In the past week, Pennsylvanians were shocked to learn that two public figures, Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez and state senator Mike Folmer, had been arrested on offenses related to the sexual exploitation of children. Vazquez is charged with statutory sexual assault of a minor, who he first met when she was just 13 years old. Folmer is charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography. For many people, these arrests were stunning, not just because of the hi

There is no guaranteed way to protect children from sexual abuse. It can happen to children of any race, socioeconomic background, culture, or religion. However, there are steps that we can all take to reduce the risk of children being sexually abused — starting with education. First, it is important to remember that if a child is sexually abused, the only person at fault is the abuser. Victims of sexual violence are never responsible for their own abuse! This post is mea

Across Western Pennsylvania, school is letting out for the summer this week, and many parents are taking advantage of this time to talk to their kids about what they want to do over their break. While scheduling fun is an important part of any summer plan, parents should consider another important aspect of their conversation with their kids: talking about sexual abuse. Many parents are uncomfortable with the idea of talking to their children about sex in any form. Yet fail

Recently our news (and social media feeds) have been consumed with one subject: the ability of transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice. At Blackburn Center, we fully support the right of transgender men and women to use whichever bathroom they are comfortable using. We affirm the right of each person to freely express their gender identity. Proponents of discriminatory bathroom laws, which mandate that people must use the public restroom that matches the sex

Last week, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office released a report on a grand jury investigation into child sexual abuse by Catholic priests and religious leaders. The report details decades of abuse and cover-ups by leaders in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese, with hundreds of children victimized. You can read the full report here. While the grand jury investigation into these crimes is ongoing, one of the most disturbing conclusions of this report is that no criminal c

At least once a week, we see a headline in the local or national news discussing the latest case of child sexual assault (or rape). Invariably, these articles will refer to the accused “having sex with” the minor. This sort of story is seen routinely in newspapers and online media across the country, from reports about Jared Fogle to local stories about teachers raping students. When media outlets use this phrase, they are implicitly calling into question whether the child

Last week, we learned that Josh Duggar (one of the stars of the television show 19 & Counting) had molested five young girls, including 4 of his sisters, when he was a teenager. The outrage and backlash was immediate, with Josh resigning from the Family Research Council and TLC suspending the show. But many people also leapt to the family’s defense, claiming that he was just a teenager and that it was a youthful error and he deserves forgiveness. Josh has admitted these al

If you’re a parent, chances are that you’ve wondered how to talk to your children about complicated topics like sexual abuse, dating violence, online safety and more. At Blackburn Center, we recognize that talking about these issues with your children can be challenging — and we are here to help! Through our school-based outreach programs, we educate thousands of school-aged children in Westmoreland County. These sessions cover a variety of topics, from bullying to harassme

For many victims of sexual assault, it may take years — or even decades — for them to fully come to grips with what they have experienced, and to acknowledge that they were sexually assaulted. This is also true for childhood victims of sexual assault, who may have not understood that what happened to them as children was abuse. Because it may take a number of years for a victim of sexual assault to come to terms with what has happened to her or him, we join our statewide orga