Underage sex means having sex or engaging in sexual activity with a person below the age of consent distinguished by the law. A law is established to determine the age of consent in all countries. A person is not allowed to be involved in any kind of sexual activity even if they prefer to do so.
Every person has the privilege to decide what to do or don’t want to do sexually. But it should not be a compulsion which leads to sexual abuse. Sexual abuse refers to an intimidating activity when a person compels to do something sexually, that the other person hesitates to do. Sexual abuse includes forced sexual behavior towards women, men, and children by women, men, and children.
How To Teach Children To Speak Up About Sexual Abuse?
✅ Educate Your Child
All children must know and learn as much information as they can about underage sex and sexual abuse to be safe and prevent themselves from doing it. A parent may have the biggest impact on a child’s life to prevent the risk of sexual abuse to them by educating them about sexual awareness. The parents have to advise, instruct, and educate about statutory sex and sexual abuse within the laws of the country. Parental monitoring in all stages and proportions guides a child’s life with a gracious individuality and helps to build a courteous aspect in a child’s life.
✅ Safety Conversations With The Children
It is important to create a conversation about safety and sexual assaults between parents and children. Parents think it is too early to have a discussion on body safety with their children. They think the children are too young or feel scared to start an early conversation on sexual awareness with them. It is never too soon nor it should be a scary conversation to speak about body safety and create awareness in them. There are a few things that only a parent can teach their children. A child will learn about body parts and body boundaries only from their respective parents which means that there are no body secrets within them.
✅ Create A Space For Communication
Communication is important. The child should feel comfortable sharing a body secret only with the parents. A basic thing we miss to create is a bonding relationship with the children. Spending time with children helps to understand more about them. Taking time to listen to them, giving them answering attention, and taking their concerns intensely, will pave the way for children to share their distress personally with the parents. We must strengthen them to speak about their feelings and experiences daily.
✅ Maintain Personal Safety Line
Educate the child to maintain binding rules with others. Let it be family members, outsiders, strangers, people they know, people they see, classmates, and even other children. It is challenging for children to distinguish between the good and the bad at a very young age.
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✅ Observe Adulthood In Themselves And Lecture
Children should be empowered with knowledge of their body parts and private body parts periodically. By parental observation, they should be guided perfectly in different stages of their body development and lectured appropriately. A child should be brave enough to know inappropriate touches, contacts, and glances. This will help them to stay warned to avoid unwanted and scary situations.
✅ Teach Them Safe And Unsafe Conditions
Teach your children to say ‘NO’ to unwanted touch or activity that feels uncomfortable for them. The child should recognize their own body and understand the unfair touch or glances at the body. Children should be taught to respond to awkward situations and share them with an elderly person they trust immediately.
✅ Differentiate The Sense Of Fear And Boldness
Children cannot reveal their feelings of fear and anxiety to their parents. They might come across different frightening situations outside and find it difficult to confront them. But not for sexual abuse. The parents should differentiate the senses on how to react to bad situations and act boldly to stay away from unpleasant situations.
✅ Cautious Internet Exposure
Another important and deferred area is the exposure to the internet. Deficient knowledge for a growing child can be hazardous. It is important to monitor all the internet activities of a child and teach them the advantages and disadvantages appropriately. Make it a habit to review internet safety measures and be cautious of suspicious links and advertisements on the internet.
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Conclusion
Every country has distinctive laws for protection. Laws are made to protect people and not to spoil their happiness. There are laws imposed for almost all differential activities and practices. When a person realizes the outcome of a law, he/she is defined to follow righteousness and make way for a better future in all aspects of life.