CAPP recognizes April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month
by offering tips on how to prevent child abuse
CAPP recognizes the need for increased awareness about child abuse and neglect, and encourages New Yorkers to provide the support families in their communities need to raise their children safely.

New York, NY - March 30, 2009 - The Child Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP) urges New Yorkers to recognize National Child Abuse Prevention Month by reaching out to members of their community, and providing needed support to children and families – helping to ease the stresses of parenting, thus relieving some of the factors that lead to abusive behaviors.

While child abuse and neglect occurrences cut across all socio-economic groups, an increase in stress coupled with a lack of support is a major risk factor for abuse to occur in any family. With the widespread budget cuts for many family services underway, and with New York State unemployment at 7.8%, families are undoubtedly finding themselves with fewer resources and under greater stress – creating a greater risk of abuse and neglect. Especially in times like these, the responsibility falls on individual community members to provide families with support – and CAPP reminds New Yorkers that preventing child abuse can be easier than it seems.

Empowering Children
CAPP understands that without proper safety education, children are left more vulnerable to abuse. While CAPP educates 30,000 New York City children per academic year through their award-winning Child Safety Workshop, all children need to be made aware of their rights to be safe. CAPP recommends the following tactics for talking to children about abuse:

• Focus on what to do, not what not to do. The disheartening fact is that most children are abused by someone they know, either a family member or friend of the family. Telling a child to avoid strangers is a great start. However, teach your child that if anyone makes them uncomfortable, they should say "No," get away from that person, and tell an adult immediately.

• Teach your child to say "No." Children are taught to comply with adults, which conflicts with their ability to trust themselves when something feels unsafe. Let your child know that they are allowed to say no to a touch that makes them uncomfortable. For example, if your child does not want to greet a family member with a hug or a kiss, respect their wishes. Allow them to greet the person in a more formal way such as with a handshake, a wave, or a high five.

Engaging Families We all understand the need to report abuse if we are aware a child is in imminent danger of being injured, but if we as individuals all take on the responsibility to help and support families in our communities, we can prevent child abuse and neglect before it occurs.

• Offer a friend, family member, or neighbor some tangible support and help. Being a parent can be stressful and isolating, but by acknowledging this difficulty, and offering some support, we can help ease the job of parents. Offering to babysit, baking cookies, watching the neighbor's children while their mom relaxes for a few minutes – these are all actions any individual can take that can show families that you support them.

• If you know a family who seems to be overly taxed or stressed out, do some research as to what services exist in your neighborhood, and offer to link that family to those resources. For resources by borough, visit CAPP's website at www.childabusepreventionprogram.org.

• Discuss with your friends and family members the warning signs of abuse. When parents and family members are more vigilant and aware of what to look for, they are armed with important tools they need to be comfortable identifying abuse in their children, thus heightening the possibility for intervention.

Garnering Political Support
If you want to keep programs like CAPP's flourishing in your community, we ask that you join us in asking your local representatives to support family-strengthening legislation, and to allocate funding for prevention programs. Visit the following websites to learn more:
• NYC Council: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml
• NYS Senate: http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm
• http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/