With the stream of accusations of child sexual abuse not losing any gusto lately, parents are giving a lot more attention to teaching their children about this topic than ever before. An ABC investigation says that USA Swimming has banned for life nearly 40 swimming coaches over the last decade because of sexual misconduct. Pedophiles actually choose jobs in which they have easy access to children. FBI estimates that there is one pedophile every square mile in the United States. Before anything else, parents need to determine the fact if their child is being groomed by a pedophile.

Upsurge in child sexual abuse cases

First it was Jerry Standusky, a former Penn State football coach who was charged against sexually abusing eight boys over a period of 15 years, then it was Fine who was fired from Syracuse University when he was accused by three men of molesting them sexually when they were minors. Neither Sandusky nor Fine has been found guilty of any crime, but these are only the latest in what seems to be a year filled with news reports about sexual harassment and sexual abuse.

Parents need to know who their child is interacting with

1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is abused sexually. There are things parents can and should do to recognize anything wrong and to tell others about it. Preventing child sex abuse and putting a stop to it is the responsibility of the parents.

Listen: Leave everything you are doing and give your child some time. Listen carefully to everything they have to say. Build such a relationship with your child that they can trust you with their feelings. It is important that they tell you about things that worry them.

Talk about safety: Start teaching them how they need to protect themselves from an early age. Help them name their feelings and tell you when they are feeling scared or confused. Teach them to understand when something wrong is happening, for instance shaky legs, sweaty palms, bad butterflies in the tummy etc.

The most important person is you: Teach them that everything about them is important.

Be vigilant: Be vigilant of any adult who wants to spend time with your teen instead of adults or children.

Talk to the school authorities: Make it a point to take out time and talk to the authorities of the school your child is studying in. Make sure you know the names of their teachers and coaches. Interact with them regularly. Furthermore, talk to your child so you know who your kid is uncomfortable with and why. Several cases have been reported in which the victim was molested by a teacher or a sports coach. Coach sexual abuse is on the rise and parents need to be vigilant about who is interacting directly with their child.

You are most vulnerable when…

Kids who come from single parent families or broken or unstable families are more likely to be sexually abused. Pedophiles sense this psychological weakness in them and victimize them.

Parents who do not have a lot of time to spend with their children often take help from outsiders whom they don’t know much about.