April is Child Abuse Prevention Month; Churches Need to Take Action

Contact: Sandra Hoekstra-Lower, Christianity Today, 630-260-6200 ext 4224, shoekstralower@christianitytoday.com 

CAROL STREAM, Ill., April 26, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- April is Child Abuse Prevention month, and we are reminded of the many children who have suffered from abuse. Churches should be the safest place on earth, yet even last year, according to church legal expert Richard Hammar, more than 12 percent of all church-related lawsuits involved the sexual abuse of a minor. Forty-one percent of churches surveyed by Christianity Today admitted they do not have child sexual abuse prevention training for their staff and volunteers.

The good news is the risk of an incident occurring can be decreased when a church implements an abuse prevention program like Reducing the Risk. Created by Richard Hammar, Reducing the Risk is a turn-key video training program designed to keep children in your ministry safe from sexual abuse. With just a half day of training, church ministry workers learn how to screen and select workers, implement solid supervision policies, and respond to allegations.

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