Sexual Assault Prevention in Hopkins County
By: Sarah Lovett
Updated: March 13, 2009
Forty-eight year-old Dennis Cummings, is accused of raping a 14 year old girl several times. In a seperate incident - authorities arrested at least one juvenile for rape as well.
That has Hopkins County officials hoping to arm kids and parents with tools to prevent these kinds of attacks. Commonwealths Attorney David Massamore says its no longer just the stranger in the bush, but family and friends who can be the perpetrators.
The problem he says is kids who are victimized by a sexual predators are often too afraid to come forward. Sexual abuse isnt so much about sex, as it is about power. The key is giving kids the power to resist and speak up.
As parents, the most effective way to protect your kids in the first place is to be nosy. Massamore suggests looking at the browser history on the computer and checking their text messages.
Here are some helpful websites where you can find out more about the warning signs of child sexual abuse, along with resources of how to prevent an attack:
www.stopitnow.com
http://www.familywatchdog.us/
