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April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
5 Steps to Protecting Children
These steps form a framework for preventing child sexual abuse. They can help you become aware of the scope of the issue, take actionable steps toward both preventing and responding to abuse and create safer environments for the children in your life. They act as a guide for developing protective behaviors against abuse.
Step 1: If we don’t understand child sexual abuse, we can’t end it. It is highly likely that you know a child who has been or is being abused. Experts estimate that 1 in 10 children are sexually abused before their 18th birthday.
Step 2: Safe environments can help reduce the risk of abuse. More than 80% of sexual abuse cases occur in isolated, one-on-one situations. Make sure interactions with children can be observed and interrupted.
Step 3: Talking openly breaks down barriers and reduces stigma. Children often keep abuse a secret, but talking openly about our bodies, sex and boundaries can encourage children to share and feel safe.
Step 4: Signs of abuse aren’t always obvious, but they are often there. Emotional or behavioral changes are often the most common signs, rather than physical evidence. Trauma may be the root of what is typically labelled ‘bad’ or ‘difficult’ behavior.
Step 5: It’s our responsibility to react appropriately to suspicion, disclosure, or discovery of abuse. Only 4% to 8% of reports of all sexual abuse are false. Understand how to respond to risky behaviors and suspicions or reports of abuse. To learn practical ways to effectively implement all five steps, Darkness to Light offers Stewards of Children®, an in-depth training available both online and in-person. To learn more or get trained, visit www.D2L.org
To access the full article on steps to take for protecting children from abuse, click here.
