Educational events planned during National Crime Victims' Rights Week

~ April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.

For National Crime Victims' Rights Week and Child Abuse Prevention Month, several events are planned this week to educate and inform area residents of their rights and of ways to prevent risks.

"There is a big need to get the word out that domestic and sexual violence is something that happens everywhere," said Betty Brown, court advocate and case manager for Cape Girardeau's Safe House for Women.

Kicking off the week is a benefit concert tonight at New McKendree Methodist Church's South Campus in Jackson.

The concert, featuring the Christian group Restless Spirit, is designed to raise funds in light of Child Abuse Prevention Month and Crime Victims' Rights Week, according to Kendara Eads, a victim's advocate for the Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence.

Last year's concert raised about $1,700, she said.

On Monday, Circuit Judge Benjamin Lewis and a panel will discuss issues surrounding orders of protection, including how to obtain one, as part of the Domestic Violence Community Response Task Force's quarterly meeting.

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and Cape Girardeau Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle will speak at the annual Flower Ceremony at the Old Conservation Building in Cape Girardeau County Park North on Tuesday afternoon.

The ceremony, scheduled for 2 p.m. and similar to a candlelight vigil, encourages participants to take a fabric flower in remembrance of victims of crime in Cape Girardeau County.

Larry Franklin, author of "The Rita Nitz Story: Life Without Parole," is scheduled to speak at the Cape Girardeau Public Library on Wednesday. Franklin, whose book delves into the domestic violence and sexual abuse his title character suffered, is expected to share his insights on Nitz as he investigated her true story.

As part of Child Abuse Prevention month this April, the Network Against Sexual Violence and the federal prosecutor's office will present a lecture and panel discussion about protecting children online, sponsored by KAPE Radio 1550.

"The whole goal is to help parents learn how to keep their children safe online and know about the dangers," said assistant federal prosecutor Abbie Crites-Leoni. "I think a lot of times they don't know what their children are looking at."

The program Tuesday night will feature speeches from law enforcement officers, including the FBI and from the Network Against Sexual Violence.

According to a news release, the program will be graphic and no one under 21 years old will be admitted.

Prior to the public lecture, law enforcement officers from across the region will undergo training during the day. Federal prosecutor Catherine Hanaway is scheduled to make a statement to the officers at 1 p.m., Crites-Leoni said.

At least 76 law enforcement personnel had signed up for the event, hailing from areas including St. Louis, Charleston, Mo., Columbia, Mo., and Stone County, Mo.

"There was no training for Internet crimes as they relate to children," Crites-Leoni said of the need to hold such an event for officers.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127