No one wants to see a child go through the kind of horrifying abuse that a sexual predator is capable of. Paying attention to the warning signs can help you help a child who is suffering this kind of assault, but a better solution is preventing sexual abuse to begin with. By educating children early, and teaching them about appropriate and inappropriate behavior, you can give them the tools necessary to stay safe and report anyone who attempts any sort of unwanted advances.
It's important that children understand "good" and "bad" contact from an early age. With your children, you can couch it in whatever terms make you the most comfortable with the situation, but kids should be taught that there are certain types of touching that no one should perform on them, and they have the right to say something if an adult or other child tries it. Children always have the right to say no, even to an adult, even to a friend or family member.
If an incident does occur, it's important that a child knows that what happened was not his or her fault in any way, and they should tell a trusted adult as soon as possible. They won't get in trouble, and they won't be blamed. In addition, if another child tells them of an incident, they should encourage their friend to seek help as well. If the first adult doesn't believe them, they should keep trying; they don't have to suffer in silence.
Comments (0):