“I didn’t know where to turn,” Dakota’s mom told the investigator. “So, I shared my concerns with my priest. He listened carefully and without interrupting. When I was done, he told me he was glad I’d come to him and that he would support me. The priest told me we were both mandated reporters and sat with me to make the call to Department of Family Services.”

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April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Preventing child abuse and neglect is not the responsibility of a single agency or organization—it takes a community. When professionals, families, and community members work together, children are safer, families are stronger, and healing becomes possible.

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February is Teenage Dating Violence Awareness Month, a time for teenagers, parents, and the entire community to join together to learn the signs of dating violence, how to prevent it, how to get out of it if it does happen, and to raise awareness about this common issue.

What is teenage dating violence?

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What is Human Trafficking?

Human Trafficking can happen in any community and victims can be any race, range in age, and be any gender. Traffickers often use violence, manipulation, and false promises of jobs, money, or a romantic relationship on victims.

Human Trafficking is the use of force, fraud and coercion to obtain labor or commercial sex acts. Millions of men, women, and children are trafficking worldwide and in the United States.

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Grooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.

Children and young people who are groomed can be sexually abused, exploited or trafficked.

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