Enough Abuse campaign aims to prevent abuse before it happens

TRENTON — Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey and the NJ Partnership to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse will announce on Dec. 8 the selection of three local coalitions to replicate the Enough Abuse campaign throughout the state. The Enough Abuse Campaign is a grassroots movement that provides adults and communities with the knowledge and skills they need to put an end to the silence surrounding child sexual abuse. The announcement will take place on the steps of the State Capitol. Rush Russell, Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey, will introduce representatives from Project Self-Sufficiency (Warren and Sussex Counties), PEI Kids (Mercer County) and Wynona’s House (Newark). Each of the sites will discuss their roles in taking up the task of educating all adults in their local communities - leaders, faith-based organizations, public officials, parents, educators, etc. - about how important prevention truly is, and how exactly it can be done. Education and prevention are the keys to saving children, and New Jersey is leading these efforts to prevent child sexual abuse - before it ever happens. State legislators representing the three selected communities are also invited to attend, along with members of the statewide coalition, the NJ Partnership to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse. The recent events at Penn State University have highlighted the issues of reporting and enforcement of laws related to child sexual abuse - after it has already happened. The goal of the Enough Abuse Campaign will be to shift the effort to prevent any child from being a victim of child sexual abuse in the first place. Had the Campaign been in place at Penn State, it could have prevented the tragic victimization of many of the children involved in this case. The Enough Abuse Campaign was pioneered by the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership and has been endorsed by the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Center for Disease Control as a groundbreaking effort, and one that breaks the mold in prevention efforts and strategies.