I was blessed to be in the field of education for 32 years.  Every single year the schools I was affiliated with performed fire drills to prepare both students and staff for safe exit in the event there was a fire emergency.  In addition we would perform disaster drills, and lock down procedures all with the intent of having students best prepared for any potential threat to their safety.  In my 32 years I was never involved in an emergency situation where a student’s life was in danger or was a student injured due to a fire or natural disaster.  In fact, I am aware of few if any that I have heard of who have suffered injury from fire or other disasters.  I am sure there are some, but I believe that number is very small. 

In my years in education, never once did I attend, hear, or participate in a workshop, chapel, or assembly that prepared children for the dangers of childhood sexual abuse. Surely one may argue that it falls outside the schools jurisdictions and responsibility to teach abuse prevention or even awareness.  And yet today there are over 40 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in this country alone while the number is increasing more rapid than ever before.  

So,  if schools are failing to address this, and if churches are failing to address this, and  if families where it exists cover and hide it…to whom will the children turn?  Therein lies the  problem.  Ignore and deny and maybe it will just go away.  Or maybe we will just keep on keeping it a secret.