Community groups across North Carolina are holding classes this week designed to teach adults how to recognize when someone is sexually abusing a child. The issue has gotten more attention since a former football coach at Penn State was accused of sexually abusing boys over several years. More than 80 YMCA and health care facilities in North Carolina have sought the help of a program called “Darkness to Light.” Program CEO Jolie Logan says the classes teach adults warning signs to look for when they suspect child sex abuse.
Jolie Logan: As a society, we do not want to believe that people would want to have sex with our children. And as a culture, we need to accept reality, and that is there are lots of people out there that want to do that. And as adults, we need to know what that looks like, what the signs are, so that we can protect the children in our lives.
People who have reason to suspect someone of sexually abusing a child are required to alert authorities under state law. Local instructors will teach Darkness to Light classes this week in Hickory, Pittsboro, Chapel Hill and Lumberton.
