Search Posts
Every Child Deserves Safety: What We’re Learning About Preventing Sexual Abuse of Children with Disabilities
Children with disabilities encounter some of the highest risks of sexual abuse worldwide — yet they are often left out of prevention programs designed to protect children.
Our team at CHILD USA recently completed a global overview of efforts over the past 15 years to prevent child sexual abuse (CSA) among children with disabilities (CwD). What we discovered was both hopeful and concerning: the field is growing, but inclusion and sustainability still face obstacles. This isn’t a published study yet; it’s an ongoing research project, part of a larger conversation about how to build truly inclusive prevention systems. But the evidence we’ve gathered already provides a clear picture of where the world currently stands and where it needs to go from here.
Conversational AI, Minors, and the Law: From Grief to Governance
On September 29, 2025, OpenAI announced the rollout of new parental controls for ChatGPT amid mounting legal and public scrutiny over the safety of conversational AI for minors. The feature allows parents to link their accounts to those of teenagers aged 13 to 17, automatically activating stronger filters that block sexual or romantic roleplay, screen sensitive content, down-rank extreme imagery, and disable high-risk functions such as voice and image generation or the use of conversations in model training.
Parenting and the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: The Critical Role of Caregivers
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a deeply sensitive subject, one that no caregiver wants to imagine affecting their family. However, it’s a reality that demands urgent attention and proactive involvement from caregivers to protect children. While institutions contribute to organized prevention efforts, caregivers are the first line of defense. Through intentional communication, teaching body autonomy, and fostering emotional resilience, they are uniquely positioned to empower children and equip them with the tools needed to keep themselves safe.
In this blog post, we’ll examine how caregivers can actively help prevent CSA. By focusing on age-appropriate education and building open, trusting relationships with their children, they can create a safer environment where children can thrive and grow.
Then and Now…
By Brian O’Leary “Ex-Saugerties High wrestling coach charged with 18 counts of rape.” I woke up the other day with a text from a friend who highlighted an article in the local newspaper which had the above headline. The school had hired a 30-year-old man to teach the girls wrestling. No...
When Justice Is Denied: How Maryland’s Charitable Immunity Law Blocks Survivors of Clergy Abuse
Marci A. Hamilton, Founder & CVO, CHILD USARobert K. Jenner, Jenner Law, P.C. On July 21, 2025, a Maryland court ruled that an adult survivor of horrific childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest could not sue the Archdiocese of Washington, DC. The court cited a legal defense...
AND THE BEAT GOES ON in the Catholic ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO
By Tim Stier The Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is in the midst of federal bankruptcy negotiations with over five hundred alleged sexual abuse victims. A primary motivation of Archbishop Cordileone for choosing bankruptcy over civil trials is to hide the perverse behavior of priests and to...
Maine Supreme Court Blocks Justice for Survivors, Strikes Down Revival Window
In 2021, the Maine State Legislature passed a landmark law creating a permanent revival window for previously expired child sex abuse (CSA), child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and trafficking claims. This law removed procedural barriers that had long prevented survivors from seeking justice...
Landmark Rulings in North Carolina and Maryland Affirm Access to Justice for Survivors
Last week, I wrote about the deeply disappointing decision from the Maine Supreme Court striking down the state’s revival window for child sex abuse (CSA) claims. Since then, the Arkansas Court of Appeals also ruled that their 2021 revival window could not be applied to revive claims against...
Watching the Clock in California
Leslie C. Griffin* Do you remember Roman Polanski? Polanski, now 91 years old, is a famous movie director and actor, known, especially, for directing the films Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown. He left the United States for France in 1978, after he pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl,...