Listen to your child, educate them and know the signs of abuse (Keeping Your Child Safe from the Outside World)

Member Name: Brooke3

Product:	Keeping Your Child Safe from the Outside World
Date:	03/11/08 (108 review reads)
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I think that there are two big things that you can do to protect your child from being abused without wrapping them in cotton wool and ruining their childhood.

The first thing you can do is educate them.
So many people are so concerned with preserving a child's "innocence" that they don't want their child to know about things that could help them protect themselves and help you to protect them.
A child needs to be able to speak openly to their parents about sex. If your child can't approach you about sex then how could they tell you if someone does something inappropriate?
If a child doesn't know about sex how will they know if they are being sexually abused? I'm not saying that you should give your children all of the details about sex but they should know a few basics, like that it's not okay for adults to touch them in private places or for them to touch adults. It's of course a delicate subject and guidance is available from charities like the NSPCC about what to tell your children and how best to do it.

The second thing I think all parents should do (all people really but especially parents) is know the signs of abuse.
I think parents should trust their instincts. A parent usually knows their child well enough to know when something is wrong.

The signs of physical abuse can be pretty obvious...bruises, cuts etc. There are also often behavioural signs that a child is being sexually abused. A physically abused child may be fearful, shy away from being touched or be excessively shy.

The signs of sexual abuse can also be both physical and behavioural.
Physical signs can be bleeding in the genital area, showing signs of pain when sitting down, bruises or swelling in the genital area.
If a child shows sexually harmful behaviour or sexual behaviour that's inappropriate for their age that can be a sign that they've been abused. Destructive behaviour might also be an indicator.

I think the most important thing is to listen to your child.

Summary: Protecting children from child abuse.