In a report I heard today, 1 in 4 girls aged between 0 - 18 and 1 in 7 boys aged 0 - 18 have been sexually abused. That means that for every three.five people you know, one of them has been sexually abused.

When dealing with pedophiles there are only two sides, for and against. There are no shades of grey. As adults we must take a stand. We are either for it or against it. You cannot sit on the fence. If I was to ask you ‘are you for or against child sexual abuse?’ What would your answer be? Because there is no shades of grey, we must be pro-actively against it or fundamentally for it. You cannot be in the middle or not caring, because if you are not against it, you are by in-action for it.

Being pro-active against pedophiles doesn’t mean violence against pedophiles. It means being active in the protection of your children. Pedophiles seek out trusting people. Pedophiles seek out nice people. Pedophiles form friendships and relationships with their victims families. How? Pedophiles are ‘nice’ people. Pedophiles work where we work. Pedophiles blend into society like other normal people.

To be pro-active we need to educate our children. Sexual education with children can be a difficult subject to broach. Get together with your “Mum’s Club” or your “Dad’s Club” and discuss the education ideas. Being pro-active and educated has saved us and our kids very recently and it could save you and your kids. Even with all the headlines that are around, I am astounded that parents often think that it won’t happen to them and their kids.

As a guide to ‘knowing’ when to educate your children, use their language as a rule of thumb. If they can understand simple language, then you use simple lanaguage. It doesn’t have to be scientifically correct for it to be beneficial. As the child grows older you can use more complex lanaguage and terms that are understandable by the child.

So why this entry you might ask? It doesn’t have anything to do with Emotions. But it does. Protecting your children from sexually depraved individuals is right up there with food, water and shelter as a basic need. By protecting your child from these individuals, you are in essence protecting their valuable emotional assets

More on this subject coming…

Tim Chard