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LEHI — Child sexual abuse is a nationwide epidemic. One in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience child sexual abuse in the United States, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey data.
The numbers or statistics estimating child sexual abuse underestimate the true impact of the problem, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children may wait to report abuse or may never report it at all — impacting the accuracy of statistics and earning child sexual abuse the classification of a "silent epidemic."
Utah community leaders met in a symposium Wednesday to lend their voices and shine light on an issue "that thrives in the dark," state Rep. Steve Waldrip, R-Eden, said. Elected officials, researchers and nonprofit leaders gathered to discuss policies and practices in confronting child sexual abuse in the state.
The symposium was hosted by the Utah Women and Leadership Project, Saprea and the Malouf Foundation and featured panels discussing how to enact societal change in regard to child sexual abuse.
"Why are we not moving heaven and earth to protect our kids?" asked Susan Madsen, director of the Utah Women and Leadership Project. "The beautiful place of change and growth is when we're so comfortable with being uncomfortable. We have to break the silence; if we don't do that, we're not going to change."
The issue, while an "uncomfortable" topic, is widespread. Nearly 13% of Utahns report being molested before the age of 18, according to Madsen. She added that nearly 35% of sexual assault victims in Utah report it occurring before their 10th birthday.
"Utah is currently the youngest state in the country. Thirty percent of our population is under the age of 18; and out of that, the largest percentage is under 6 years old. We have to support our children, what they need to survive and thrive. We have to address issues like this so they don't continue to happen," said Moe Hickey, executive director of Voices for Utah Children.
In her keynote address, Madsen outlined the necessary steps to effectively enact change. The process she introduced was based on Harvard professor John Kotter's eight-step "Leading Change" model:
- Establish a sense of urgency
- Create the guiding coalition
- Develop a vision and strategy
- Communicate the change in vision
- Remove obstacles
- Generate short-term wins
- Consolidate gains
- Anchor new approaches in the culture
"Right now, in the state of Utah, we don't have a big guiding coalition. ... That's something we can think about with a vision and strategy," said Madsen. "What we know from public policy work is that there have been states that have done very successful things, so it's not like we're starting from scratch."
The breakout sessions included discussions about the interactions of child sexual abuse with other key issues, the role of corporations in the issue, and the need for shared leadership in addressing abuse effectively.
What changes need to be made?
The composition of elected offices and the Utah Legislature was singled out by several panelists as a needed change.
"For me, one of the things that is most frustrating and challenging — at the same time motivating — is the lack of representation of victims in any sort of decision-making," said Rabbi Avrohom "Avremi" Zippel, child sexual abuse survivor and advocate.
"It's about elevating the voices of victims — having people who are survivors of crime run for public office, get involved in policy sort of decisions. If we want that to happen, we create an environment where victims and survivors feel comfortable sharing their experiences," he added.
Others advocated for more women campaigning or entering state offices as a way for change.
"We still have a lot of legislators ... they don't care about what they deem as women's issues. We still have a lot. This is one of the reasons why we have to have more women stepping forward to run for office and more men who support them and donate money to their campaigns. Unless we do that, we're not going to shift like we can," Madsen said.
Madsen pointed to numerous studies that differentiate how men and women in office allocate funding. Research found that women state legislators in the United States are more likely to prioritize issues that have traditionally concerned women, such as health care, social services, family and children's issues and the environment.
The sentiment was also expressed by Hickey.
"When I say men aren't going to change it ... I think historically, we've shown that we continue this pattern in Utah over the years and the numbers haven't changed. I think if women's voices are amplified and then men are brought to the conversation, then I think there's going to be change," Hickey said.
What's working?
"What I've seen is that there's an opportunity. The opportunity we have, the state already approved with the State Board of Education with several child sexual abuse prevention programs. ... We simply need to do a better job of getting these out in the community," said Waldrip.
Continuing to promote and fund established programs is an effective option in addressing child sexual abuse with the caveat that schools currently don't have the bandwidth to be the enactor, he added.
"I think the driver for this has to be community, has to be our foundations and our public interest sector, our faith communities. We can amass a sufficient war chest and think the Legislature can contribute to the funding of this, but I don't think we want to just sort of throw this as another requirement on the schools," Waldrip said.
Whose role is it to enact change?
While many panelists had varying viewpoints on who should represent the change, all agreed that collaboration on all levels is necessary.
"It's our responsibility to figure out what piece of the puzzle we play and we can better ignite, collaborate and partner to shift things in our state," said Madsen. "There are so many more kids that will now thrive better in their lives because of what Utah has together in this."
The working group discussed creating a larger coalition in addressing child sexual abuse and invited the wider community to contribute.
