MCASA participates in effort to raise awareness of child sexual abuse in Maryland

As a member of the Maryland Partnership to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, MCASA attended a press conference held at the Annapolis State House on Monday, January 30th with First Lady Katie O’Malley to announce the selection of three Maryland communities that will take part in the Enough Abuse campaign to end child sexual abuse. MCASA Executive Director, Jennie Boden sits on the steering committee for the Partnership The Enough Abuse Campaign’s goal is to educate every adult in the community about the true nature and scope of child sexual abuse and give them the tools and knowledge they need to better protect children. Studies continue to show that many parents believe the major risk of child sexual abuse involves “stranger danger,” when in reality up to 90% of all cases are committed by someone known and trusted by the victim and family. The Baltimore Coalition/Baltimore Child Abuse Center; Talbot County Children’s Advocacy Center and Worcester County SART Team/Worcester County Child Advocacy Center were chosen as the first organizations in Maryland to launch the Enough Abuse Campaign throughout their communities. This effort was originally pioneered by the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership. The Baltimore nonprofit, The Family Tree, who founded the Maryland Partnership to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, will provide free training on the campaign’s curriculum, which will enable these local organizations to mobilize their own hyper-local initiatives in a way that can be adapted for their respective community’s needs. For more information about The Enough Abuse campaign visit http://www.familytreemd.org/programs/enough-abuse-campaign/.