I am a teacher in a Catholic school. I recently went through initial training in recognizing child sexual predators and their victims. As a father of two young daughters and teacher to 460 children, I found the following information especially alarming:
* 20% of all girls will have been sexually abused sometime during their childhood.
* 10% of all boys will have been sexually abused sometime during their childhood.
* Only 5% of sexual abuse allegations are made up. Generally the younger the child, the more likely the accusation is true. Believe your kids on this issue.
* Most victims are psychologically groomed or conditioned by perpetrators not to report the abuse.
* Most perpetrators know their victims and their families. Perpetrators are often: relatives, teachers, neighbors, coaches, clergy, extracurricular volunteers, etc. Very often they are the last people that you would suspect. They spend a great deal of time making themselves look good, and good with children. A lot of perpetrators abuse children for years or even decades before they are caught.
Talk to your kids about sexual abuse.
Watch out for people who want to (or who can) spend time alone with your child. Be very cautious about who you trust to be alone with your child.
Trust your gut.
eskimo
