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	Video Helps Tribal Leaders Educate about Sex Abuse By Diane Cochran Billings Gazette August 23, 2008 http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/08/22/news/state/32-sexabuse.txt After 14 children in an Alaska Native community were sexually abused by one person, tribal leaders began looking for ways to educate and heal their people. But most officials who address sex crimes in Alaska's native communities are white, said Diane Payne, a children's justice specialist with the Tribal Law and Policy Institute in Anchorage. Tribal members wanted a resource that used native voices. "We created a tool that can be used on the community level," Payne said in Billings Friday. "It doesn't require people from outside or people with degrees to come in and use it." The tool is a 40-minute video featuring interviews with adult survivors of child sexual abuse and other members of native communities. It was shown Friday during the Bureau of Indian Affairs Second National Conference on Child Protection and Child Welfare in Indian Country at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana. Attendees of two other Indian Country-focused conferences also watched the production. The Indian Health Service's National Behavioral Health Conference and the Interdepartmental Tribal Justice, Safety and Wellness Conference were also under way this week in Billings. As many as 1,000 people were expected to attend the three events. Every face and voice in the video, titled "Pathway to Hope: Healing Child Sexual Abuse," is native. "These are everyday people in the video, and they're talking about things all kids in school know about," said Al Stevens, a Koyukon elder who was interviewed for the piece. The video is already in use in Alaska Native villages, where its creators hope it will combat sexual abuse through education and heal the wounds of abuse survivors by eliminating secrecy and shame. "Together, we can stand up and break the silence," said Elsie Bourdreau, a child advocate trained to show the video in native communities. "Together we can heal and make a better future for our children." The interviews in the production were conducted by Elsie Hardin, a Yup'ik social worker who told the audience Friday that she was sexually abused by a Catholic priest. "Sexual abuse is not a cultural practice," Hardin said. "It is not something we pride ourselves in or want to teach our children. But it is a part of our history as native people, and it is part of our reality today." Contact Diane Cochran at dcochran@billingsgazette.com or 657-1287.
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