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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 the most effective way to help children who
suffer from these travesties. Therapeutic mentoring programs have been in effect 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
organization grow into a national YMCA mentoring program and expand to additional
associations throughout the country. In 2013, the YMCA partnered with Y USA and received
funding to expand 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
another person as opposed to being pushed down the stairs. Both cases count as physical abuse,

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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, as its own category 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. A common misconception of sexual offenders is they are
often thought to be unknown to the victim, however, the truth is that the sexual offender more
often is a family member or someone with whom the victim is familiar. The victims relatives
should pay close attention if the victim becomes anxious while at a particular relative's house
(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 at a young age and can last into the
childs 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 is emotional abuse, otherwise known as psychological
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 another child (Mazarin). This may include humiliation,
which deals with a failed task or misunderstood instructions that a child faces. For instance, in a
classroom a student may have misunderstood instructions. In response, the teacher calls him out
for his mistake degrading the childs sense of confidence and causing emotional damage
(LaBier). Emotional abuse often negatively impact a child especially when parents continue to
favor one child over another. Psychological abuse consists of multiple forms which are often

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difficult to identify. The first form is indifference which is the childs 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 individual, and disregards the other. Parents who
continue to create a feeling of imbalance and even emotional neglect toward a child, create
emotional damage that often emerges during adolescence. Although, the emotional 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. 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.

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Physical, sexual, or psychological abuse steals a child's fundamental sense of identity

through various forms. Abuse during adolescence creates 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 that can be displayed by 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
individual 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.

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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 are taken to court due
to the poor treatment of mentors against their mentee. One case involving 33 year old, Cristan
James Rooms, where he is currently, serving a 30-year state prison sentence after pleading no
contest last year to 12 counts of child sexual assault (Keene). The mentoring organization in
which Rooms is a part of was aware of all the overnight trips and visits made to the 13 year-old
Solano County boy. Rooms, now facing 90 child-molestation charges, spent excessive amounts
of time and had inappropriate contact with another child (Keene). The boy, unheard and
unhelped, was assigned a special friend, being Rooms, who would help with his attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The relationship started with the two playing computer
and board games in a school classroom, where Rooms worked at as a computer technician.
Eventually the relationship expanded to visits outside the school community, some being an
overnight stay. 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 it became clear that
when certain red flags occur during mentoring young children, more caution needs to happen.
Some people are just unqualified to mentor children and instead make situations worse by
creating more emotional damage. Mentors like Rooms do not meet requirements and should have
their licenses stripped away. Therefore, children who are in the hands of an inappropriate mentor
experience more abuse and are not appropriately guided with their current problems.
Mentoring programs have many rules and regulations to abide by in order to ensure that
their mentee is provided with the appropriate care needed in the recovery process. There are

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multiple community-based after-school programs where youths can 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. 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 abuse including physical, sexual, and psychological. Child abuse continues to
plague America and action is necessary to stop the harmful actions of others. In this, fortunately
groups have evolved who take on the responsibility to train a mentor who can help children who
experienced torture, combat, challenges, and problems by being encouraging. A report of child
abuse is made every 10 seconds and to eliminate such 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,
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, 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/.