GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) – How can you protect you kids from sexual abuse?
"One in four girls will be sexually abused by the time she's 18. One in 6 boys,” said Elaine Cabinum-foeller.
They’re scary numbers no one wants to hear.
Cabinum-foeller, from the TEDI-BEAR children's advocacy center, works with the treatment, evaluation, and prevention of child sexual abuse.
She says the key to prevention is talking with your children at an early age.
"You need to start talking to them about what are safe and unsafe touches and what are private parts - private parts are the areas of your body covered by your bathing suit,” she said.
Child development and family relations professor Sandra Triebenbacher agrees.
"2, 3 years old is not too young for children to learn that I have ownership and no one has the right to hurt me or touch me in a way I feel uncomfortable with,” said Triebenbacher
But many parents don't know how to go about talking about things.
“Doing it in honest developmentally appropriate terms is necessary because we want the info to come from knowledgeable, trusted adults in their lives,” explained Triebenbacher.
“If you child starts to talk to you, listen to them. Let them tell you what their worried about,” Cabinum-foeller said.
They also say be aware of who your child is with.
“It’s not the person in the trench coat that we have to worry about it's the person that has begun to build a relationship with that child,” said Triebenbacher.
“Minimize the opportunity, the majority of children, 85% or more are abused especially in child sex abuse, by someone they know and trust,” said Cabinum-foeller.
And most importantly keep the lines of communication open.
“Knowledge is power and that's what we want for all our children,” said Triebenbacher.
“It’s all about building that relationship overtime and letting your children understand that they can come to you if they have questions and you're going to help them figure it out, “ explained Cabinum-foeller.
You can find more tips and information from TEDI-BEAR.
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