We all want to prevent child sexual abuse in our families. But do we know how? #StopAbuse #Parenting https://t.co/qAOyDGvypx
— Stop Abuse Campaign (@AbuseStoppers) February 19, 2017
Prevention. Intervention. Recovery – the keys to stopping child sexual abuse and its lifelong effects. Most of us would agree that preventing a problem before it starts is a good idea, but when we talk about child sexual abuse, do we know how to do that exactly? What can we do to prevent abuse before it happens and before one more child becomes an unfortunate tally mark on an unforgiving table of data? We talk a lot about minimizing opportunity, because 80% of child sexual abuse happens in isolated, one on one situations. Making sure that every interaction with the children in our lives is observable and interrupt-able goes a long way in protecting them. We can set a good example to children and to other adults by making sure we set the precedent for safety by not doing things that make children unsure of what the rules should be. It means if we don’t want children to do something with a predator, then we shouldn’t ask them to do it with us. It means not putting ourselves in one on one isolated situations with children in our charge. It means making sure every situation can be observed and interrupted by another adult.