Episode Details

Child exploitation is an incredibly sensitive and difficult topic. It is vital to understand what resources are available to help the victims find healing.

Today's guest is Dr. Deaneè Johnson. Dr. Johnson has been a key player in advancing the victim services field at the federal, state, and local levels for over twenty years. As an OVC Fellow, she has assisted with collaborating with the DOJ to identify a range of child exploitation programs available nationwide, illuminating the best practices. She was most recently the chief program officer at the National Center for Victims of Crime before building her own consulting business Ascent Connection and Consulting Solutions. She also serves on the National Steering Committee for the Vision 21 Linking Systems of Care for Children and Youth, the Advisory Board for Preparedness Without Paranoia, and the Charles County Board of Education Safety in Maryland.

If you know or suspect child exploitation, sexual abuse, or any other kind of child victimization, contact the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. If you are looking for more resources as a victim of past child abuse, call Victim Connect at (855) 484-2846.

Show Notes:

• [1:39] - Dr. Johnson began her interest in this field of child exploitation in 1999 as a volunteer mentor. During her undergrad courses, she was focused on child abuse.
• [2:27] - After Dr. Johnson received her degree in Criminal Justice, she started her Master's in Counseling. She counseled adolescent youth that were victim of sexual abuse.
• [3:15] - Through her experience in counseling, Dr. Johnson felt that something was stirred inside her and she no longer felt that counseling was the direction she should take.
• [4:13] - Deaneè was given the opportunity to build a forensic interviewing program in a rural community in Texas. She got her masters and transferred her focus to forensic interviewing but still didn't understand her drive.
• [5:19] - She put all her energy and education towards the children who were victimized sexually.
• [6:28] - Throughout her experiences, Deaneè had a memory pop up and realized that she did not have memories from her childhood other than images from photos. She had been a victim of sexual abuse.
• [7:49] - Deaneè decided to go for her doctorate in Child Development with the drive to apply it to child victimization.
• [9:13] - Any child can be a victim. No statistic is going to be solid because it is such an unreported crime.
• [10:34] - 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized before their 18th birthday.
• [11:03] - There is no specific population or demographic that has higher rates of victimization than others.
• [12:00] - There are ways to minimize the likelihood of child exploitation but Dr. Johnson does not like to use the word prevention.
• [13:23] - Dr. Johnson is a chairperson on the Advisory Board of Preparedness Without Paranoia. She explains the education they provide.
• [14:55] - We're really uncomfortable talking about sex with kids in general and now add on talking about unwanted sex. That discomfort will show to our kids.
• [16:00] - If a child goes to their parents with a disclosure, we want to make sure the child knows that what they have to say is important and that keeps communication open.
• [17:27] - Believe the child who discloses. Whether or not the child is telling the truth is not the job of the parent at that moment. The job is to listen to your child and be there for them.
• [18:30] - If a child has been victimized once, it increases their likelihood of being victimized again. They need to have someone they can talk to about it.
• [19:50] - There are two different types of disclosures: active and non-active or accidental.
• [21:49] - Disclosure will vary child by child.
• [23:14] - Victimization fro