Senator Flanagan Hosts Sexual Abuse Prevention Seminar In Stony Brook

In an effort to help parents protect their children, Senator John J. Flanagan (2nd Senate District) recently joined with Parents for Megan’s Law to host a sexual abuse prevention seminar at Murphy Junior High School in Stony Brook. The Apple of My Eye program, which is based on the work of Parents for Megan's Law Executive Director Laura Ahearn, provided those in attendance with tips to enable them to teach their children how to avoid sexual predators.

Kerry Murphy, educator for Parents for Megan's Law, presented the parents with safety rules children should be taught, the red flags to look for to detect inappropriate behavior, the various traps sexual predators use to access children and the physical and behavioral signs of sexual abuse.

"Preventing child sexual abuse requires that we take a comprehensive approach that includes enacting strong laws and educating parents and children about what they can do to protect themselves from sexual predators," said Executive Director Ahearn. "Senator Flanagan’s commitment to child protection is demonstrated not only by his legislative successes but also by the proactive role he takes in coordinating safety forums such as these."

Senator Flanagan has worked with Parents for Megan's Law in the past to fight sexual abuse. In January, they worked together to gain passage of lifetime registration for sexual predators.
Due to that successful fight, offenders who are ranked as level two or level three offenders will now be required to register on the Megan’s Law registry for life. Level one offenders will be required to register for twenty years. This change stopped over 3,500 offenders from dropping off the registry by the end of this year.

Parents For Megan's Law is a not-for-profit national community and victim's rights organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of childhood sexual abuse. The group provides education, advocacy, counseling, policy and legislative support services.

"As the most important line of defense, parents must be supplied with the most up-to-date information to protect their children. I am grateful to Parents for Megan's Law for all the work they do throughout our state and truly appreciative of their efforts tonight. The job of fighting sexual abuse is one we all share and tonight's meeting was a great example of the community coming one we must work together to accomplish by strengthening our laws and joining together to learn," stated Senator Flanagan.

To learn more about Parents for Megan’s Law, please click here.