Pictured is Dr. Renee Funke, director of teacher education, coordinator of field placements and professor at Jamestown Community College. Funke encouraged the Jamestown community to take additional steps to prevent child abuse during her keynote speech.

A Jamestown Community College professor challenged the local community to pursue various strategies of child abuse prevention in order to address an issue that affects a significant portion of young children and teenagers.

Dr. Renee Funke, director of teacher education, coordinator of field placements and professor at JCC, provided a keynote speech at Wednesday’s Child Abuse Prevention Month event at City Hall. Having worked in the field of education for 23 years, Funke has had experience working with students of all ages, as well as working with teachers through professional development.

“It is an honor to be here to speak on a topic that is so critically important,” she said. “Child abuse is a serious public health problem and is one that can actually be prevented.”

According to statistics shared by Funke, one in 10 children will be sexually abused by the time they turn 18 years old. Funke said that Chautauqua County statistics indicate the number of children in the county abused before their 18th birthday would be enough to fill 41 buses. She added that seven out of eight child abuse cases remain unrecorded.

“Children are a very vulnerable population and we need to protect them,” she said. “Abuse can include physical, emotional, sexual abuse or neglect.”

Funke said many people and organizations working with children and child abuse prevention are beginning to focus on addressing adverse childhood experiences. She described adverse childhood experiences as “potentially traumatic experiences or events” that can happen to children at any point before the age of 17.

“Adverse childhood experiences can include instances of abuse, but in addition, can also include witnessing violence, family members attempting or dying by suicide or experiencing environments with substance abuse, mental health issues or instability in the home related to separations or household members being incarcerated,” she said.

Funke explained that adverse childhood experiences can have both immediate affects, such as physical and emotional challenges; however, she also shared that many adverse childhood experiences have long-term effects such as health problems. Some of these health problems include mental health issues, social development, physical development and cognitive development. Additionally, Funke said children and teenagers can experience feelings of worthlessness, difficulty regulating emotions, a lack of trust, as well as other relationship difficulties.

According to Funke, child abuse and neglect creates a “lifetime economic burden” of roughly $124 billion in the United States.

As a former teacher in the public school system, Funke experienced firsthand the difficulty of identifying child abuse problems and developing relationships with students facing a variety of challenges.

“Students came to me with many different experiences and difficulties,” she said. “Most of the time, if they were experiencing adverse childhood experiences, they were not visible, making it even more challenging to identify if there was a problem. Developing positive relationships with students was critical to making gains.”

While she said that she sometimes felt as if she was “trying to move a mountain” by herself, Funke said she realized over time that she could not solve child abuse problems on her own. Instead, she realized that she would need to be just one of many people “working to change the lives of my students.”

Although child abuse is a problem affecting a large number of children in the community, Funke said child abuse and neglect are both preventable. She shared that there are many strategies that can be implemented to prevent child abuse in the community.

“Prevention begins with awareness and identifying the signs,” she said. “Educating yourself and others can provide the needed support to prevent abuse in adverse experiences. Recognizing the signs and raising awareness can begin the process of change. Reporting suspected abuse can disrupt the cycle of abuse.”

Funke said it is “critical” to teach children that they are “special” and have “the right to remain safe” in order to reinforce confidence in children. By increasing a child’s confidence, Funke said a child is less likely to view themselves at fault in situations of abuse, which increases the likelihood a the offender being reported.

During her speech, Funke highlighted the theme of this year’s Pinwheels for Prevention, which is “Working Together to Strengthen Families. She stressed the importance of local governments, communities, families and individuals working together to effectively reduce child abuse and neglect. Funke said child abuse and neglect rates “typically decline” when communities support stronger family relationships.

“We are fortunate to have many community resources to support families in Chautauqua County and Western New York,” she said. “It is important that we actually take advantage of these resources and connect families with the appropriate supports. We need to use these resources to help make proactive, significant and lasting changes rather than relying on them as a reactive measure.”

Funke pointed to organizations such as the Child Advocacy Program and The Salvation Army Anew Center that offer trainings and educational programs in order to raise awareness and implement positive changes in the local community, rather than merely reacting in situations of child abuse. However, while Funke recognized the importance of child abuse prevention agencies, she said that strengthening families “goes beyond” local agencies.

“There are many simple things we can do at home to strengthen our families,” she said. “We can start by making eating a meal together and habit. Research has shown that families who eat together at least three times or more per week are usually healthier in many respects, including physical and mental health.”

Another family strengthening strategy Funke highlighted is families spending quality time together. Funke said this is a simple solution that does not even require additional funding; instead, families can simply be encouraged to engage in a family game night or a variety of other family activities.

“Integrating one on one conversations with each family member can also strengthen relationships,” she said. “These do not need to be scheduled and they can just be a few minutes to find out what is happening in the lives of your family members. Being involved and engaged in the interest of your family can deepen relationships. Taking the time to ask sincere questions and listening actively can help you develop stronger connections with them.”

Funke also emphasized the importance of families expressing love for one another every day, such as a hug before bed, complementing family members on their accomplishments and encouraging loved ones who are struggling. She added that it is “always important” to take joy in small, daily things and celebrate the success of family members.

Concluding her keynote speech, Funke explained the symbolism of the child abuse prevention pinwheel campaign and challenged the community to continue to work together.

“In 2008, the pinwheel was designated as the national symbol for child abuse since it is associated with childhood and playfulness,” she said. “As you see the many pinwheels on display throughout the community, let it serve as a reminder of the abuse that far too many children experience and in contrast the childhoods that we would actually like them to experience. Take some time to reflect on how you can be part of the solution and change lives. We need to work together towards creating a reality where all children have the opportunity to thrive.”