Protection Against Childhood Sexual Abuse
What should I tell my child about predators and sexual abuse?
You should tell your child that the vast majority of people would never do anything to harm a child, but that there are certain individuals out there who will go out of their way to get sexual gratification from children. And that there is absolutely nothing good about that. And that they should always feel that they can come and talk to their parents about any suspicious individuals in their lives. That they should take precautions to not get too close to those individuals. And I think probably the best things that you can do is you can talk to your child on a regular basis about these kinds of issues. And you can work to make sure that your child has self confidence and self esteem, because individuals who prey on children look for children who don't have self confidence and don't have self esteem. There is definitely a profile of a child, much more than there is of the perpetrator, of the child who is ripe for sexual abuse. And it tends to be vulnerable kids, who tend to be loners, who don't have a lot of confidence in themselves, who don't really get out there and engage, and who are looking for somebody to connect with. And oftentimes those predators will -- they always seek out those kinds of kids. And once they find them, they hone in on them with a radar that would put anything that the government's ever put together to absolute shame.
How can I protect my child from predators and sex abuse?
By taking a holistic approach to the issue. By doing everything from talking to him or her in your family unit to working with your neighbors to make sure you all are looking out for each others kids and each others property by reporting suspicious individuals and suspicious activities. By volunteering in your community to do something to benefit kids, whether it be at the school or some kind of a non-profit agency. We even encourage people to get involved in things like the Kiwanis or Rotaries Clubs because they're always doing good things for kids. To supporting politicians who will put the welfare of kids at the forefront of their own agenda. I mean, these are all steps that can be taken. There's no one thing. The thing that we have to be careful of is that we don't put the burden of the issue on the shoulders of the kids – because we have to realize that there's not a child in America that's going to be in a position to defend themselves against a determined predator.
What are signs that my child's been sexually abused?
Signs that your child is being abused, or has been abused, would include things like a profound personality change. For example, going from being extroverted to introverted. Other signs include having nightmares at night, not being able to connect with other individuals (even individuals within the family), eating disorders, and any kind of a profound mood swing that doesn't make sense and is different from anything that has happened in the past. These would all be red flags and would all be signs that there is something wrong, and the child probably requires special attention.
What do I do if I suspect my child's been sexually abused?
I think the first thing you would want to do is probably have a talk with the child you suspect is being sexually abused. You would probably need to have more than one talk with the child. I think the steps from there would be firstly contacting the pediatrician and from that going into other areas of the healthcare community. Going into perhaps some counseling with the child who you suspect maybe the victim of sexual abuse. Those would probably be the directions that one would want to go in. There are professional people out there that deal specifically with these kinds of issues and some of them are awfully good at what they do and should always be included if one believes or suspects that a child is being sexually abused or exploited in some way.
Should I call the police if I suspect my child's been sexually abused?
If you suspect somebody is sexually abusing your child, absolutely. The authorities have to be brought in because that person, if in fact they are sexually abusing your child, has to be taken out of the system. We just cannot tolerate that as a society on any level whatsoever.
