We can't supervise our children 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure their safety, nor would this be developmentally appropriate as they grow older. We can be informed, and we can inform our children. Knowledge is power. First and foremost, we have to acknowledge that sexual abuse is prevalent in our society. Some estimates are as high as one in three girls and one in five boys will be sexually molested in their lifetime.
Sexual abuse happens in all socioeconomic strata, in all cultures and within every ethnic grouping.
The person most likely to sexually abuse your child is someone you and your child know and trust. The inappropriate behavior is then posed as a special game, a shared secret, teaching about bodies or some other manipulation. Most children who are sexually abused experience feelings of guilt, shame and fearfulness of what the repercussions of telling would be. This is what makes sexual abuse so insidious. Second, we need to have open communication with our children about their right to their own bodies, and what to do if someone tries to touch them inappropriately.