Office of the Attorney General
Attorney General Conway Announces Availability af Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Grants

Attorney General Jack Conway today announced the availability of the Child Victims' Trust Fund's (CVTF) Annual Prevention Grant, which provides funding for regional sexual abuse prevention programs and projects to educate citizens about this horrendous crime. The Child Sexual Abuse Medical Reimbursement Examination Grant, open to Kentucky's 15 regional child advocacy centers, is also available.

"This grant helps ensure that citizens across the Commonwealth know how to protect our children and that our children are armed with knowledge to combat sexual abuse," said General Conway, who chairs the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Board (CSAEP). "The consequences of child sexual abuse are significant and can last a lifetime."

Nationally, rates regarding child victims of rape or sexual assault range from 1.2 to 1.9 children per 1,000. According to statistics from Kentucky Youth Advocates' Kids Count report, there have been 3,235 investigations of child sexual abuse in Kentucky this year. Approximately one-third of all sexual assaults reported to law enforcement involved a victim under the age of 12 and it's estimated that only one in 10 victims of sexual abuse ever discloses the abuse. There is also strong evidence that this horrific crime is directly tied to the growth of pornography on the Internet.

"Since its creation in 2008, my Cybercrimes Unit has seized more than 160,000 child pornographic images and videos from the Internet. The unit has also investigated more than 100 child pornography cases in Kentucky," General Conway said. "Cracking down on online predators and those who want to harm Kentucky children remains a top priority of mine."

Revenue for the grants comes from proceeds of the "I Care About Kids" special license plate, the Kentucky Income Tax Refund Check-Off and private donations. The registration deadline for the child sexual abuse prevention grants is January 31, 2011. For additional information or a grant application forms go to http://ag.ky.gov/criminal/victims/cvtf/ or call (800) 372-2551 or (502) 696-5312.