Penn State Coverage

At The Parent Child Center, we are saddened and outraged to hear of the alleged child sexual abuse reports at Penn State University. Our mission is to prevent child abuse and neglect. In Oklahoma, it is the law to report suspected child abuse.

Every person in Oklahoma who has reason to believe that a child under 18 has been abused or neglected or is in danger of being abused or neglected is required by law to promptly make a report. Failure to report child abuse is a misdemeanor offense. A person who reports suspected abuse in “good faith” is immune from criminal and civil liability.

To report, call your local Department of Human Services or the Oklahoma Child Abuse Hotline 1 800 522-3511

If the child is in imminent danger, contact 911 or local law enforcement.

In the coming days we will be releasing a set of videos addressing child sexual abuse and how to report it. Stay Tuned.

Please help The Parent Child Center in our efforts to stop child abuse and neglect in Oklahoma.

Update 11/16/11 9:51am:

A message on Penn State from Desiree Doherty, PCCT Executive Director

What went wrong at Penn State that allowed a crime against children to somehow go unnoticed, then under-reported, then uninvestigated until now? Those who knew something at any time and did not stop it failed in their moral responsibility and betrayed the victims just as surely as the person who physically assaulted them.

If you know a child has been harmed, do the maximum you can to stop it, not the minimum!

Confront it immediately. Don’t ignore it. Don’t wait to see what will happen next.
Report it immediately. Go up and go out to all relevant authorities, through all possible channels, including alerting the public entities charged with protecting children, i.e. child welfare and law enforcement.
Follow up immediately. Ask what is being done. Persist in demanding action. Don’t allow others to ignore it.

One of the simple principles we teach children in our Kids on the Block puppet program applies in the adult world as well. When something wrong is happening, tell someone, and keep telling until someone believes you and does something to help.

I pray the ensuing investigation and prosecution is handled in a way that will bring a sense of justice to the children, now teens and young adults. I hope the young people involved, and their families, will be courageous and, if they have not done so already, will seek support through counseling to heal from trauma they have experienced.

-Desiree Doherty, Executive Director, The Parent Child Center of Tulsa

Update: 11/16/11 2:59pm:

A video on child sexual abuse and the Penn State scandal from Dr. Stacey Leakey, PCCT’s Children’s Treatment Manager

Child Sexual Abuse Information from Parent Child Center on Vimeo.

Update: 11/16/11 4:01pm: Here are some additional resources you may find useful.

From Psychology Today: How and When to Talk to Your Child About Sexual Abuse

From ABC News:Talking To Your Kids About Sexual Abuse. Author of “My Body Belongs to Me” discusses how to teach your kids about abuse.

Update 11/17/11 9:36am

Last night KTUL Channel 8 had a story on the local fallout from the Penn State Scandal featuring our Executive Director, Desiree Doherty. Here’s the video…

Update 11/17/11 1:28pm

Here is a new video from our Dr. Stacey Leakey on how to report child abuse:

Online Resources:
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network on Child Sexual Abuse

Penn State Coverage

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