Teaching Safety Skills
Although we cannot completely protect children from sexual abuse it is still important to take steps to enhance their safety by giving them certain information and ideas for support.
The four main parts of developing safety strategies are:
1) Increasing body awareness-knowing names of public and private parts of the body.
2) Knowing different feelings and how express them.
3) Knowing touching or other behaviours that are safe and unsafe, public and private, respectful and disrespectful.
4) Knowing that there are people in a child’s network they can tell if something unsafe has happened to them.
- It is important that your child feels as comfortable as possible to be able to talk about anything, including private matters.
- Teach your child that sometimes adults or bigger people will make children do things that are uncomfortable and then ask that they keep it a secret.
- It is important for children to know that secrets are not always to be kept.
- Teach your child the difference between good and bad touching, the difference between affection and abuse.
- Teach your child the names of body parts so they can say or point out which parts have been touched. To know that no one has the right to touch their private parts.
- Role play with your child. What would you do if someone asked you to come and see their new dog? Or asked you if they could rub cream on your body.
- Teach your child to tell you or someone else they trust if someone has done something to hurt them or make them feel uncomfortable such as touching them or asking them to touch him or trying to get them to undress. Tell them they will never get in trouble.
- To give children protective behaviours it is important they have sexual knowledge, know the parts of their body and feelings-what feels OK and not OK.
- A network of people they know they could safely tell something like this to.
- Teach your child that secret games should not be played with an adult. Games should be fun and shared with anyone and not kept a secret.
- Teach your child to trust their feelings. If they don’t like something that someone said or did then tell someone.
- When they ask for help and that person ignores them then find someone else.
An Extract From Catch A Falling Star. Rosie’s Place Pub. 2003.
A child is never without adult company for very long.
And the purpose of that company is to hold them, guide them, teach them and protect them.
Safe adults in a child’s life are as important as the air they breathe.
|
