Protecting the young

By Mark Hughes

pre-kindergarteners through second grade and is part of a sexual abuse prevention activity mandated by law

through fifth grade. Stout provides similar instruction through the eighth grade.

Phoenix Staff Writer

Shelly Stout has made it a mission to educate children on how to prevent sexual abuse and how to respond should they become a target.

Stout, who is with Kids’ Space Child Advocacy Center, instructs pre-kindergarten through eighth grades. In grades pre-kindergarten through second grade, Stout uses two dolls, Joe and Suzie, to show the gender-mixed classroom where others can and can’t touch them.

“Anything a two-piece bathing suit covers up we consider a private area,” Stout said of Suzie.

The same goes for Joe in his bathing suit.

She teaches the kids a threestep process and uses hand signals to reinforce her message. Step 1 is “say no” as she waggles her index finger back and forth. Step 2 is to “get away,” and she curls her last two fingers and thumb underneath and uses a walking motion with the remaining two.

Finally, “tell a trusted adult,” which can be a parent, teacher or someone at church. “And if they don’t believe you, keep telling someone,” Stout said.

Stout has instructed 2,700 school children since the program began in March 2015. She said that HB1684, known as Erin’s Law, requires that every child in kindergarten through fifth grade be taught child abuse prevention.

Of the 2,700 children reached, 80 informed a trusted adult about possible sexual abuse and 62 of the children were confirmed child abuse victims, according to data provided by Kids’ Space. All 62 children were provided services through the organization.

Stout tells the younger students “it’s not just the big, bad stranger” that may want to sexually abuse them.

“About 90 percent of sexual offenders kids know,” said Hilary McQueen, executive director of Kids’ Space.

(See YOUNG, 8A)

Shelly Stout, who works at Kids’ Space Child Advocacy Center, uses the doll Suzie to demonstrate that anything covered by the two-piece bathing suit is a private part of the child’s body. For boys, she uses a doll

named Joe, outfitted in a bathing suit, to demonstrate the same thing. This type of instruction is oriented to

Staff photo by Mark Hughes

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Prior to taking on this position, Stout was an elementary school teacher. Since working with this program, she realizes “that some kids slipped through my fingers — I didn’t recognize what they were telling me.”

McQueen said it’s important for sexually abused youth to recognize that they have been abused and then learn healthier coping skills.

“They think they have a target on their back, but what they don’t realize is that very likely their peers at school have been through something similar and they’re not alone,” she said.

The program goes through eighth grade, but McQueen said if high schools need their help, they just have to call.

“We have teen support groups for ages 14 to 17 who are victims of sexual abuse,” she said.

Reach Mark Hughes at (918) 684-2908 or mhughes@ muskogee phoenix.com.