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Matt Sandusky Takes New Approach to Child Sex Abuse Prevention

Matt Sandusky, the adopted son of Jerry Sandusky, made a new step to curtail child sex abuse earlier this week. Sandusky’s sexual abuse awareness organization, the Peaceful Heart Foundation, partnered with Darkness to Light, a non-profit organization founded in 2000 that provides individuals, organizations, and communities with the tools to prevent children from sexual abuse.

The mission of the Peaceful Hearts Foundation is to “enhance public awareness and education about childhood sexual abuse, provide resources for survivors and families, promote stricter laws, regulations and mandatory penalties for abusers and establishments that turn a blind eye, and support a greater commitment to prevention, intervention and accountability.” Darkness to Light aims to teach adults on how to recognize, react, and prevent children from falling victim to child sex abuse. It believes adults are equipped with the necessary emotional and intellectual tools to combat child sex abuse.

According to the Huffington Post, “The goal of the partnership is to raise the profile of child sexual abuse, encourage victims to come forward and train adults on how to spot abuse.”

Darkness to Light points out that nearly 500,000 children born in the United States each year will be sexually abused before they turn 18. Unfortunately, three-quarters of those children will keep it a secret from others. Matt Sandusky alleged that Jerry abused him after initially supporting his father during his trial. He later got a settlement from Penn State.

The new partnership hopes to encourage Congress to pass a law requiring all schools to educate children from a young age about what sexual abuse is. Therefore, young kids will be able to identify it and have the words to communicate it when it happens to them.

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About the Author

Jon Deasy

is a senior majoring in criminology from the Steel City. You can find him at the Rathskeller on a Saturday or in the library at four in the morning. He plans to attend law school in the future and enjoys writing about college kids committing the most comical crimes in State College. When he’s not busy, he’s aimlessly staring at his Twitter, @jon_deasy. You can reach him via email at [email protected].

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