Healthy relationships: Important work to protect children continues 10 years after Sandusky
It is easy to forget to remember. When there are so many other things to worry about — climate change, the breakdown of civil discourse, and a deadly pandemic — it is too easy to once again relegate the issue of child sexual abuse to the back burner of our minds and commitments. But this November, the 10th anniversary of the Jerry Sandusky scandal offers us the opportunity to reflect on what has changed, what remains to be done, and perhaps most importantly, to renew our commitment to keeping the kids in our community safe.
I have had a lot of opportunity to reflect lately. I’ve gotten calls from reporters across the country on this infamous anniversary asking about what has changed. In Centre Safe’s own social media, we’ve begun using the #SinceSandusky hashtag to remind ourselves and the community how very much has changed — and what remains to be done.
For us at Centre Safe, the numbers tell a big part of the story. In the year immediately following the Sandusky arrest, we provided service to only five male victims of sexual violence and only 17 children. By 2020-21, those numbers had increased significantly, the number of male survivors growing by tenfold, and the number of children served was three times higher than only 10 years earlier. As painful as the media attention was during those dark days, it provided an opportunity to be clear that services were available to male survivors. It also challenged us to think about the messages conveyed to the community through our former name, the Centre County Women’s Resource Center, and how we might send a different message about who we are and what we do by changing our name to Centre Safe.
The arrest of Jerry Sandusky also highlighted the need for more services for children — services for victims of child sexual abuse that were child focused and child friendly — and the Centre County Children’s Advocacy Center was created to be that safe place for children. Community leaders, systems professionals, and ultimately Mount Nittany Medical Center all worked together to create a space where children who had been victimized could seek help, avoid re-traumatization, and where non-offending caregivers could access resources and support as they worked to support their children. It is now one of 41 CACs across the commonwealth.
In so many ways, this community stepped up to say no more to child sexual abuse. Led by the Centre County YMCA and in collaboration with Centre Safe, the Youth Service Bureau and the United Way, over 7,900 people in our area have been trained through the Stewards of Children Program to recognize, respond to, and work to build policies and practices to prevent child sexual abuse. And while other child sexual abuse scandals also propelled change, according to a recent Pittsburgh-Post Gazette article, over $17.75 million dollars has been spent by the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency to provide a variety of services to over 59,000 children and adult survivors of child sexual abuse.
It sounds like a lot. And it is. But there is so much yet to be done. Until every youth-serving organization has policies in place (and follows them!) to protect children, until every parent recognizes the signs of child sexual abuse and how to respond appropriately to disclosures, until every mandated reporter has been properly trained and understands their responsibilities, until every child is safe in our homes and our communities, the work must continue.
Much has happened #SinceSandusky that is positive and increases the safety of children. But much remains to be done and we owe it to every single victim, whether a victim of Jerry Sandusky or of someone whose name was never in the papers, to continue to do the work.