Free seminar to address child abuse, sexual assault

Free seminar to address child abuse, sexual assault

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OREM — A full day of free classes on the challenging topics of child abuse and sexual assault will be offered by Utah Valley University and local law enforcement agencies Thursday.

The seminar is designed for everyone, whether they have been victimized or not, according to UVU associate professor Marcy Hehnly, who helped organize the event. The seminar will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on UVU’s Centre Stage and will cover topics like prevention, identification, available resources and the criminal justice system’s process.

“A lot of times the subject matters we are bringing up, no one wants to talk about,” Hehnly said. “It’s really a silent epidemic and so we’re just trying to give people their voice.”

Presentations will be led by local experts, including speakers from the Provo Police Department, Utah County Sheriff’s Office, Utah County Attorney’s Office and Children’s Justice Center. Sessions in the morning will focus on child abuse, while the afternoon will address sexual assault.


A lot of times the subject matters we are bringing up, no one wants to talk about.

–Marcy Hehnly, UVU assistant professor


Hehnly said one in four girls and one in six boys are victims of child sexual abuse, but that most people won’t talk about it until they are adults. She said it is important to be able to know what to look for so they can recognize abuse, regardless of what their profession is.

“I normally will have students in my classes that come and tell me they were victims,” she said. “It’s important for me as a professor because I’m directly impacted by my students, let alone other people in the community.”

This is the first time UVU will host an event on child abuse and sexual assault of this scale. It is open to the public and anyone can register to attend online. While registration is preferred, those who are unable to do so will be granted admission based on space. Seminar attendees can choose which presentations they would like to see.

“It’s a wealth of information that can really help anyone, whether they are a victim or maybe they know someone who is or come into contact with someone who is,” said Kortney Hughes, supervisor of victim services for the Provo Police Department.

Seminar Schedule:

  • 8 a.m. — Welcome/Introduction
  • 8:15 a.m. — Service Learning Projects: Student-led initiatives to introduce seminar topics to participants
  • 8:45 a.m. — Child Sexual Abuse Survivor (Jacki Chilton)
  • 9:20 a.m. — Utah Child Sex Crime Laws: Processing sex offenders and the sex offender registry (Sgt. Jason Randall, Utah County Sheriff’s Office)
  • 10:10 a.m. — Sex Trafficking 101 (Celeste Lojik, victims’ advocate at Utah County Sheriff’s Office)
  • 10:45 a.m. — Children’s Justice Center overview (Laurie Elkins, clinical coordinator at Children’ Justice Center)
  • 11:20 a.m. — Forensic Interviewing (Chelsea Smith, forensic interviewer at Children’s Justice Center)
  • 11:45 a.m. — Treatment for Child Victims (Kristine Kokol, treatment coordinator at Children’s Justice Center)
  • 1 p.m. — Utah Adult Sexual Assault Laws, Awareness, and Prevention of Sexual Assault (Detective Chet Whatcott, Provo Police Department)
  • 1:30 p.m. — Prosecuting Sexual Assault Cases, Court Assistance and Responsibilities (Sam Pead, Utah County Attorney’s Office)
  • 2:15 p.m. — Victim Advocacy, Responding to Victims (Mary Ellis, Provo Police Department)
  • 2:35 p.m. — Rape Crisis Response (Sariah Collard, Center for Women and Children in Crisis)
  • 3:05 p.m. — Sexual Assault Medical Exams (Dr. Lynsay Drew, Merrill Gappmayer Clinic)
  • 3:35 p.m. — Working with Victims of Sexual Assault, Therapy for Victims (Mindy Woodhouse, Center for Women and Children in Crisis)

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UtahFamily
Natalie Crofts

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