The Athol Republican
will join fellow legislators as well as representatives from a host of early
education, youth service provider and child advocacy organizations on the
22-member Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Task Force, which is being co-chaired
by Massachusetts Child Advocate Gail Garinger and Children’s Trust Fund
Executive Director Suzin Bartley. As
part of its mission, the task force will develop a 5-year plan for using
community education and other strategies to increase public awareness about
child sexual abuse, including how to recognize signs, minimize risk and act on
suspicions or disclosures of such abuse.
“Representative
Whipps Lee has a long and distinguished record of active involvement in her
district as a volunteer for a number of charitable organizations, and as a
successful business owner,” said Representative Jones. “I am confident that she will bring a wealth
of real-world knowledge and expertise to this task force, and will play a key
role in developing a comprehensive plan to address the terrible scourge of
child sexual abuse.”
“I take very
seriously the responsibility of protecting some of our most vulnerable
residents, and I am honored to have been appointed to this task force by
Representative Jones,” said Representative Whipps Lee. “I look forward to working with the members
of the task force to identify the most effective ways to help prevent young
children from being victimized and to ensure that youth organizations around
the state are able to recognize the warning signs of sexual abuse so they can
take swift action to put an end to the abuse.”
A member of the Athol
Board of Selectmen, Representative Whipps Lee is currently serving her first
term in the Massachusetts Legislature, after defeating Democratic incumbent
Denise Andrews in the November 2014 state election. She represents the Second Franklin District,
which consists of the communities of Erving, Gill, New Salem, Orange, Warwick,
Wendell, Belchertown, Athol, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, and Templeton.
The Child Sexual
Abuse Prevention Task Force is scheduled to file its final report and
recommendations by December 31, 2015.
