There are few things worse than finding out your child has been molested. The pain is unimaginable! If you happen to be in this predicament, I empathize with you.

If you worry about protecting your precious little ones from the pedophiles out there, read on.

Studies have shown time after time that a higher proportion of this heinous crime is carried out by someone known to the child and family, meaning there is usually an element of trust and a breach of trust.

Parents tend to be more protective and vigilant with their female kids but as we have all found out, no gender is safe from being molested, remember the catholic priests scandal that almost took down the Vatican.

I get to interact with kids and their parents in the course of my work and make it a point of advising every child age three upwards not to allow anybody pull their pants down or skirts up without their parents being there. That way a child learns early that this act is not okay as familial pedophiles tend to ease in with a little peek-a-boo a time to get the child comfortable with the molestation act.

Here are a few preventative steps to keep kids safe:

1. Trust your guts and follow your intuition. If you don’t feel safe around someone, your child should not be with them.
2. If your state maintains one, do an online search for registered sex offenders within a 5 mile radius of your home address. You should not live in fear or hostility but simply being aware allows you to take the blinders off and be more vigilant.
3. If your child walks to school, try to see that he or she walks to school in a group with friends. A child alone is an easy target.
4. Have your child take martial art or self defense classes. Enrollment can start at age 3 in some centers.

The book “Your Body Belongs to You” available at SlimyBookworm.com is a good start to bringing up the discussion of child abuse prevention with your kid.

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