that along to the authorities who are trained to handle it and respond”
Baker says that the Center responds to reports within 24-72 hours depending on severity.
She says that if there’s reason to believe a child could be hurt before then, 911 should be contacted.
Nick Marsh is an attorney and head of the Child USA advocacy group. He spoke about the dangers of sextortion, which is the act of threatening the release of real or fake sexual information to coerce something from a victim.
Marsh says that new technologies are leaving children more open to these threats, even if they follow safe practices online.
“Sextortion, AI and chatbots are converging into a new generation of digital threats defined by speed, realism, personalization, psychological pressure,” he said.
Marsh says that parents should refrain from posting pictures or details about their children on public social media and continue to warn about communicating with unknown people online.
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