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	Child Abuse Prevention Class Learns from Offenders Public Safety — Juliette's House Holds Workshop Tuesday to Arm Attendees with Information to Fight Abuse in the County By Laurent Bonczijk Newberg Graphic January 15, 2010 http://www.newberggraphic.com/news/2010/January/15/Local.News/child.abuse.prevention.class.learns.from.offenders/news.aspx OREGON -- When 'Patrick' appeared on the television screen, he was everybody's image of a wholesome youth pastor. He had the right clothes, conservative but not stodgy. He spoke from the heart about his travails to become a minister. Then he told the interviewer how much the accusations of child sex abuse by a young boy he'd almost literally pulled from the gutter hurt him and his family. It would ruin his future career as a minister, he said. Patrick (his real name was not disclosed), the wholesome blond youth pastor, is not only a convicted child molester, he admitted to offending 100 children, nearly half of whom were under 14. He's the perfect example of what Det. Todd Baltzell of the Newberg-Dundee Police Department and Yamhill County Crime Victims Assistance director Debra Bridges were trying to illustrate: don't worry about the stereotypical stranger in a trench coat, because a sexual predator is more likely to be someone close to the family. Baltzell and Bridges were discussing child abuse during a workshop held Tuesday evening at Juliette's House, the county's child abuse assessment center in McMinnville. Baltzell said that 26 percent of abusers are friends or acquaintances of parents, 22 percent are youth service workers, 18 percent are biological parents, 16 percent are other relatives, 14 percent are step parents, and only 5 percent are strangers. "We're so busy looking for that stranger that we miss all of these people," he said, emphatically waving at the image on the screen. During interviews, admitted child abusers told how they gained the trust of parents to earn access to their children. They avoided communities and institutions that discussed child abuse with their youngsters and those which had strong supervisory rules when it came to adults working with children. "How in heaven's name are we going to expect a little child to recognize them?" Bridges asked. It's hard for adults to see through abusers' lies and smoke screens, she added. The most important thing a parent can do when a child discloses that they've been sexually abused is to believe them, Bridges said. This dramatically reduces the trauma they suffer. Most children have to report abuse several times before they're believed. "Children can recover from abuse," she said. Baltzell said that false reporting of child abuse is an overblown myth in popular culture. Less than 5 percent of reports are false, he said, and in all his years of experience, "None come to mind. Why in the world would a kid continue with this statement?" he asked, when they have to undergo intimate medical exams, answer personal questions from adults and testify in front of a grand jury. The vast majority of child sex offenders are seductive rather than violent, Baltzell said, because unlike rape, which isn't about sex but about power and control, child sex abuse "is about sex — this is not about violence." Using violence is more likely to get an abuser caught and so they're unlikely to use it, he added. Another piece of advise Baltzell gave the assistance was to not "get hung up on the (sex offender) registration thing so much." He regularly receives phone calls from parents asking if there is a registered sex offender in their neighborhood. Those are the ones they shouldn't worry about too much; they're known and supervised. The ones to worry about are those who haven't been caught yet. Baltzell also advised was to tone down the rhetoric about the punishment of abusers, because it makes it harder for children to disclose the crimes. They often are close to their abuser and simply want the abuse to stop, not the person to go to jail. If you suspect abuse, call DHS at 1-503-472-4634, the local police department or Juliette's House at 1-503-435-1550.
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