“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” - Marie Curie

If you’re interested in understanding the causes of childhood victimization and how child sexual abuse can be prevented from a public health perspective, there are many ways you can learn more.

Courses

Graduate students at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are encouraged to enroll in my fourth term course, Childhood Victimization: A Public Health Perspective (330.640). This course examines a wide variety of topics including sexual and physical abuse, peer and sibling assaults, witnessing domestic violence and verbal abuse and neglect. It will familiarize students with the epidemiology of childhood victimization by reviewing existing victim and perpetrator-focused interventions and exploring established emerging prevention strategies. We’ll review legal policies aimed at reducing childhood victimization, their strengths and weaknesses, and challenges to the notion that childhood victimization is, or can be, effectively addressed solely or primarily via criminal justice interventions.

Not a student? No problem. You can also take my Summer Institute class in June, where we’ll be covering many of the same topics as the graduate course, all in one day. Summer Institute courses are open to working professionals outside Johns Hopkins University as well as students.

Symposia

If you’d prefer a free option, be sure to attend our symposium on April 17. This all day event features speakers on the frontlines of child sexual abuse prevention research as well as Luke Malone, who covered the Moore Center in a This American Life story that drew international attention. This is event is free, however registration is required.

Social Media

You can also follow me on Twitter. I regularly link to articles that relate to our research here at the Moore Center and weigh in on policies and legislation. Be sure to bookmark our Moore Prevention News page and feel free to comment on any story I publish.

Registration is now open for our third annual symposium, Child Sexual Abuse: A Public Health Perspective. The event will take place Friday, April 17 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Special Guest Speaker

Journalist Luke Malone, who produced an award-winning radio story on young pedophiles for This American Life and a companion piece for Matter Magazine will be our special guest speaker. Malone has also written for outlets including The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, Salon, Vocativ and The Sydney Morning Herald. 

Who Should Attend This Event?

The goal of the symposium is to bring together a group of professionals in the field of child sexual abuse prevention to present findings from their research, discuss ways to improve our response to child sexual abuse and develop stronger prevention initiatives. Our audience can expect to walk away with a better understanding of the policies and science that affect our current understanding of child sexual abuse prevention as well as hear about the real life experiences of those living with an attraction to young children.  Anyone with an interest in preventing child sexual abuse, knowing how policies impact children and families and hearing the latest research to develop best-practice approaches to working with young adults attracted to children is encouraged to attend. Our audience is broad and includes clinicians, therapists, professors, researchers, social workers, educators, healthcare professionals, lawyers, policy makers, representatives from nonprofit organizations as well as students, the media and members of the general public.  

Get more details including where to park and lunch options here. This event is free and open to the public, however, registration is required.