CPC Prevention Educators Present at National Conference
August 12, 2020
CPC Prevention Educators Present at National Conference-The Personal Safety Team Teaches Online Safety at Krimes Against Kids
The Personal Safety and Community Awareness (PSCA) team of the Child Protection Center, Inc. (CPC) recently presented at the Florida Network of Child Advocacy Centers’ 2020 Krimes Against Kids conference. This annual conference, comprised of over 50 workshops in a three day period, reaches professionals who work in the child welfare system across the country, including law enforcement, child protective service personnel, victim advocates, attorneys, therapists, counselors and social workers.
PSCA’s presentation, Encouraging Safe Practices: An Informed Approach to Protecting Children Online, focused on the potential risks and misuse that accompany children’s use of the internet and highlighted the importance of discussing internet safety, encouraging safe practices, and empowering others to implement internet safety techniques into their lives.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to empower other professionals on keeping children safe on the internet,” said Ariane Beauchamp, one of the presenters from the PSCA team. “We have seen a sharp increase in screen time in correlation to this pandemic and children need our guidance and vigilance more than ever. The more education adults receive on the topic, the better we can assist our children.”
Prior to COVID-19, it was estimated that 1 in 5 children will be solicited online at some point in their childhood. Child advocates around the world have been warning of a potentially drastic turn for the worse throughout the pandemic as children spend more and more time online. In March, the FBI sent out a press release to inform communities on the increased risk of child exploitation due to the coronavirus. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has experienced a 93.33% increase in global reports of suspected child sexual exploitation to its CyberTipline between January – June 2020 versus the same time period in 2019. To ensure the safety of participants during the ongoing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, the Krimes Against Kids conference was moved to virtual outlets. “Although my first choice of training opportunity would not be virtual, it speaks volumes that despite the current climate of the world, professionals are working tirelessly to keep children safe from abuse through education.”