When we hear stories about former Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle, who has been charged with child pornography and child prostitution, it can be shocking. It can cause confusion. It can cause anger. And these reactions make sense.
However, we can’t allow these reactions to prevent us from taking action, because at Prevent Child Abuse America, we know – and the research shows – that there are steps that each of us can take that can help prevent a situation like this from happening in the future.
We believe that all children deserve great childhoods because our children are our future. This seems like such a simple sentiment, but it drives our work every day, because it speaks to the many things that we want for our children – all children – and our nation: healthy, productive adults who have a positive impact on the communities they live in.
We’re sure that you want that, too, but at the same time recognize that it is often difficult to act without knowing what to do.
In light of this story, we’ve compiled some ideas on how you can make a difference in the lives of children and families in your community, and help you turn the natural feelings of anger or confusion into positive and proactive steps that can make a difference.
» For parents, please note that the children in this story appear to have been accessed online, so be conscientious in monitoring your children’s online use. To quote from the “Six Pillars for Prevention,” from the National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation: “Today’s children and youth have never known a world that is not filled with technology. Since technology is now an integral part of all our daily lives, parents must be diligent in who can access our children and youth.”
For ideas about how to do this, there are resources like “A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety” from the FBI (fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide).
» For our communities, we must work together to end the demand for children as sexual commodities.
Rather than responding after the harm and focusing on how to reduce risk for potential victims, we have to identify factors that feed demand for children to be viewed as sexual objects in mainstream media, take away barriers to sexually abusing/exploiting children, and make it easier to access child sexual abuse images and/or children to buy to sexually exploit.
» For our legal system, we must attend to child victims of sex trafficking as victims, not sex workers. Children, by definition, are developmentally incapable of giving consent, even if they think they did. They are victims and deserve to be treated as such. The adults who exploited them must be held accountable, while the children must be offered the help they deserve.
On this final point, we want to be clear: We should not be prosecuting kids who are victims, and many states have passed Safe Harbor laws to avoid doing just that.
As we work at Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii and all other chapters of Prevent Child Abuse America, to prevent the abuse and neglect of children before it can ever occur, we look at strategies that can involve everyone — from individuals and families, to communities and community groups, and of course, lawmakers. This troubling story of Jared Fogle has lessons for all of these areas, and in all of these areas there are roles we can, and must, play.
Aileen Deese, a mother of three and a grandmother, is executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii (preventchildabusehawaii.org/); James M. Hmurovich is president/CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America.
