Seminar aims to prevent child sex abuse

A training session Friday in Coeur d’Alene aims to educate adults on preventing child sexual abuse.

The three-hour session, offered by national nonprofit Darkness to Light, includes sex-abuse survivors sharing their stories and a three-part video with tips on how to prevent abuse, detect it and deal with it.

“It’s put the responsibility back into the hands of adults,” said Michael Jay of Spokane’s Partners with Family and Children, who will lead the training. “It’s a program developed to basically empower people to feel like, ‘Hey, I’ve got resources. I can get up and help this child, not just feel guilty.’ “

The program is aimed at “people who just want to find out how to keep kids safe,” he said.

Sponsored by the Christian Community Coalition, the training gives examples of situations that could lead to abuse and encourages parents or other caregivers to ask questions that could reveal such situations, Jay said.

“I try to get past the paranoia,” Jay said. “You need to trust; you just need to be aware.”