How to Protect Children from Sexual Predators and Pedophiles
One out of every 6 male children and 1 out of every 4 female children will be sexually abused before reaching adulthood. You can help to protect them.
Imagine a group of ten children, six boys and four girls. Two of them, one boy and one girl, will not make it out of their teens before being sexually abused. The statistics are grim, but through awareness and commitment to stop the abuse, caring adults can protect these vulnerable children and stop abuse before it can start. Here's how:
Monitor Internet Use
today's technically savvy kids can override the parental controls on net-nanny software, so it's best to keep the internet-linked computer in a public area of the house where parents can easily (and frequently) look over their kids' shoulders and see what they are doing online. Most internet-related abuse happens to kids who have internet access in their bedrooms or some other unmonitored place.
The internet is only one of many places where sexual offenders try to meet kids, so it's even more important for parents to drop in unannounced on their children's activities whenever possible, and to frequently talk to the adults who have access to their children.
Know the Warning Signs of Sexual Predators
Fortunately, most adults who prey on children give clear warning signs by their behavior. Be on the lookout for adults who:
Prevent Pedophiles from Accessing Children
Careful parents carefully screen the people with whom their children will have regular contact. By doing so they send a message to potential predators that they are informed and aware of the potential for abuse. Most adults who prey on children won't risk abusing a child who has vigilant parents.
Communicate Your Concerns
Sadly, in most cases of childhood sexual abuse it isn't until after the abuse is exposed that many adults come forward and say "I had a bad feeling about him/her" and by then it is far too late.
Parents need to pay attention to their feelings of unease, and they should communicate their concerns right away, before there is a chance that a child could be hurt. If you suspect that an adult may be exhibiting the signs of a sexual predator, talk to the people directly involved in their contact with children, notify their boss, and share your concerns with the authorities, If you suspect abuse has already occurred call a child abuse hotline or the police.
Imagine a group of ten children, six boys and four girls. Two of them, one boy and one girl, will not make it out of their teens before being sexually abused. The statistics are grim, but through awareness and commitment to stop the abuse, caring adults can protect these vulnerable children and stop abuse before it can start. Here's how:
Monitor Internet Use
today's technically savvy kids can override the parental controls on net-nanny software, so it's best to keep the internet-linked computer in a public area of the house where parents can easily (and frequently) look over their kids' shoulders and see what they are doing online. Most internet-related abuse happens to kids who have internet access in their bedrooms or some other unmonitored place.
The internet is only one of many places where sexual offenders try to meet kids, so it's even more important for parents to drop in unannounced on their children's activities whenever possible, and to frequently talk to the adults who have access to their children.
Know the Warning Signs of Sexual Predators
Fortunately, most adults who prey on children give clear warning signs by their behavior. Be on the lookout for adults who:
- "Hang out" with children in places where you usually find children, and not adults, spending leisure time such as playgrounds, arcades, skate parks, etc.
- Interact with children by touching them a lot.
- Act more like a child's "buddy" than an "adult friend." Predators create peer-like bonds to their victims.
- Want to be only with children, and prefer to avoid interactions with other adults.
- Seek employment exclusively where they can have constant access to children.
Prevent Pedophiles from Accessing Children
Careful parents carefully screen the people with whom their children will have regular contact. By doing so they send a message to potential predators that they are informed and aware of the potential for abuse. Most adults who prey on children won't risk abusing a child who has vigilant parents.
Communicate Your Concerns
Sadly, in most cases of childhood sexual abuse it isn't until after the abuse is exposed that many adults come forward and say "I had a bad feeling about him/her" and by then it is far too late.
Parents need to pay attention to their feelings of unease, and they should communicate their concerns right away, before there is a chance that a child could be hurt. If you suspect that an adult may be exhibiting the signs of a sexual predator, talk to the people directly involved in their contact with children, notify their boss, and share your concerns with the authorities, If you suspect abuse has already occurred call a child abuse hotline or the police.
Source...