The RAACE Foundation believes the key to prevention is knowledge. Parents should be well-informed about preventative steps to stop child sexual abuse. Establishing and maintaining open, age appropriate communication with your child is the best way to protect them.
Experts agree that if children are comfortable talking openly with their parents they are more outwardly confident and less likely to become victims of sexual abuse. Additionally, they are more likely to disclose at the first sign of an abusive situation.
To learn more about how to talk openly with your child, consult a local health care professional or call 1-800-4-A-Child.
What Parents Should Know
• Children need to be re-assured that it is always ok to tell a trusted adult when being touched in an uncomfortable way
• Give kids confidence when discussing sexual abuse issues
• Supporting their views and questions will strengthen their trust in you (making them more likely to disclose abuse)
• Don’t discuss sex with your children only in terms of abuse, but also as a natural and healthy part of life
What To Teach Kids
• Personal boundaries so they know if their comfort zone is being violated
• There are no secrets about touching
• Talking openly to you about any subject
• Their bodies are their own
• It is okay to say no to a hug or contact that makes them uncomfortable
When To Talk
• Car rides to sporting events or other extracurricular activities
• Family meal times
• During a nature walk
• While getting a special treat
• After reading a news story or watching a movie or TV show pertaining to child sexual abuse
Practical Advice
“The American Academy of Pediatrics” recommends the following age appropriate conversations with children. From ages 18 months to 3 years – begin teaching children the proper names for all body parts.1
• Ages 3 – 5 years – teach children about private body parts and how to say no to anyone who touches them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. Give them direct answers to questions about sex.
• Ages 5 – 8 years – talk about good touches and bad touches, and safety away from home.
• Ages 8 – 12 years – focus on personal safety issues.
• Ages 13 – 18 years – discuss issues such as rape, date rape, HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases and “unintended pregnancy.”
1American Academy of Pediatrics
From Parenting Corner Q&A: Child Sexual Abuse (June, 2007). 21 April 2008
http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_SexAbuse.htm
