Public Health & Prevention Scientists - Child Sexual Abuse Prevention

I’d especially like to hear from my colleagues in public health, prevention science and implementation science about this. In my recent piece for the National Catholic Reporter, I argue that child sexual abuse should be approached not only as a criminal justice and safeguarding issue, but as a preventable public health problem. Public health asks a different set of questions: Are prevention programs actually working? Are children disclosing earlier? Are adults recognizing grooming sooner? Who are we failing to reach? How are interventions being evaluated and improved? And what would it take to build an evidence base that could be used across schools, sports, faith communities and other institutions that serve children? The Catholic Church, with its enormous global infrastructure, offers one place to begin asking those questions. But the larger issue extends far beyond the Church. I would genuinely welcome public health experts weighing in. What research, surveillance, implementation or evaluation approaches should be part of this conversation? What am I missing? And who else should be at the table? I’m also interested in hearing from researchers who might want to contribute to a follow-up piece or help push this conversation further. “Child sexual abuse needs a public health response. The Catholic Church can help.” National Catholic Reporter: https://lnkd.in/gwwKctBg. #PublicHealth #ChildSexualAbusePrevention #ChildProtection #PreventionScience #Safeguarding #ChildHealth #ImplementationScience