Staff Reports
During April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Month, experts at Centerstone are urging parents help prevent child sex abuse by talking with their children about consent.
Consent is the approval of a specific action — usually physical touching such as hugging, kissing, or tickling. Children need to feel empowered by their parents and other adults to make choices regarding their bodies and comfort.
“Consent has to be given,” said Amanda McGeshick, teen pregnancy prevention program manager at Centerstone, which provides counseling services in Columbus and other area communities. “It needs to be an enthusiastic yes.”
“Child sexual abuse is touching or using children’s private parts to gain power and control,” said Tari Allan, trauma services manager at Centerstone. “Some examples of child sexual abuse are child pornography, using children for sexual acts, making a child witness sexual acts, and grooming. Any of these actions may result in legal action being taken and may cause severe trauma and distrust from the child.”
To increase awareness of child sexual abuse issues, there must be efforts to educate children, family, friends, educators, and community members. Centerstone suggested these ways for parents to reinforce consent:Teach boundaries. As a parent, it is your responsibility to clean diapers, give baths and even dress your child; take that opportunity to establish a boundary that no one is to touch their private parts. Explain while they are young the medical terminology for their private parts and set boundaries that even parents need to ask permission before helping to clean, bathe, and dress them. Teach them to set boundaries and make choices regarding their own body from an early age.
Give children a voice. In order to empower your children and their right to make choices and set boundaries, try to give them options by frequently asking choice-based questions (this or that). For example, let them choose what to wear and when they want to dress themselves as they start to get older. “Teach your children the importance of privacy from an early age,” says McGeshick, “Try to teach them phrases like ‘privacy please’ when they want to be alone or dress themselves as they begin to get older.”
Education. Teach friends, family, and community members that learning consent begins at home — everyone needs to ask permission before touching anyone, child or not.
According to the anti-sexual violence organization Rainn, in reported cases of child sexual abuse, 93% involve a perpetrator known to the victim (family members or acquaintances).
