To Mark Child Abuse Prevention Month, Senator Hassan Joins New Hampshire Students to Discuss Their Work to Prevent Child Abuse

Senator Hassan speaks with New Hampshire students to discuss their work to prevent child abuse.

NEW HAMPSHIRE – In recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan today spoke with New Hampshire high school students, who are ambassadors of Granite State Children’s Alliance’s KNOW & TELL Peer-to-Peer Program, about their work to empower high school students to know the signs of abuse and neglect in their friends and peers.

"Too many children are subjected to child abuse, and this is a pressing public health and safety challenge in New Hampshire and across the country," Senator Hassan said. "The work these students are doing with the KNOW & TELL Peer-to-Peer Ambassadorship Program will help create safe communities and break the cycle of abuse by reducing stigma and raising awareness. These student ambassadors are also making it possible for their peers to report abuse to responsible adults, which is critical to getting support to survivors. I am proud to support the KNOW & TELL initiative and will continue working across the aisle to address child abuse.”  

The student ambassadors spoke with Senator Hassan about the initiatives that they have worked on to empower other students to have a voice in protecting their peers from abuse, including PSAs, brochures, and social media campaigns. The students, who attend high schools across the state, including Kearsarge Regional High School, Concord High School, Pembroke Academy, and Pinkerton Academy, also discussed what it’s like to organize their movement amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

To watch a PSA about consent created by the New Hampshire student ambassadors of the KNOW & TELL Peer-to-Peer program, click here.

Then-Governor Hassan proclaimed KNOW & TELL day in 2016, and more recently, Senator Hassan helped secure $350 million for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act in the American Rescue Plan that was signed into law. Senator Hassan also recently joined in reintroducing the bipartisan Jenna Quinn Law, which would encourage community-based education and training for teachers, caregivers, and students to prevent child sexual abuse. Additionally, last Congress, Senator Hassan introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to better support kinship caregivers who have taken over as primary caregivers for children exposed to substance use disorder or other trauma.

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