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Mentoring Programs Aid Children Who Suffered From Child Abuse

Every year, millions of children are taken by child protective agencies after being
identified as a victim of child abuse. In most cases, the abused child is removed from his unsafe
home and placed into foster care. The damaging effects of abuse, however, negatively impact the
child indefinitely. Mentoring programs prove to be one of the most effective ways to help
children who suffer from these travesties. Therapeutic mentoring programs have been in
existence since 1992, introduced by Wesley Chip Rich with the YMCA of San Francisco
(Rich). Later, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention provided funding in
2009 which allowed the San Francisco organization to grow into a national YMCA mentoring
program and expand to additional YMCAs throughout the country. In 2013, the YMCA
partnered with Y USA and received funding to expand the mentoring program to 38 additional
states (Rich). The program was designed to match mentors with youth, ages 6-17, who suffered
from child abuse. A mentor's main responsibility is to provide encouragement to the mentee,
helping him realize his own self-worth. Mentoring programs, designed to aid children who
suffered a form of abuse, can reshape a child's future.
Mentors from any organization need to understand the different types of child abuse and
the long lasting impacts they have on children. Physical abuse is the most prevalent form of child
abuse in the United States (OMeara and Fedderson). It is easily defined as any physical act or
physical threat meant to harm another human (Tracy). Children who undergo physical abuse can
be seen with marks from the abuser, however, visible bruises do not have to appear in order for it
to be marked as physical abuse. In physical abuse cases, the childs physical health depends on
the severity of the abuse. For example, a less severe case would be if a child was pinched by

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another person as opposed to being pushed down the stairs. Both cases count as physical abuse,
but one creates more harm on a victim than the other (Tracy). More examples of physical abuse
include punching, hair-pulling, and kicking. In basic terminology, physical abuse is any action
that leaves behind a mark on a victim and/or puts physical harm on an individual.
Sexual abuse, another type of physical abuse, has its own category and is defined as the
unwanted sexual activity inflicted on a victim. Sexual abuse can vary as it can simply be when a
child observes inappropriate sexual activity or interactions, such as intercourse (Tracy). An
example of sexual abuse is the taking advantage of a childs vulnerability by performing sexual
activities in front of them or with them. All too often, people worry about sex abusers as those
outside of ones home, but more often the predator lives in the home. If a child becomes anxious
while at a particular relative's house, adults should take notice (Tracy). Sexual abuse is
unacceptable, especially knowing the truth that almost three out of four rapes of children were
committed by someone the victim knew well (Gerson).
In an effort to build a safer community, the YMCA published an image to show the
number of children who are sexually abused each year. Figure 1 showcases the horror of sexual
abuse and the disturbing facts concerning the offenders who inflicted the trauma onto the victim.
Sexual abuse causes lasting damage when inflicted on a child, and this trauma can affect a child
into his adulthood. Mentoring programs help children realize that past events do not define their
identity and life can improve with the right mentality.

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Figure 1: Ballen, LeQuandra, and Meredith Stewart. Darkness to Light D2L. Darkness to Light
D2L | YMCA, WakeMed Community Health Partner, 2016,
www.ymcatriangle.org/programs-services/community-support/darkness-light-d2l.
The last broad category of abuse psychological abuse, otherwise known as emotional
abuse. It is considered more damaging than physical abuse. The impact psychological abuse
leaves on a child, on some level lasts forever and is often difficult to recognize in an individual.
Verbal abuse is a strand of psychological abuse classified as when an abuser uses words and
body language with the intent to harm child (Mazarin). This abuse may include humiliation, for
instance, in a classroom a student may have misunderstood instructions. In response, the teacher
highlights his mistake publicly and insultingly, degrading the childs sense of confidence and
causing psychological damage (LaBier). Psychological abuse also negatively impacts a child
especially when parents continue to favor one child over another. This abuse consists of multiple
forms which are often difficult to identify. The first form is indifference which is the childs

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needs or temperament, which may be different from their siblings. An example would be with a
parent or guardian who only acknowledges the presence of one child, and disregards the other.
Parents who continue to generate a feeling of imbalance and even emotional neglect toward a
child, create emotional damage that often emerges during adolescence. Although, the
psychological abuse mainly occurs by parents of the child, it can also come from people in the
childs community, children at school, and/or even from online communication (LaBier).
Overall, psychological abuse includes yelling, shaming, verbal and nonverbal threats,
humiliation, name-calling, and unreasonable criticisms. This type of abuse requires the most
attention by mentors due to the long lasting impact on children.
Mentoring programs were established to help provide support to those children who
endured any type of abuse. The Reach and Rise program at the YMCA has been around for
decades and provides the encouragement children need in order to be successful in life.
Becoming a mentor, however, requires a heavy commitment to the program as well as to the
mentee (Rich). Background checks are required before a person is allowed to enroll in mentoring
programs. In addition, a mentor has a responsibility to meet with his mentee for a minimum of
twelve months. The time spent together is to develop a relationship between one another and
communicate face to face. Furthermore, a mentor has to abide by all the rules and regulations set
before them to insure the safety of the mentee (Rich). There are many rules set forth by the
program, but the main obligation of the mentor is to be properly trained in understanding the
signs of abuse a child may display during their sessions.
Physical, sexual, or psychological abuse steals a child's fundamental sense of identity and
mentors are trained to be aware of this loss. Abuse during childhood and adolescence creates

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disturbances leading to lifelong problems that all too often involve fear and rage. Neglect and
psychological abuse are by the far the worst for children to experience. Children oftentimes have
difficulty expressing feelings after an abusive situation, yet sadly, childs identity suffers damage
and he develops new perspectives about himself, the world, and life in general. To help with
these circumstances, mentors must be aware or potential effects including anxiety, self-injury or
depression can develop in a child as a result of abuse and trauma. Mentors who understand the
outcomes can provide comfort and help motivate the mentee during the recovery process.
As mentors have an enormous responsibility to protect and guide their mentees through
their problems, they must receive special training, but also recognize they are not trained
therapists. If a mentee displays signs of trauma, it is the mentor's responsibility to find an
appropriate advocate who will arrange for a response to the mentees needs. Instead a mentor can
serve as an anchor and a refuge for a traumatized mentee. Trauma of any kind can oftentimes
leave the mentee feeling alone and isolated. One of the mentors job during the program is to
convince his mentee that the mentee deserves love. This sense of worth is created when the
mentor develops a trusting relationship with his mentee and helps him realize his fullest potential
(Fighting Back Mentor). In a typical mentor program, children are paired with a trained mentor
in order to cultivate a relationship that will spark a positive change in the mentee. Mentoring
programs are found to be rewarding in benefitting mentees who yearn for unconditional care.
Mentoring programs in the United States are designed to aid children, however, in some
cases, children are yet again mistreated by their assigned mentor. Lawsuits occur on occasion, to
the poor treatment of mentors against their mentee. One case involves 33 year old, Cristan James
Rooms, who is currently, serving a 30-year state prison sentence after pleading no contest last

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year to 12 counts of child sexual assault (Keene). The mentoring organization in which Rooms
was a part of, was aware of the overnight trips and visits he made to his 13 year-old Solano
County mentee. Rooms, now faces 90 child-molestation charges, because he spent excessive
amounts of time and had inappropriate contact with another child (Keene). The relationship
started with the two playing computer and board games in a school classroom, where Rooms
worked at as a computer technician. Rooms was convicted for masturbating, diapering and
showering with the boy on dozens of occasions (Keene). Soon after, four other boys came
forward claiming Rooms had molested them as well during their mentoring sessions. After this
incident, the mentoring program more carefully monitored the red flags or warning signs that a
mentor was unqualified.
Mentoring programs now have many rules and regulations for mentors to abide by in
order to ensure that their mentee is provided with the appropriate care needed in the recovery
process. There are multiple community-based after-school programs where youths can safely
express themselves and receive guidance in engaging in social and community services
(Rodriguez-Planas). In these programs, mentors help to rebuild and construct a mentees social
skills. In addition, mentoring programs seek to build strong, positive relationships between
at-risk youth and mentors. Mentees begin to develop self-esteem, motivation, tenacity,
trustworthiness, perseverance, and resiliency, among other noncognitive skills. Additionally,
programs help to reduce personal, family, and social barriers that prevent young people from
valuing school and succeeding academically (Rodriguez-Planas). Statistically, children who have
a mentor tend to improve in school than children who are left on their own (Rodriguez-Planas).

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Overall, children who have a mentor or support group improve in every aspect of their young
life.
Children inspired by a mentor tend to improve their social skills as well as their academic
integrity through the proper care provided by a mentor. Numerous children suffer many different
variations of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Child abuse continues to plague
America and action is necessary to stop the harmful abusers/predators. A report of child abuse
is made every 10 seconds and to eliminate such a disturbing fact, society needs to ensure
children receive the appropriate care from their caregivers (Rodriguez-Planas). Mentoring
programs are beneficial to a child who has suffered a form of abuse because it gives him the
opportunity to open up in a close-knit environment. There he has the knowledge that a person
cares for him and will encourage him to grow and improve. That person is a mentor.

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Works Cited
"Fighting Back Mentor Program Resource Center - Trauma and Healing." Fighting Back Mentor
Program Resource Center - Home, Mentor Research Center, 2013,
mentor-center.org/trauma-and-healing/.
Gerson, Philip M. Child Sexual Abuse Statistics. Child Sexual Abuse Statistics, The National
Center For Victims of Crime, 2012,
victimsofcrime.org/media/reporting-on-child-sexual-abuse/child-sexual-abuse-statistics
Keene, Lauren. Lawsuit alleges mentoring program ignored 'Red-Flag' warnings. Davis
Enterprise, 2015, www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/crime-fire-courts/lawsuit-allegesmentoring-program-ignored-red-flag-warnings/.
LaBier, Douglas. "Childhood Psychological Abuse Has Long-Lasting Impact | Huffington
Post."The Huffington Post, The Huffington Post - The Blog, 14 Feb. 2015,
www.huffingtonpost.com/douglas-labier/childhood-psychological-a_b_6301538.html.
Mazarin, Jade. "Child Abuse and Neglect: 4 Major Types, Characteristics & Effects - Video
& Lesson Transcript." Study.com, Counseling 101: Fundamentals of Counseling / Social
Science Courses, 2016, study.com/academy/lesson/child-abuse-and-neglect-4-major
-types-characteristics-effects.html.
O'Meara, Sara, and Yvonne Fedderson. "Child Abuse Statistics." Childhelp, Prevention and
Treatment of Child Abuse, 2014, www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/#physical.
Rich, Wesley Chip. Reach and Rise Mentoring Manual: A Mentoring Program of the YMCA.
The YMCA, 2013.

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Rodriguez-Planas, Nuria. "Do youth mentoring programs change the perspectives and
improve the life opportunities of at-risk youth?" IZA World of Labor - Home, May 2014,
wol.iza.org/articles/do-youth-mentoring-programs-change-the-perspectives-andimprove-the-life-opportunities-of-at-risk-youth.pdf.
Stewart, Herman. Does Every Child Need a Mentor? Pulse, Linkedin, 14 Mar. 2015,
www.linkedin.com/pulse/does-every-child-need-mentor-herman-stewart.
Tracy, Natasha. "Types of Abuse: What Are the Different Forms of Abuse?" HealthyPlace,
HealthyPlace America's Mental Health Channel, 18 July 2016,
www.healthyplace.com/abuse/abuse-information/types-of-abuse-what-are-the-different
-forms-of-abuse/.