Age Appropriate Sexual Abuse Preventative Plan
January 29Th, 2010
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, child sexual abuse is reported up to 80,000 times per year which is staggering. As alarming as that number is, the thought that many sexual abuse cases go unreported only increases the need for parents to talk to their children about sexual assault/abuse. Many children fear what will happen to them if they tell and therefore remain silent. The psychological toll that their silence creates can be devastating to a child.
Parents should be proactive and make sure that their child understands what a good touch or bad touch is and make sure to develop open communication when it comes to their bodies. Prevent Child Abuse America has developed an age-appropriate Preventative Plan that goes as follows:
18 months- Teach child proper names for body parts.
3 Years Old- Use coloring/reading books to teach child about private parts; explain to child how to scream “NO” if he/she feels uncomfortable when touched a certain way.
5 – 8 Years Old- Make sure the child understands the difference between being touched on their private parts and other areas
of their body; Begin talking about outdoor safety to prevent molestation and/or abduction; create open dialogue to discuss uncomfortable situations.
At 8 Years Old- Stress personal safety outside the home; discuss appropriate sexual conduct.
12 – 18 Years Old- Parents should begin discussing STD’s, date rape, pregnancy prevention and the effects of drugs and alcohol.*
This is from the website http://sexualabuseexperts.com/
I save many sites addressing child sexual abuse. This is one of the last I have found. I really believe we could do wonders if we organized many of these sites to be working on solutions together. Let me start the emails.............
*When you do give the talk about drugs and alcohol please do some research. The drug talk I got was, "Don't do drugs or you'll jump out of a 3rd floor window!"
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