11 Ways to Protect Our Children from Child Abuse and Other Predatory Behavior

Many want to know if there is more abuse of children today than years ago or are we just more aware of the problem. Child abuse has been around since the beginning of time. People are more aware of the problem and more willing to talk about it than ever before. Additionally, more active prosecution and media attention makes it seem like there has been an explosion of child abuse. While, it is very widespread, our awareness is more heightened than ever before.

Now that we are more aware of the problem as a society, we need to take steps to protect children from further abuse.

1. TEACHING CHILDREN SKILLS.  It is very difficult for a child to refuse the direct command of an adult. What adults tell them to do, they assume is correct and normal.  Therefore it is very difficult for children to distinguish between when they can say “no” to an adult and when they can not. 

However, we can still teach children about "good touch and bad touch," that covers physical and sexual abuse and making it acceptable to talk to a trusted adult about anything that scares or confuses a child. We need to look at how to teach our kids to recognize unacceptable behavior, say "no" to an adult who is doing bad things to them and run and get help if they can. We need to make it acceptable to talk about and report abuse to an authority figure. 

That being said it is up to us as adults to monitor what is happening to them, know the boundaries, and keep them safe.  A child may not be able to say, “no” or even report what is going on, if the adult abusers tells them not to tell anyone.

2. TEACH CHILDREN THAT THE DANGER MAY COME FROM A FAMILY MEMBER, NEIGHBOR, HANDYMAN, GROCERY CLERK, SCOUT LEADER, OR STANGER. Bad touch and hurting or abusing is wrong and no one gets to do it to us. Teach children to go to a grown-up for help. Children can be confused because a neighbor, teacher, family member, etc. is supposed to be someone they can trust. You can tell a child, "when you are not sure about whether something a grown up is doing is OK, ask another grown up to help you."

3. THERAPY READILY AVAILABLE FOR VICTIMS. All victims of abuse should have easy access to counseling services. School based mental health programs can make therapists more readily available to students when they are troubled. Adults should be knowledgeable about the signs that children are in need of counseling.

4. WHAT CAN PARENTS DO? If parents discover that their child(ren) has been abused, they need to do two things. They need to contact the police or department of social services in the county where they live. They will investigate the alleged abuse. Parents need to get counseling for their children and their family to help them cope with what has happened. Children need a lot of support when they have been abused. They need to know that what has happened is not their fault and that they will heal from it in time.

5. APPROPRIATE SEX OFFENDER SPECIFIC TREATMENT FOR ALL OFFENDERS. Appropriate therapy can reduce the risk of future child abuse.  The goal should be, "No more victims." Assessment and appropriate therapy should be available to and mandatory for every convicted child abuser, whether incarcerated or in the community. You are a citizen. You have a voice. Insist that there are child abuse and violent predator assessments and treatments in your jurisdiction and that it is mandatory for all legally sanctioned offenders. Even when incarcerated, most return to the community and you want the lowest risk of re-offending against a child.  Treatment to reduce risk is necessary, whether incarcerated or not.

6. IDENTIFYING CHILD ABUSE TO IMPROVE PREVENTION. Understanding the roots and characteristics of child abuse and child battery points us in the direction of effective prevention and treatment. A portion of adult child abusers and violent predators were abused, neglected, or exposed to domestic violence as children. Therefore, prevention of future sexual will involve efforts to stop childhood abuse, neglect, and domestic violence and treat the victims of these events. Insist, through your legislative process, that sufficient resources are put into protecting the children of your community from abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence.

7. RESEARCH. We must continue to research prevention, assessment, and effective treatment of violence against youth. Those treating violent offenders must be appropriately trained in the most up to date methods. Only in that way will there be "NO MORE VICTIMS." Legislatively support violent offender research in your area by calling your legislators.

8. STREET CHILDREN. There are millions of abandoned street children around the world. They have to survive any way they can. Many are pulled into criminal and terrorist groups because they have no other way to feed, cloth, or house themselves. Ways to house, clothe, feed, educate, and provide health care for these children must be found. As some of these street children mature into adulthood, they will abuse other street children, become criminal, and be recruited by terrorist groups. If you want to stop terrorism in the future, Support aid to poor, unprotected children, wherever they are in the world.

9. PARENTS, EDUCATE YOURSELVES. It is important for parents to educate themselves on the characteristics of violent offenders.  Know who is prone to violence in your community and don’t let them supervise your children, whether they are youth leaders, sports coaches, the people that run the amusement rides, or others. Know the red flags to look for. Some very dangerous, violent offenders can be very slick, smooth talking, and very good at fooling people into thinking they are trustworthy, but there is always some little thing that is just a little odd.

10. PARENTS, DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE AND WHO THEY ARE WITH? Help to chaperone school, community, and church activities for youth. There should always be more than one adult with any group of children. Adults should confront any suspicious activity of another adult. Don’t just let it slide. It’s difficult, but these things need to be discussed openly. Secrecy and difficulty talking about these topics are a child abuser’s best friends.

This is not meant to add to the firestorm that is presently raging about sexual offending, but to start the dialogue about what we can do? We need to educate ourselves and take action to protect our children and, as you can see, there are many ways to do that.