Prevention

Until things change, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted or abused by age 18. Parents, guardians, schools, and communities share a responsibility to use proven strategies to protect all children, especially minorities, from sexual violence so young people can build positive, healthy relationships throughout their lives.

No Profile For People Who Abuse

One of the first things to understand about preventing child sexual abuse is that there is no profile for sexual abusers. What this means is that abusers can come from any profession, any sexuality, any religion, can be any age (including teenagers and children), and any social status.When children are the victims of sexual abuse, the person who abuses them is a person they know. This is true 90% of the time.

Community members should be aware that there are behavioral signs you can watch for and a way to have conversations with people you may be concerned about, as well as plans that individuals and families can put in place and ways to teach children that they have a right to their body. There are also systemic prevention steps that can be taken, and ways to educate children about sexual health topics including healthy relationships, dealing with peer pressure, personal boundaries, and more.