Register now for free for the symposium on child sexual abuse, human trafficking and exploitation | College of Medicine Rockford

Protecting Innocence: Symposium on Addressing Child Sexual Abuse, Trafficking and Exploitation 2024

The Medical Evaluation Response Initiative Team (MERIT) is hosting a free symposium for physicians, mental health clinicians, law enforcement officers, educators, social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, and nurses, along with students, residents, staff, and faculty from the College of Medicine Rockford. Community members and anyone who works with children are also invited to attend.

The symposium will take place on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the UIC Health Sciences Campus-Rockford, 1601 Parkview Ave. Registration is required.

The Medical Evaluation Response Initiative Team (MERIT) is hosting a free symposium for physicians, mental health clinicians, law enforcement officers, educators, social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, and nurses, along with students, residents, staff, and faculty from the College of Medicine Rockford. Community members and anyone who works with children are also invited to attend.

Learning objectives:

• Gain insight into the physical, emotional and psychological impact of child sexual abuse, sextortion and sex trafficking on victims and learn to recognise signs of possible victimisation.
• Gain knowledge to develop effective prevention strategies and interventions to protect children and adolescents from sexual exploitation, including legal frameworks and community responses.
• Explore ethical considerations in addressing child sexual abuse, sextortion, and sex trafficking and understand the importance of trauma-informed care and survivor-centered approaches in supporting victims.

Speakers:

Erin HappyMSW, founder of Erin’s Law, author and activist
A Voice for the Voiceless

Dana Milleremployee of the National Criminal Justice Training Center at Fox Valley Technical College, analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections
Self-generated content and sextortion awareness and prevention

Jennifer K.CacciapagliaJD, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office for Domestic and Community Violence Prevention
A coordinated community response to human trafficking

If you require special accommodations, please contact Monica Phillips at 815-395-5649 or [email protected].

PDHs are available to certified teachers through the Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education (ROE4).

CEUs available to social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, and nurses, offered by Rosecrance Behavioral Health.

This program is funded in part by the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board through the half-cent sales tax.