The participants of the Division of Youth Services’ training on Adverse Child Experiences pose for a group photo at Aqua Resort Club on Thursday.
Contributed photo
OVER 100 participants from government agencies and community groups, all engaged in child protection advocacy, attended a two-day training at the Aqua Resort Club last week.
Hosted by the Division of Youth Services, the training focused on the impact of domestic violence on children.
The resource speaker was private consultant Beth Meeks, a skilled practitioner with extensive experience in gender-based violence and direct work with both victims and offenders.
DYS Administrator Vivian Sablan said, “Our children are at the heart of our families and our CNMI. When they witness domestic violence — whether it’s hearing an argument or seeing it happen — it affects them deeply.”
She added that the training with Meeks was designed to ensure every agency, from law enforcement to social services, understands that impact and knows how to respond. “The turnout of the event on Thursday and Friday shows that as a community, we’re committed to protecting our children and breaking the cycle of violence in our islands,” Sablan said.
DYS Child Protective Services Supervisor Mariah Manglona said that in the CNMI, “we all know our islands are small — word travels fast, but sometimes the impact of what our kids go through doesn’t.” She explained that children who see or hear domestic violence carry that pain “even if we don’t see the bruises.” She added, “She [Meeks] is giving us tools we can use right away, and the fact that we’ve got police, corrections, courts, schools, and service providers all in the same room means we’re serious about working together for our kids.”
During an interview, Meeks, who also worked with law enforcement on active duty and has extensive experience reviewing and consulting on intimate partner homicides, said the training focused on how domestic violence affects children. Participants learned to detect behavioral signs in children who have witnessed violence at home and how to communicate effectively with them.
Practical interventions were covered, including strategies to help calm children who have experienced trauma. Meeks emphasized that the training is important because it provides skills for addressing adverse childhood experiences. Research shows that 87% of people worldwide have experienced at least two traumatic events.
“And so, we were talking about what would help kids get through that, what builds resilience and assets, and how to introduce children to these concepts to help them heal,” Meeks said.
Noting the diverse group of participants, Meeks added, “All these people deal with traumatized children at some point in their work. Even if they have only brief contact with a child, there are things they can do to help and ways to connect them to longer-term services.”
Participating agencies and community groups included the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Abuse, Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems, Inc., Center for Living Independently, Micronesian Legal Services, Department of Public Safety, Department of Corrections, Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Board of Parole, Public School System, CNMI Judiciary’s Drug Court Division, Family Court Division, Juvenile Court Division, Mental Health Court Division, Office of Adult Probation, Addiction Services Unit, Suicide Prevention Program, Karidat, Office of the Attorney General, Substance Abuse, Addiction & Rehabilitation, and the CNMI Youth Affairs Office.
