For years, children have been targeted for sexual abuse. The reason why children are manipulated in the first place is only because of the fact they’re least powerful, vulnerable, and have innocent minds. They are unable to protect themselves from powerful adults. Most of the child abuse results at the hands of the adults that are already well known to the children. Yes, that’s true. Children are abused by adults whom they not only trust but also love. This situation becomes highly confusing for the children especially when they’re abused by adults who are supposed to be their protectors, caretakers, and worthy of their trust. The confusion only arises because we also teach our children to obey adults. Therefore, when they’re being sexually abused by the adults, they are not able to distinguish whether the act is right or wrong.

A child abuser can easily outsmart a child in this regard because he knows he’d only be able to perform the actual abuse if he has gained the child’s trust well in advance.

Child abuse is not an alien concept as everybody already seems familiar with it. Every other day we get to read, listen, or watch a child abuse story unfolding in front of us. A child not reporting about abuse may become a victim of psychological, emotional, social, or any physical disease that may follow him/her into adulthood. Every person, especially parents, should know how child abuse takes place, what are the signs of child abuse, what destructive risks are involved in it, and what should be done to stop this heinous crime altogether.

Following are some important tips that parents can follow in order to prevent child abuse.

Talk to Your Children

This is the first effective step that you as a parent can take to help prevent child abuse. Communication plays a stronger key in understanding your child’s behavior as well as their daily routine. Children must learn to share their ideas, routine, and emotions with parents because they are mostly close with them and pay them the highest regard of respect. If they’re being hesitant then reach out to them yourself and ask them about their life in general. Share such a comfort level with your children where they can also reach out to you and seek your help in case they’re experiencing or have experienced child abuse at any point.

Teach Your Children

You must teach your children to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate touching. Your children must know if someone’s treating them in an inappropriate way – be it physical or verbal. It is also important to make them know all about their private parts without giving any nicknames to them. Sometimes, when you attach a certain nickname to a body part, your child might take it casually and wouldn’t think it’s wrong if some person other than their parents touch them.

Stay Vigilant

It is important that you stay alert at all the times. The world is full of dangerous people; therefore, it is your duty to protect your children from abusers and pedophiles. Learn to spot the signs associated with child abuse. Remember not to only expect the obvious signs when a child is being sexually abused because more often than not signs are always there but you should also learn to look beyond them. For instance, physical abuse can be easily detected. Once you’ve found physical signs of sexual abuse on your child, get them medically examined as soon as you can. On the other hand, not all sexual abuse can result in displaying physical signs. A child’s mental stability, his/her behavior as well as body language can also tell you a lot of things. Therefore, you need to keep a close eye on your children and stay vigilant.

Get Involved

Whether as a parent or an individual, it is your utmost duty to get involved in supporting parenting groups and child abuse programs. You should reach other to other parents and families and get more awareness of child abuse. Volunteer with various programs that support families and abused children. There are many support programs that offer family support and help affected families in the times of stress. If you cannot find enough time to support organizations then always make sure to offer them help in the form of donations.

Report Child Abuse

As soon as you’ve recognized the signs of child abuse, report the incident immediately to the local authorities and get the abuser behind the bars because children’s protection is a concern for every parent and it must be dealt with proper attention and responsibility. Never neglect a case of child abuse as it is your obligation to protect the children of your community. Those who neglect may face its repercussions sooner or later.