Senior Voice readers have lived long enough to see troubling headlines come and go. But the stories filling our news these past few weeks are especially painful for anyone who loves and looks after a child or grandchild. From the release of the Epstein files to, here at home, the painful revelations involving a Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation on the Kenai Peninsula, these stories, and others that have surfaced over the years, follow a familiar and heartbreaking pattern. Too often, institutions and organizations across sectors default to internal handling instead of reporting serious cases like this to the proper authorities, creating conditions where harm can continue unchecked. Warnings were voiced. Adults heard concerns. Still, nothing meaningful happened. Complaints lingered, children remained in harm’s way, and communities that should have been safe places instead became home to abuse and sexual assault.
Per the 2024 Felony Level Sex Offenses Crime in Alaska Report, over 50% of all reported felony-level sexual assault victims in Alaska last year were under the age of 18 - a staggering reflection of who is most vulnerable in our state. The most commonly reported age for female victims was 13 years old, and 14 years for males. Over 90% of these children and youth were sexually assaulted by someone they knew—not a stranger.
For grandparents, foster parents, and older adults caring for children, this reality can be especially unsettling. Many of us grew up trusting that schools, churches, and community organizations would protect children. But experience has shown that trust alone is not enough. Silence, deference to authority, and discomfort with “hard conversations” have allowed abuse to continue for generations.
Recent national commentary suggesting that teens are “almost legal” only deepens the harm. This myth minimizes predatory behavior and shifts responsibility away from adults, where it belongs. Children, regardless of age, deserve protection.
Predators don’t need to lurk in shadows, they thrive in systems that lack the safeguards, oversight, and transparency needed to keep children safe. We must begin with real prevention, well before a child ever discloses harm. Caring adults, including grandparents, elders, coaches, faith leaders, and caregivers, play a critical role. We all must learn to recognize grooming behaviors: building trust, isolating a child, desensitizing boundaries, introducing intimacy, testing secret-keeping, and maintaining silence. We must ask questions and trust our instincts. No adult should have unchecked, unmonitored access to a child.
Children in our lives need straightforward education like correct names for body parts, the right to say no, that no adult should ask them to keep a secret, and how to identify trusted adults they can turn to. Before enrolling a child or grandchild in a group, older caregivers should assess the organization’s prevention policies, ask about one-on-one supervision and what clear reporting looks like. Institutions must adopt strong prevention policies, enforce clear codes of conduct, ensure only vetted and trained adults should ever be alone with a child, and even then in supervised and public spaces, and create transparent reporting systems that prioritize children’s safety over protecting the organization.
The tragedy in Kenai shows exactly what happens when trusted adults and institutions fail children. When leaders lean on internal doctrine instead of reporting obligations, when they fear reputational damage more than a child’s safety, and when they choose secrecy over transparency, the harm only deepens. Survivors are left carrying the weight of silence for decades. Communities fracture. Trust erodes. And abusers remain protected by internal culture, confusion, and complacency. While these truths are painful, they can point Alaskans toward what can actually prevent abuse.
Alaska must do better. Older adults have wisdom, influence, and often daily access to children who rely on them for safety. Speaking up, asking questions, and insisting on accountability can change outcomes. Learn more how you can prevent child sexual assault/abuse by going to https://www.alaskachildrenstrust.org/csa-prevention. If you are a victim, your voice is powerful—telling your story can help prevent child sexual abuse. Learn how to share your story at: https://www.storiesact.org
Protecting children is not a generational issue— it is a shared responsibility.
Trevor Storrs is the president and CEO of the Alaska Children’s Trust, or ACT, the lead statewide agency that addresses the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Since its conception, ACT has led the way in building awareness, providing education, and bringing communities together statewide to prevent child abuse and neglect.
