Congressman Raul Ruiz tours Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center to raise awareness about child abuse

Congressman Raul Ruiz and former Senator Barbara Boxer toured the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center in Rancho Mirage to raise awareness about child abuse.

"This is therapy to the highest degree and transformational for individuals," said Ruiz. "There's hope, and that there's an ability to change and that's the message- that there's a resource here of people who love you, who you can trust."

As an emergency physician, Ruiz said he has taken care of children who have been sexually abused and physically abused by a person they trust. Ruiz also said he wants to use the center's online resources to teach his daughters how to recognize abuse.

"We're going to do some teaching sessions with my daughters using the resources at fightchildabuse.org, in order to educate them and train them on what's appropriate and inappropriate anywhere and with anyone," said Ruiz.

The center helped create an online global campaign on child sexual abuse and prevention. There are countless animated videos made by child advocates, therapists, and scholars. Their main goal: to educate children of all ages on what to do if confronted with abusive behavior.

"It's available for free, not only for our local families but nationally and internationally," said Ruiz.

According to the center's site, it has over 100 million views on its animated prevention videos. Ruiz and Boxer said they want to build awareness of the resources the center has to offer.

"I think we both feel so strongly that if there's a problem, please tell people about this resource," said Boxer. "Because it's exceptional, frankly, in the world. It really is. And it's right here in our valley."

The center says it has treated over 23,000 children and holds about 5,800 therapy sessions a year.

"We'll do everything that we can to really get the word out and to help families both in English and Spanish, to get the information in order to help prevent child abuse," said Ruiz.

Ruiz and Boxer said they want to get the word out about the center nationally and internationally to help more children and families get the help they need.

"I think that this would be a fabulous topic for a conference at Sunnylands, to bring national and even international leaders to start setting an agenda on how we can really address this horrible issue of child abuse in our nation," said Ruiz. "And set a blueprint that other states and other countries can follow."

To find out more about the resources the center has to offer or how to help, click here.