Prevent sexual abuse in children

The sexual abuse of children is something really serious and the worst option is de to do nothing , to look the other way or to act as if they did not exist or not they could exist. Leaving things as they were has been the way for abuses to remain. Unfortunately there are no tricks or magic words th

The sexual abuse of children is something really serious and the worst option is de to do nothing , to look the other way or to act as if they did not exist or not they could exist. Leaving things as they were has been the way for abuses to remain. Unfortunately there are no tricks or magic words that can guarantee, with absolute certainty, to avoid possible situations of sexual abuse in childhood, but some advice to try to avoid it. Keys to prevent sexual abuse in childrenPutting common sense is knowing how to face the problem, sin but without falling into traps by approaching it with haste or anxiety. This topic is important enough not to go through shortcuts. Children who are most vulnerable to possible sexual abuse are those who do not know how to talk about sexuality or who do not have anyone with whom. Therefore, the most important keys to prevent sexual abuse are:

1. Silence does not protect

. Talk to your child or your daughter about sexuality and learn that you can talk about everything related to sexuality. It is a way of guaranteeing that 'if something happens' I will probably tell you about it. If the subject has never been discussed at home, the child undoubtedly lacks that support. 2. Intimacy

. It is not the same if, for example, the child has learned that the sexual has to do with the sphere of intimacy or with the sphere of the forbidden. And this is something that is learned when, for example, before the behavior of stroking the genitals in public, you are told 'this here or now is NOT done' instead of just 'this is NOT done'. It seems sensible to think that much more is prevented by teaching what is 'intimacy', than by focusing sexuality on 'the forbidden'.3. Teach her to decide.

The third key that helps prevention, since as a parent or as a mother one is left with the feeling of 'having the duties done', is that ofteaching to make small decisions

, which in some way implies that the boy or girl learn what is considered. In order to learn to say yes or no to important things (such as saying NO to a potential abuse situation), it is essential to first have done something similar in the face of apparently insignificant situations with positive results. In short, there is no better way to try to preventchildhood sexual abuse than to try

Sexual Education with a capital . That is, the one that points in the direction of helping children learn to know each other, to accept each other and to express their sexuality in a way that is satisfactory. What obviously has to mean that there is no presence of sexual abuse or other problems. Carlos de la Cruz Doctor in Psychology and SexologistDirector Official Master in Sexology UCJC-IUNIVES


Vice President Association "Sexuality and Disability"