skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, July 26, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

ID Child Sex Abuse Cases Stress Urgency of Prevention Methods

play audio
Play

Monday, July 24, 2023   

An unfortunate spate of child sexual abuse cases in Idaho is putting prevention methods in the spotlight.

A Kuna middle school teacher recently pled guilty to enticing a child, and lewd contact with a minor. Another case from a Boise junior high school has left lingering questions about how the abuse could have been stopped earlier.

Taryn Molitor is a family support coordinator at Saint Vincent de Paul North Idaho in Coeur d'Alene. She said the first thing people can do to prevent abuse is understand its prevalence.

"One in ten children before their 18th birthday will be sexually abused," said Molitor. "Ninety percent of abuse happens by somebody the family knows and trusts. One in five youth are sexually abused by peers, or youth to youth abuse."

Molitor said it's also important for adults to lay out boundaries. For instance, having an observable and interruptible conversation with a child is important so they understand they are safe.

Molitor is also a certified instructor for Stewards of Children, a child sexual abuse prevention program that provides training for the public.

She said the program revamped its training this year and Idaho was one of the first states to implement it.

"They're going at it from a trauma informed perspective this time around," said Molitor. "And that features new experts with lived experiences sharing their stories, as well as professionals who work in the field of child sexual abuse prevention and law enforcement."

Molitor said the goal of Stewards of Children is to train 5% of Idaho's population, or about 95,000 people. They have currently trained about 20,000.

Molitor said this is not an issue that can simply be solved by throwing money at it.

"It takes conscious, knowledgeable adults talking about it," said Molitor, "and getting comfortable with holding boundaries and having healthy relationships with the kiddos in their lives."




get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to the Tax Policy Center, for higher-income earners, sales taxes consume a lower share of their income than for other households. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Nebraska state lawmakers convene for a special session on property tax reform called by Gov. Jim Pillen, groups are weighing in on the details …


play sound

Traveling around rural Minnesota can be difficult but in more than half the state, nonprofit transit systems are helping people get where they need …

Social Issues

play sound

Student loan forgiveness took center stage on Thursday at the American Federation of Teachers conference. The Biden administration has canceled more …


Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has introduced legislation to codify the Chevron Deference into law. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Recent Supreme Court rulings on air pollution are affecting Virginia and the nation. Climate advocates said the court overstepped its bounds in …

Health and Wellness

play sound

World Hepatitis Day is this Sunday, and for the Oregon Health Authority, it's an opportunity to promote its plan to eliminate hepatitis across the …

The Gender Shades project revealed facial recognition performed poorest for darker-skinned women, and performed best for lighter-skinned men. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Columbia County, New York, is implementing new facial recognition and privacy policies, following new upgrades to the county's surveillance cameras…

Health and Wellness

play sound

New York disability-rights advocates are celebrating the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The 1990 …

Social Issues

play sound

As summer winds down and North Carolina students prepare to return to school, the focus shifts to the urgent need for better public education funding…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021