Youth Protection, Awareness and Training

 
by Lorine Parks
 
Youth Protection is a much a concern to Rotary as it is to the Church, the Boy Scouts and to School Districts.
 
Bette Hall of the Beverly Hills club told us how District 5280 has prepared itself to meet this challenge.
 
We were each given a Youth Protection Quiz about Abuse and Harrassment Facts, to test our own Awareness Quotient.   How would you answer this true or false statement: “Most sexual abuse is committed by strangers.”  The answer is, false, it is family and trusted authority figures who often take advantage of their position to abuse children.
 
Facts such as, “teenage victims of sexual abuse and harassment often try to keep it a secret because they may feel responsible for what is happening,” are true.  Youngsters unsure of their own growing sexuality are confused when caught in an abuse situation.
 
And here is a question showing a provocative situation which in the past might not have been recognized as sexual harassment: “an adult host family brother leaving pornographic magazines in an exchange student’s room, is sexual abuse.”  This is true, and comparable in the adult workplace to sexually suggestive calendars exhibited publicly.
 
Because Rotary is in contact with 250,000 youths in Interact as well as RLYA (Rotary Leadership Youth Assembly) and International Student Exchanges, it is imperative that guidelines be set and training be implemented for each Rotary Club and Rotarian who comes in contact with young people. 
 
District 5280 Guidelines provide zero tolerance for abuse.  Any claim against an adult must be investigated, and that adult removed from contact with children until the matter is resolved. 
 
Any adult club member volunteering to work with children must be screened. One of the true-false questions presented the question in this scenario that, “if an adult gets along well with young people, its very unlikely that he or she is a sexual offender.” To the contrary, predators cultivate a friendly demeanor.
 
What is abuse all about?  Power and control.  Abuse takes many forms.  It   may be physical, emotional or sexual.  And it may be verbal or non verbal, touching and non-touching, written or whistled.  Sometimes people may not be aware their remarks are derogatory, humiliating or might give pain or suffering.  
 
Each Rotary Club must now be certified, that it has adopted a Youth Protection Code, a screening procedure for adults, and host family and homes themselves, screenings for exchange students.  We are legally and morally responsible for our children’s future, and Awareness Training such as Rotary has set up, makes us all better prepared to meet this challenge.