Tips for Talking About Body Safety
Tips for Talking About Body Safety
Our team at ICPYAS is trained to talk to kids about things that make a lot of parents uncomfortable. It’s important for us to do that so that children are empowered with the skills and knowledge to lessen the likelihood of them becoming victims of child sexual abuse. I think our team does an amazing job of presenting this information in a way that preserves the innocence of childhood, but ultimately it is up to parents to continue the conversation at home.
If you haven’t had this conversation, I’m going to share a few easy ways to get the conversation started. If you have talked about personal safety at home, you can use these tips to continue that conversation. You can start these conversations even with a child as young as two or three.
1. Start talking about boundaries when children are young.
2. Teach proper names for body parts. Giving children the language to identify private body parts is critical in cases of possible abuse.
3. An easy way for young children to understand private body parts is to use the bathing suit zone…anywhere that a bathing suit covers is a private body part. Private body parts (or the bathing suit zone) are just that…private and others should not be touching or looking at them.
4. Give some examples of touch that can be ok, for example at the doctor’s office with a parent/guardian or nurse present, bathing young children, changing diapers, etc.
5. Tell the child they have the right to say “NO” to any touch that is uncomfortable for them. This means that even if Aunt Susie demands a hug when she comes to visit, your child can say no. Don’t force children to give hugs, kisses, or sit on someone’s lap.
6. Teach children about secrets. Safe adults will not ask a child to keep a secret. Let them know that all secrets can be told.
7. Help them identify the safe adults in their life. This may include parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, or a Sunday school teacher. Not all people in those roles may be a safe adult for every child. This list will be different for everyone.
8. Make sure they know if they go to someone for help and they aren’t believed or they don’t get help, they should keep telling until someone helps them! Sometimes adults don’t respond in the way a child needs, maybe because they don’t know how or they’re afraid of getting someone in trouble. Ensuring that children know to keep telling until they get help is key.
9. Make sure your child knows that NO MATTER what happens, abuse is never a child’s fault.
10. Educate yourself on the warning signs and how to react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Consider taking Stewards of Children! We offer this training free to the community once per month. Visit our website for upcoming dates.
Talking to kids about body safety doesn’t have to be scary! These are just a few ideas to help you get started (if you haven’t already), there are more resources available on our website.
Happy chatting!
If you suspect child abuse, please call the Indiana Department of Child Services at 1-800-800-5556. Everyone in the state of Indiana is a mandated reporter, meaning if you suspect child abuse, you are required by law to report it. You do not need to be 100% certain or have all the details. You can even report anonymously.