Sexual assault on children is a growing crime. And sexual offenders do not commit this crime randomly. Rather, they employ a system called grooming which eventually gains the trust of children before the criminal act is committed. As a parent, the best way to protect your child from being sexually molested or abused is to prevent your kid from being groomed. The following lists the ten ways about how you can do that.

1) Know The Enemies

The most important way of preventing kids from being abused is to know what sexual aggressors typically do. When you understand how offenders think and how they go about the grooming process, you can greatly increase the safety of your child and that of other children.

The usual advances that sexual predators make always start with gaining the potential victim’s and the family’s belief and reliance. Then, after gaining the young victim’s trust, the aggressor will acquaint the child with different types of sexual contact and other unsuitable acts. In the end, the victim, or your child, will be exploited with the use of vile threats and deception to cover the act of sexual aggression.

2) Know The Friends

A large percentage of sexual crimes against children have been committed by people known or close to the victim. By knowing all the people who spends a lot of time with your child, you will be able to detect patterns in some of these people that may serve as early warning signals against a potential sexual aggressor.

Sexual offenders usually groom their victims by being extraordinarily pleasant and accommodating to their target victims!!! An older person who prefers the companionship of children may be signs that the person is a potential offender.

3) Trust Your Instincts

When someone is grooming your child, you will definitely feel it in your gut. A good parent knows that something wrong is going on with a child. And before something worse happens, like sexual assault, you should act immediately. It does not matter if your suspicions or instincts are mistaken, what is important is being able to save your child from a sexual offender.

4) Listen To Your Child

Your child’s stories are replete with clues and other information about the people they spend time with. By listening carefully to your child, you may uncover facts about personalities or characters that should serve as warning signals that your child is being groomed by sexual offenders.

5) Open Communication Lines With Your Child

By simply allowing an open communication between you and your child, the more chances that your child will tell you about the people in his or her circle. Children tend to be more open and descriptive about their stories if they are encouraged to freely have chitchat with their parents.

6) Educate Your Child

Equip your child with the knowledge of what happens in the real world. Teach your child about what makes a certain act or touch malicious; and this is not the time to be queasy about it. Knowing what constitutes bad-natured advances will allow your child to recognize threats early on.

7) Investigate Doubtful Behavior

There are times when your suspicions and instincts are wrong. While ensuring your child’s safety should be at the top of your list, you must also know the facts behind your suspicions. Investigating and validating your suspicious behavior will allow you to form a cohesive case for law enforcers to investigate; which in the long run, will also save other children from being victimized.

Cut Off Contact Between Child And Suspected Offender

As soon as you suspect that your child is being groomed by a sexual offender, you must cut off your child’s contact with that person. It is always better to stop the criminal intent before it actually happens to your child.

9) Teach Your Child To Say No

More often than not, potential sexual offenders will try to use all manner of allurement to groom and gain the confidence and faith of your child. The bribes come in all forms; from as basic as candies and other munchies to expensive favors like free carnival treats and the latest gadgets. Teaching your child to just say no to these favors may save him or her from sexual predators.

10) Be With Your Child

Nothing beats being with your child for most of the time. In their growing-up years, children are always looking for someone they could look up to. And who would play a better hero other than you? Making time for your child even if you have been busy at work will surely make your child feel special; when that happens, he or she will not need to seek attention from other people who, in the end, could be wolves dressed as sheep.

Protect yourself and your family!

Written by: OSAblogger / Bill Wardell - Please Read Our Latest OSA eZine Edition

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OSA Technorati Tags: crimes against children, criminal act, early warning, sexual aggression, sexual crimes, sexual predators

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