What Every Child Should Know...

A child's best protection is an ability to think and respond quickly. Practice problem solving with your children. Play pretend games that help your child know what to do in different kinds of dangerous situations that might happen when they're walking home from school, playing outside, or going to the store.

A child's second best protection is an ability to trust their own instincts. Help your child to trust themselves and to get away and get help when they sense danger, or when they feel that something someone is saying or doing isn't right. Let your child know that it's okay to scream, hit, bite, run and do anything else they need to do to get away from someone that threatens them.

Basic safety tips are important for everyone to know. Make learning about safety tips a family event. Children need to know to use a buddy system, to refuse gifts from strangers, avoid isolated places and strangers who want to take their picture, and so much more. Make sure you give clear, age appropriate instructions.

Adults don't need help from children to solve their problems. Teach children the difference between people who are trying to help them and people who are trying to hurt or trick them. Child molesters often trick children into "helping" them so that the child will come close enough to grab, or go with them willingly. Some tricks these adults use are: telling the child that there is an emergency, asking for help to find a lost puppy or kitten, asking for directions, asking to help with groceries, and even help to move a car.

Learn the facts about child sexual assault and incest. Knowledge is power. Don't be afraid to change your opinions if the truth is different than what you learned when you were a child.

Know how to identify when your child has been abused. Consider calling for help or making a police report if your child shows:
-- Unexplained bruises or other injuries
-- Extreme aggression or extreme withdrawal
-- Signs of fear of a relative or caretaker, or of going to someone's home
-- Explicit knowledge of sexual acts or sexualized behavior inappropriate for the child's age
-- Sudden changes in the child's behavior, including a sudden inability to concentrate in school or interest in friends or favorite activities

Believe what your child tells you if they say they've been abused. Children, like other survivors of assault, often don't feel comfortable talking about something bad that happened to them, especially if they think you won't believe them. Let your child know that it's okay to tell you if anyone abuses them, even if it's a neighbor, friend or family member.

There's safety in numbers. Work with other parents in your neighborhood to form a safety network or neighborhood watch group. Learn about programs that help parents know when registered sex offenders relocate to your community. Ask local businesses to join your safety network, displaying a sign in the window that lets kids know where they can go if they feel they're in danger.