Preventing Child Sexual Abuse

The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages the following child sexual abuse prevention steps for parents:

• Teach your child about the privacy of body parts.
• Listen when your child tries to tell you something, especially when it seems hard for her to talk about it.
• Give your child enough of your time and attention.
• Know who your child is spending time with. Be careful about letting your child to spend time in out of the way places with other adults or older children. Make visits to your child's caregiver without notice. Ask your child about his visits to the caregiver or child sitter.
• Check to see if your child's school has an abuse prevention program for the teachers and children. If it doesn't, advocate to get one started.
• Talk to your child about sexual abuse. A good time to do this is when your child's school is sponsoring a program about sexual abuse.
• Tell someone in authority if you suspect that your child is being abused.

Adapted from: Bright Futures in Practice, Mental Health; American Academy of Pediatrics. April, 1995. Child Sexual Abuse: What It Is and How to Prevent It: Guidelines for Parents. Elk Grove Village, Illinois: American Academy of Pediatrics, 1999