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Safeguarding God's Children
Unless you've recently been sequestered away on a desert island somewhere, you must be aware that child sexual abuse has been prominently in the news. Sadly, the most prominent involvements have been in religious and educational venues.
One place where you have not seen any allegations of such abuse is in Episcopal Churches, and I like to believe the reason for that is at least in large part, the prevention provided by Safeguarding programs. Yes, they take effort and dedication. But they make us aware of the potential for danger, and the rewards of prevention.
Quoting the journalist Charles Blow, himself a survivor of child sexual abuse:
When a child is sexually abused, it breaks bonds of trust. It is a violation of the sovereignty of the self and one's zone of physical intimacy. It is an action of developmental exploitation. It is a spiritual act of violence that attacks not only the body but also the mind. It can take decades, or even a lifetime, to recover if recovery is even emotionally available for the survivor. We will be offering another Safeguarding God's Children Class in either late July or early August. Watch for the date and sign up. It only takes three hours, and our precious children are well worth the time spent Mary Morrison Safeguarding Trainer |
