It started with the Penn State scandal grabbing national headlines when a revered football coach failed to call police after hearing an eye witness' account of sexual assault on a child. The accused (another coach) admitted to "showering and horsing around" with kids but denies any wrongdoing.
The public outcry from the Penn State story resulted in a Senate hearing on whether there should be a federal child abuse reporting law (see our December 13, 2011 post Senate Hearing Advises Training).
The next day, a first-of-its-kind government study came out finding sexual violence "widespread" in the U.S. and the majority of rape victims are children. Experts called its findings a "staggering" national problem and concluded that "We need to focus on children."
At the Senate hearing, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said "it is critical that we train and empower adults to know the signs of abuse and to know what to do when they see it or suspect it."
In these tough economic times, efforts to pass funding for child abuse educational programs will surely face challenges. Stay tuned for storm updates.
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