Exploited Children's Help Organization

WHO IS ECHO?

Exploited Children’s Help Organization (ECHO) was founded in 1983 in response to the abduction of 12-year-old Ann Gotlib from a mall in Louisville, Kentucky. Despite the efforts, Ann was never found, and children continue to be victimized and abused in both physical and digital spaces.

For more than 40 years, ECHO has served as a catalyst in providing child abuse prevention education for children, youth, and adults. Our mission is dedicated to preventing and reducing the incidence and impact of child abuse by providing education, advocacy, and support services to the children and families of Metro Louisville. There is a solid history of making differences in the lives of our children and youth in our community. 

ECHO has a vision of a world without child abuse, highlighting the high rates of child abuse in Kentucky and the profound impact it has on individuals and society as a whole. Child abuse is a health crisis that affects all communities regardless of income, ethnicity, or education level. Research shows that child maltreatment leads to adverse health and mental health outcomes for both children and families, with long-lasting effects that can persist throughout a lifetime. Child abuse also poses a significant economic burden on society, costing the nation billions of dollars each year. Preventing child abuse and providing support for victims is essential to creating a safer and healthier community for all.

Did you know??

•  90% of children abused are abused by someone they know and trust; of that 30% tend to be family members
• About 1 in 10 children will be sexually abuse before their 18th birthday
• Over a period of time, 1 in 25 youth received an online sexual solicitation where the solicitor tried to make offline contact
• Only 38% of children that experience child sexual abuse disclose to an adult

WHAT WE DO

Our program helps to empower the voices of children, educate adults, and seeks to create a stronger and safer community for all. ECHO adopted the MBF Prevention Education Curriculum, developed by the Monique Burr Foundation for Children (MBF). MBF are evidence-based/evidence-informed, comprehensive prevention presentations that educate and empower children and adults with universal strategies and Safety Rules that apply to bullying, cyberbullying, digital dangers, and all types of child abuse. The curriculum is age appropriate for grades K-12, and recently MBF provided a new curriculum to educate children in Pre-K. All presentations cover such topics as: (1) general safety & prevention, (2) social & emotional learning skills, (3) digital abuse & other digital dangers and (4) cyberbullying. 

ECHO finds it equally important to educate adults and teach them how to recognize, react, and report child abuse, because ultimately it is the responsibility of adults to keep children safe. The adult’s program goals include: (1) Increase the adult’s knowledge of sexual abuse concepts, (2) Increase communication with children regarding their safety, (3) Increase capacity to educate adults to recognize and respond appropriate to child sexual abuse. ECHO provides the following: 

1. Darkness to Light Stewards of Children
2. Everyone Has A Role (mandate reporting)
3. CyberSafety 101
4. Support Over Silence
5. Smart K.I.D.S (kids identification safety-missing kid information and fingerprinting)
6. Parent Cafes