LDS Young Women’s Leader, Child Abuse Prevention Advocates Meet In Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 28, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Child abuse should never happen, but if it does, help should be available.

So said Bonnie L. Oscarson, general president of the Young Women’s organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“We feel very strongly about this issue, and have tried to put resources in place that will address the needs of children who find themselves victim to (abuse),” said Oscarson, whose group oversees more than a half a million teenage girls, ages 12 to 17, around the world.

When abuse does happen, she said, “… we hope we can provide the resources to help children heal,” Oscarson said, according to information released by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Oscarson said the Church has put resources in place to help children who have been abused, including a 24-hour hotline that can put leaders in touch with a counselor. Safeguards have also been put in place in the Church’s youth programs, including a requirement to have two leaders present during activities, she said.

Oscarson met with Child Abuse Prevention authorities on Thursday in the LDS Church’s Relief Society Building.

She presented a $100,000 donation to Teresa Huizar, executive director of the National Children’s Alliance, the national association and accrediting body for children’s advocacy centers, and a $25,000 check from the Church to Susanne Mitchell, director of the Children’s Justice Centers in Salt Lake County.

The money will be used to help families heal from abuse at children’s advocacy centers in the U.S. and at more than 20 centers in Utah.

“One of the things that we’ve been heavily focused on the last few years is ensuring the children are getting the mental health treatment they need to heal,” said Huizar. “The good news is that kids can recover from abuse.”

There are nearly 800 children’s advocacy centers in the U.S. Utah opened its first center in 1991 in Salt Lake County. Currently ,22 locations statewide assist 5,500 child victims every year.

The Salt Lake County Children’s Justice Center is administered by the district attorney. The program provides assistance with investigations involving sexual abuse, physical abuse, child homicide, domestic violence-related child abuse, abductions and shaken baby syndrome.