How puppets can stop vulnerable children from becoming sex offenders

In Colorado, a state law requiring the use of a screening tool is being used to combat sex trafficking at the individual level. The screening tool identifies and offers support and protection to victims of sex trafficking – many of whom are runaways from the foster care system – and has led to multiple prosecutions of sex traffickers.

Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre Foundation provides comprehensive care, protection and legal assistance to youth who suffered sexual abuse or are at risk. So far, they’ve helped reach eight convictions and have about 57 ongoing cases. The Foundation also emphasizes the importance of psychotherapy and education, empowering youth to learn about personal safety, boundaries and age-appropriate sex education in an effort to prevent reoccurring abuse.

During the early 1990s, New York City had a sky-high number of kids in foster care. Now, it's safely keeping them with their families, placing them in foster care only when necessary.

Jewish Family Services (JFS) has been delivering the Child Abuse Prevention Program to local schools for 30 years. JFS presents the program at 150 area schools, curating age-appropriate presentations for each grade level. The program covers examples of safe and appropriate touching, as well as what to do if the child finds themselves in an unsafe situation and how to tell an adult.

To combat high rates of sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria, the Spotlight Initiative supports several organizations providing counseling and educational services to victims and to women and girls at risk of abuse. One program from the NEEM Foundation countered the pandemic shutdown by distributing transistor radios to continue its classes for women. Another, Save the Child Initiative, intervened in a child rape case that local authorities ignored, convincing national police to arrest the attacker and providing counseling to the victim and her mother.

Youth Villages, a nonprofit started in Tennessee over 30 years ago has helped improve the lives of children who face difficulties in their homes while saving money on the child welfare system. Instead of immediately removing children from their problematic homes, Youth Villages works on building relationships with the parents and providing in-home support services to both the parents and the children to ensure that they have a successful future. Additionally, the organization supports foster kids who age out of the system, and has managed to place many children back with their families securely.

Miami is home to a special type of child welfare program called CHANCE (Citrus Helping Adolescents Negatively Impacted by Commercial Exploitation) that is designed specifically for youth in foster care that have been trafficked. CHANCE has an intensive curriculum that educates foster parents and clinicians about child sex trafficking and child trauma, and families are only allowed to take in one child at a time so that they are prepared for the child's unique health needs. Studies done on the program have found that the youth have significant improvement in many emotional and mental categories.

Vermont is the first state to pass comprehensive legislation that requires schools to include child sexual abuse prevention into their curriculum. Many schools have taken this new legislation and built their prevention curriculum around understanding consent and creating a space where children feel as though they can report their experiences. While Wyoming has similar legislation in place, they’re looking to Vermont as a model for taking a more inclusive, direct approach.

Uganda has sub-Saharan Africa’s only government-run child helpline--a free way for children to report physical, emotional, and sexual violence perpetrated against them. Police are supposed to work with probation officers to investigate the situation and connect children with medical and legal help. However, resource shortages remain, and some health workers refer victims to private clinics to make more money.

Two young adults from Changshu, China are behind a growing movement to bring attention to and educate students and teachers on the silent subject of child sexual abuse in China. In addition to tackling the big picture, such as China's outdated abuse laws, activists are investing in local measures, hosting documentary screenings and teacher trainings.