How can we stop sexual assault and harassment? Skills for teens and adults | Sexual Assault Prevention Resources

Lately, it seems that barely a week goes by that we don’t hear news of adults in positions of power or trust, accused or convicted of “sexual misconduct” in the workplace, domestic violence, sexually abusing young people in their care, and also about adult leaders who were told and ignored it. We believe that because […]

Stay Connected With Your Teen’s Electronic Worlds – In Memory of Audrie Pott, Age 15

15-year-old Audrie Potts from Saratoga, California, took her life after expressing her despair online about being sexually assaulted and cyberbullied. Her parents only found these messages when searching for reasons after her death. According to some estimates, teens spend half their lives online. These electronic worlds are too dangerous for our kids to live in without the knowledge and guidance of the adults who love them.

Too many times, adults don’t discover online messages about cyberbullying, parties with heavy drinking, or warning signs of despair or violence until after something terrible has happened, when the opportunity to take protective action is gone.

STOP THE BUS! Bullying of Older Bus Monitor Shows What Needs To Change

Watching the video of school bus monitor Karen Klein being cruelly bullied by four boys makes me want to stand up and shout, ‘STOP THE BUS!’ Parents and teachers need to teach kids how to recognize destructive behavior, resist peer pressure, speak up when they see someone acting unsafely, and get help. School staff, including bus monitors and playground supervisors, need training and support to stop kids from engaging in bullying of anyone in the moment.

Celebrate PRIDE Week Safely and with Confidence

Violence because of someone’s sexual orientation and identify is just as much of a hate crime as violence due to other forms of prejudice. Both during PRIDE Week and at other times, we encourage members of the LGBTQ community and their allies to be proud of who they are – and to keep these seven People Safety strategies from Kidpower.org in mind so they can celebrate with safety and confidence.

Walmart Kidnapping Video: Lessons in How to Prevent Kidnapping

The Walmart kidnapping video is a compelling reminder to parents about that an abduction attempt can take place in seconds even when you are close by. When a man attempted to kidnap seven-year-old Brittany in Walmart, her courage, fighting spirit, and instant reaction might well have saved her life, Lessons are to keep your security awareness in familiar places, teach children Stranger Safety skills, and prepare children to protect themselves from an attack.

Rape is Rape. Why Kidpower works to help ALL people be safe!

The FBI and the Department of Justice have finally expanded the definition of the crime of rape to include the sexual assaults of men, children and any adult who cannot give consent to sex. Though I hate the idea that anyone would experience this or any kind of violence in their lives, it is important to define it accurately in our statistics, so we can work more effectively to prevent this terrible crime.

Kidpower has been committed to teaching people of all ages and walks of life how to prevent and deter violence since 1989 and we hope this newly expanded definition at the highest levels will translate not just into expanded statistics, but also – and more important – into positive action to address and prevent rape at every level of society.