Child Sexual Abuse                                                                                           

The Child Sexual Abuse spoke is focused on dramatically decreasing the incidents of child sexual abuse in the state of Utah, as well as supporting those who have survived such abuse no matter their current age. The statistics tell us that thousands of Utah children—approximately 1 in 7—are sexually abused each year. Freeing individuals and society from child sexual abuse and its lasting impacts is one of the most important efforts that Utahns need to embrace to ensure residents experience safety and security—a basic human right. Spoke leaders and affiliates believe that working together, we can protect Utah’s most valuable resource—its children. To learn more, listen to the spoke leaders discuss the work on this 15-minute podcast.

Spoke Leaders

Bold Vision & Goals

To make Utah a place where more girls and women can thrive, the Child Sexual Abuse spoke leaders and partners have crafted the vision and goals below. Spoke leadership and UWLP team members are currently working to collect baseline data that will assist in adding numbers to the changes we want to see by 2026 and 2030.

Vision: To significantly reduce child sexual abuse in the state of Utah. 

Goals: 

1. Increase the number of Utahns that know where to find resources to prevent child sexual abuse. [Metric]
2. Change Utahns’ agreement (understanding and perceptions) in the following areas: [Metric Dashboard]
   1. In your immediate community (e.g., neighborhood, family, faith, club, business), child sexual abuse is a problem. [Increase agreement by 15% by 2026 and 30% by 2030]
   2. Child sexual abuse is preventable. [Increase agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
   3. Child sexual abuse is more prevalent in Utah than the national average. [Increase agreement by 10% by 2026 and 20% by 2030]
   4. The majority (more than 50%) of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by another minor or peer. [Increase agreement by 15% by 2026 and 30% by 2030]
3. Increase the percentage of Utahns who understand that healthy relationships can mitigate the negative impacts of child sexual abuse. [Metric Forthcoming]
4. Increase the percentage of Utahns who understand the potential long-term negative effects of child sexual abuse. [Metric Forthcoming]
5. Pass public policies that are aligned with best practices and research shown to reduce child sexual abuse. [Metric Forthcoming]
6. Increase scholarly research, including longitudinal, around child sexual abuse in Utah by partnering with researchers to conduct at least two academically rigorous comprehensive studies. [Metric Forthcoming]

Thriving Statement: Women and girls thrive when they have autonomy over their bodies and do not experience any type of child sexual abuse.

Partners

Working Group Leaders

• Events: Karen Brown (Senior Director of Outreach, Saprea)
• Grassroots Awareness: Rotating lead
• Grassroots Policy: TBD
• Human Resources: Elisa Garn (Enterprise Solutions Architect – People, Talent & Culture, SHRM)
• Marketing: Beth Thompson (Director of Communications, Malouf)
• Research & Data: TBD