Child Abuse

On February 14, 2009, the governor of New York signed the New York child victims act that effectively gave hope to victims of child sexual abuse.  It gave them the power to pursue justice and seek compensation from harassers and the institutions that protect children from such cases.

Prevention is still the best medicine. If you’re a parent and you are concerned about the safety of your children, it is high time you teach your children about crimes like sexual abuse. With a little bit of knowledge and coping strategies, you can easily teach your child to fight back.

Here are some best practices to help protect your children from child abuse.

Teaching Boundaries

Let your children know that every individual has personal boundaries and these boundaries should never be crossed without permission. Teach them about their personal space and educate them about how important it is to stop others if they try to break this barrier.

This way if an individual tries to come close to your child, they can retaliate and let others know immediately.

Teach them about Private Parts

It is very important to teach your children about their private parts. Tell them that no one other than a doctor or a parent can touch these sensitive and private zones. Tell them to immediately report if someone tries to break this barrier.

Use proper terminology when you are talking to your kids about genitals to make them feel comfortable. The more comfortable they are talking about it, the more the chances that they will let you know if someone tried to approach them.

Teach them about Online Safety

The internet is one of the most common places where child abusers lurk. They talk to little children and befriend them so they can get them to come and meet them, only waiting to take advantage of the situation.

Make sure you tell your children about the dangers of the online world and ask them to immediately tell you if they suspect someone is trying to breach their personal space on the internet.

Encourage your child to use communication apps only to talk to people they already know in the real world. Ask them to never talk to strangers on the internet no matter how friendly they sound.

If needed, you could also install a monitoring tool to monitor the activities of your child while they surf the internet.

Teach them How to Escape an Uncomfortable Situation

This is very important. Let your child know what an uncomfortable situation looks like. Tell them if a person tries to talk to them about their private parts or pressure them into doing something they do not want to do, they must get to a safe place and report to an adult.

As a parent, you should know where and who your kids talk to in the school. Make sure to tell your children never to talk to any other adults other than the school staff.