WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC POLICY, MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO:

• share best practices information with the media and the public
• work with at-risk communities to create grassroot prevention and awareness programmes
• educate attorneys and judges regarding psychiatric and psychological aspects of abuse and developmental needs of children
• shape the laws that control how the legal system deals with abused children
• frame the criteria for reporting abuse, methods of evaluation, best practices procedure for hearing case pertaining to CSA and in particular the child’s testimony
• educate and empower at-risk communties and those most vulnerable through ongoing community intervention programmes
• it takes a village to raise a child, child protection should be apart of everyday life, with neighbour helping neighbour to protect children
• impress upon the state that it has a moral duty to protect children
• demand a revamped family court
• demand that the legal system get tough on sex offenders
• demand harsher sentences for sex offenders 
• demand mandatory treatment for sex offenders 
• demand better training and well staffed delivery service facilities, well coordinated, multi-disciplinary programs