How To Help Your Child Identify & Report Abuse

As parents, nothing concerns us more than the well being of our children. We are always concerned about our child the moment he/she steps out of the house, despite being with an adult or all alone to play with friends. With a number of ungrateful events happening around us, child safety becomes our number one priority and preparing our children for their own safety should be on every parent’s list. Most parents fail to prepare children to understand and report abuse. Thus, in such grave situations, it is essential that we prepare our child in the best possible ways.

Tips to Prepare Child About Identifying Abuse & Report

Read on to know more how you can prepare your child about identifying abuse and report it...

1. Discussing body parts: As parents, we must openly talk about the different body parts with our children and teach them the proper names too. Many parents shy away from teaching the correct names of the body parts, which can later cause confusion for the child. Feeling comfortable using the right names of the body parts and knowing what they mean can help the child talk clearly if something inappropriate happens.
2. Teaching about privacy: Explaining the concept of privacy to your child is important. You must teach your child how some body parts must not be seen by anyone without clothes on. You can also distinguish between who are allowed to see those body parts, such as parents and doctor and under what circumstances. It is important to keep the circle of privacy as small as possible.
3. Setting clear rules: Inform your child that nobody is allowed to touch his/her private parts. Not only this, nobody should ask your child to touch other’s private parts too. Make your child understand that touching and allowing to touch one’s own body parts is not at all acceptable. Read how to teach child good touch vs bad touch. 
4. Not keeping any secrets: Most perpetrators get away with abuse by telling the child to keep it as a secret or lure them by giving a treat in return or even threaten them to keep the abuse a secret. You must teach your child that there has to be no secrets between you and him/her. Secrets between children and parents are not allowed, is what you need to make your child understand, especially if it revolves around the body.
5. Convincing your child to reveal secrets: Most perpetrators threaten the child to keep the abuse as a secret. Thus, the child, bounded by the fear fails to report the abuse. You must make your child feel comfortable in explaining that revealing the secret will not get him/her in to trouble. Let your child know that you will not scold him/her if the secret is revealed.
6. Saying ‘NO’ and running: Teach your child the importance of saying or screaming ‘NO’ if someone’s hand is reaching out for their private parts. Ask your child to scream no or shout for help and immediately run from that place and reach out to you first. Teach your child not to feel ashamed of running away from such threatening situations.
7. It can be anyone and anywhere: Children must be told that anybody is capable of abusing, anywhere. In most cases, the perpetrators are no other than close relatives and friends. Your child must be able to identify such people irrespective of how close that individual is to you. This rule applies to people your child already knows of.
8. No pictures of private parts: Paedophiles take pictures of children, without their clothes on and sell it online. Children being vulnerable to these acts must be made aware of this at the earliest. Teach your child how it is not right to undress in front of anyone, apart from parents and how nobody is allowed to click naked pictures of them. In times of such circumstances, ask your child to scream ‘NO’ and run for help.

As parents it might be tough to teach your child about all this, but it has to be made a priority now as these days such events are rising at an alarming rate. Though these points will not completely prevent abuse, but will ensure your child stays better prepared for his/her safety. However, it is crucial to teach your child about identifying abuse and reporting it quickly because you cannot be always around your child to protect him/her. It is time that you give your child lessons on awareness at a young age.