Press Release: 5/16/2025
Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Announces Campaign to Raise Awareness about Child Safety Initiatives
POSTED ON: MAY 15, 2025
WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has partnered with the Children’s Advocacy Center to launch a public awareness campaign, which will run through the month of May, designed to promote child safety. As part of the campaign, drivers on Interstate 95 North in Woburn will see billboards with important safety messages about summer safety hazards.
“We are always seeking innovative ways to engage parents and the broader community with critical reminders about the hazards highlighted in this campaign - namely water safety, the danger of hot cars and sexting. I hope that these billboards, seen by thousands of drivers, make a real difference and help us to advance our mission of protecting some of our most vulnerable citizens, our children.”
The campaign follows the official launch of the Office’s new free online training for youth entitled “Cyber-Education: The Dangers of Sexting, the Law and Resources for Teenagers and Young Adults.” The training focuses on the recent changes in Massachusetts law, including the passage of juvenile sexting and revenge pornography laws. It aims to teach users about the potential consequences of such behaviors, the dangers of sexting, steps to protect themselves online and available resources. Participants are encouraged to share the information they learn with their friends. Parents are urged to speak openly with their teens about these dangers and the potential long-term consequences of sexting. The training is free and can be accessed here: https://cyber-ed.middlesexcac.org/.
One billboard focuses on water safety, reminding drivers that, “Kids Don’t Float” and “Supervision Saves Lives.” Since drowning happens quickly and quietly constant adult supervision is critical. This is especially true for neurodivergent children, who are 160 times more likely to drown than neurotypical children. The message highlights the annual work of the District Attorney’s office to promote water safety and follows the creation of its new Adaptive Swim program that provides specialized training and support for neurodivergent children through a partnership with Swim Angelfish.
Another billboard urges parents and guardians to check the backseat, especially during the spring and summer months, when the temperature inside a car can climb dramatically, putting children at serious risk of heatstroke. Tragically, when a child is left in a vehicle, even for a short time, the potential harm can be devastating.
District Attorney Ryan has filed a bill this session that would address negligently leaving a child in a car which results in serious bodily injury. This bill would also permit a law enforcement officer or firefighter, or a civilian under certain circumstances, to remove a child from a vehicle when the child is left in dangerous conditions.
The awareness campaign and the Cyber Education Program are funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance.
The billboards will be visible for the entire month of May on the heavily traveled I-95, just south of the I-93 and I-95 exchange:
About the Middlesex Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC): The CAC is a comprehensive, culturally competent and multidisciplinary team that responds to allegations of child abuse and exploitation in a dedicated and child-friendly setting. Members of the Child Protection Unit, law enforcement, prosecutors, victim witness advocates, medical and mental health teams work collaboratively to provide child victims with services and resources to meet their needs. The CAC is dedicated to minimizing secondary trauma to victims by streamlining the handling of child sexual abuse, serious child physical abuse, and child exploitation cases. The CAC also offers resources for mandated reporters, including the online 51A Mandated Reporter Online Training.