It is a sad but true fact that child sexual abuse is a problem of almost epidemic proportions, anywhere in the world.
Everyday, our children are exploited, abused, assaulted and harassed, and according to the given statistics in the United States of America, one out of every four girls, and one out of every six boys will be sexually abused before they turn eighteen years of age.
There are no distinctions between race, culture, religion or even gender; it is a rampant disorder in our world today, and every single one of us must learn how to prevent sexual abuse from happening to our children.
Remember; sexual abuse of a child can lead him or her into developing an entire range of psychological problems, including post traumatic stress disorder, problems in maintaining a relationship as they grow older, substance abuse and so on and so forth.
Here are some of the tried and tested tips to help prevent child sexual abuse:
- First, try to learn all the fact available to you about what has happened, before you jump to conclusions and make hasty decisions.
- Try to minimize, whenever possible, situations in which your child, boy or girl, may have to be left alone with an adult over prolonged periods of time.
- Try to maintain an open communicative relationship with your child, so that he may feel free to approach you when he feels he needs your help. In more cases than not, the child will hide sexual abuse, but if you talk about it often, and discuss the issue with him, and teach him how to protect himself and to say NO whenever required, you will reduce the chances of your child being abused [Child Abuse], dramatically.
- Although you may think that you will be able to see signs of sexual abuse, you may not actually be able to, because they will be kept well hidden by your child. Therefore, remain wary, and try to watch out for any of the more important signs like rashes and redness in the genital areas, changes in behaviour, including sudden anger and depression, sexually explicit behaviour in your otherwise normal child, inappropriate language.
- You must try to work out a simple plan on who to approach and how to react: many children simply shut down when they see your reaction when you hear the story of sexual abuse.
- Make sure the child knows that you believe in him, and show your support. Remain calm and collected, so that you do not alarm the child.
Remember; a child will not make up stories of sexual abuse, and therefore, there will be an element of truth in what he is saying. Be prepared, and handle the situation wisely.
