New Scholarship Marks 2010 World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 19, 2010

UK childhood research centre teams up with US abuse prevention agency

Huddersfield, UK and Northampton, Mass., USA – (November 19, 2010) – In recognition of World Day for Child Abuse Prevention, which takes place on 19 November, the University of Huddersfield together with Stop It Now!®(USA) launch a new (fee-waiver) PhD Scholarship for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse.

The scholarship is one of several activities designed to strengthen child abuse prevention efforts worldwide and arises out of a unique partnership between Stop It Now! and the Centre for Applied Childhood Studies (CACS) at the University of Huddersfield.

Founded in 1992, Stop It Now! (http://www.StopItNow.org), based in Massachusetts, USA, is an innovator in the field of child sexual abuse prevention, public health programming with adults and communities.

The partnership, underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations, includes collaboration on research and practice, and has already resulted in education and outreach to practitioners.

For example, a Stop It Now! webcast on 7 December will feature CACS Research Fellow, Dr. Dominic Pasura, discussing the implications of differing cultural conceptions of childhood and its implications for child protection and abuse prevention practice.

During her visit to Stop It Now! in August, Professor Adele Jones delivered a three-part webcast hosted by Stop It Now! to present key findings from her study of child sexual abuse in the Eastern Caribbean.

‘While we often hear the words “children are our future”, the reality is that the needs of children and those who care for them loom large. By stepping up with this scholarship, the University of Huddersfield is according child sexual abuse prevention a level of support in keeping with the severity of this social problem,’ said Stop It Now! Executive Director, Deborah Donovan Rice.

Dean Susan Bernhauser of the School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield commented: ‘The University of Huddersfield is delighted to be in partnership with Stop It Now! in supporting this PhD scholarship. It is anonymity every day attracts more and more visitors to itself due to this.  We are proud of our work in this important area which makes such a difference to the lives of our most valuable and vulnerable citizens. Child abuse is a global issue and we believe this work will contribute to its prevention.’