April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and throughout the year, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making the world a better place for children and families. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help prevent child abuse and neglect by creating strong and thriving children, youth, and families in our communities.  Research shows that protective factors are present in healthy families. Promoting these factors is among the most effective ways to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect. The factors are:  • Nurturing and attachment • Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development • Parental resilience • Social connections • Concrete supports for parents • Social and emotional competence of children

It is important all archdiocesan personnel – clergy, seminarians, religious, employees and volunteers – protect the rights of children and be alert to the possibility of child abuse. Under Oklahoma law, all individuals MUST report an incident or suspicion of sexual abuse of a minor (person under age 18) to civil authorities immediately.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services has established a statewide abuse reporting hotline – (800) 522-3511. This number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you feel a child is in immediate danger of harm call 9-1-1.

In addition, the archdiocese provides an Abuse of Minors Pastoral Response Hotline for reporting the abuse of a minor (in the past or present) by a member of the clergy or other church personnel – (405) 720-9878. The archdiocesan victims’ assistance coordinator, a licensed professional counselor, will respond.

A report to the archdiocese does not relieve the individual of the duty to report child abuse to civil authorities as required by state law. In Oklahoma, failure to report child abuse is a misdemeanor punishable by law.