Assemblyman David G. McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) and the Coalition Against Child Abuse & Neglect (CCAN) hosted a public forum, “Protecting your Children from Sexual Predators,” Wednesday evening at the Wantagh Middle School.

“The best way for parents to protect their children is to educate themselves about the dangers children could possibly face from sexual predators,” said McDonough, the co-chairman of the Assembly Minority Sexual Assault and Violence Education Task Force. “The coalition does an excellent job at these events, and I thank them for coming to my district and informing parents of the many tools available to them and educating adults on the best ways to protect their children.”

For more than 26 years, CCAN has provided compassionate support and innovative, professional programs and services to accomplish its vision of creating a community where all children have the opportunity to flourish.

The topics discussed by CCAN at the forum included:

• Keeping children safe is an adult’s job. While it is important to let children know how to protect themselves from sexual abuse, it is ultimately the responsibility of adults to keep them out of harm’s way.
• Research shows 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthdays.
• About 93 percent of all child sexual abuse victims are assaulted by someone they know – either a family member, or someone they know and trust. Since more than 80 percent of sexual abuse cases occur in one-adult/one-child situations, parents must know how to ensure their children are protected.
• Megan’s Law is a good tool, but it deals with a small percentage of sex offenders who were caught and convicted. Parents still need to be diligent about taking precautions to keep their kids safe from unknown predators.
• One of the most important safeguards parents can take to protect their children from sexual abuse is to educate themselves about the “grooming” process that all offenders use when targeting children.
• Adults also need to learn about warning signs that may indicate sexual abuse has taken place.
• Adults should create an environment where their children feel comfortable telling them they are scared or uncomfortable about a situation for any reason. That includes talking to children about sex and sex abuse.
• Because sex offenders perpetrate their crimes in secret, a community that acknowledges the problem and sheds light on it is the first defense in protecting all children.

For more information, contact Anthony Zenkus at (516) 747-2966, ext. 4616.