Ways To Protect Kids From Child Abuse

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Child abuse is a social and cultural evil that is ruining the childhood of many innocent kids. As parents your first and foremost duty is to ensure that your kids do not go through child abuse. But it is not as simple as it sounds. You need to be a very vigilant parent to protect your kids from child abuse. The biggest problem is that kids do not understand the definition of 'abuse'. That is why, they often don't realise there are being abused by elders.

If you want to protect your child against abuse, you must first explain to them what it means.

Explain 'Child Abuse' To Kids
It is not easy to explain child abuse to your kids. As parents we are reluctant to use inflammatory words like 'sex' or 'molestation' in front of our kids. But silence is the biggest confidante of child abusers. You must talk to your kids openly and you will realise that they will comprehend much more than you thought they are capable of. One simple way to explain child abuse to kids, is to say that they must not allow anyone to touch their 'swim suit zone' or private parts.

Parenting Tips To Protect Against Child Abuse
Inspite of explaining to kids, there is no full-proof protection against abuse. You need to follow some vigilant parenting tips to be able to protect your child against abuse.

• Look out for potential child abusers
  Child abusers are not always apparent in their tendencies. However, if you see that someone is getting too close to your child or trying take your child out of your sight, there is good reason to suspect them.
• Don't leave kids alone with 'uncles' and 'aunts'
  Do not live in the misconception that your close friends and family members can never abuse your child. It is very often your closest family members who take advantage of the child's innocence.
• Don't cuddle my kid
  If you see that older children at school or in your neighbourhood are cuddling your kid too much, then put a stop to it. Speak to parents of these older children if need be.
• Look for signs of abuse
  If your child suffers from abuse despite your vigilance, then you can still put a stop to it. It is believed that a sexually abused child suffers from unexplained abdominal pain and other phantom pains.
• Unexplained fear
  If your child is strangely scared of a person then you need to investigate the cause of that fear. It could be his or her teacher, a family friend or an older cousin. You must win the confidence of your child and then ask them why they are scared.

These parenting tips can help you protect your child from abuse. If you have first hand experience in dealing with an abused child, then please share your experience with us.