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Resources

The FBI’s Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety

The FBI has published an excellent guide for parents to protect their children online. You can download it (in pdf format) here. We have also developed a flyer for parents and children on internet safety, which you can download (in pdf format) here.

National Child Abuse Prevention Organizations

(Please note that these organizations are listed here for information only. We do not endorse or sponsor any of these organization or their specific activities, nor do we assume responsibility for the content of their websites)

For more information on child abuse, sexual abuse, training and education, visit or contact the following organizations:

Childhelp USA® – National Child Abuse Hotline
800-4-A-CHILD® (1-800-422-4453)
www.childhelpusa.org

Prevent Child Abuse America
www.preventchildabuse.org

Prevent Child Abuse New York
1-800-CHILDREN
www.preventchildabuseny.org

Please note: We provide referral information for these resources solely for your information. We are not responsible for their policies, the views they express, the products and services they offer, or the content of their materials or websites.

About Sexual Abuse

The Facts of Sexual Abuse

  1. The majority of sexual abusers are known to the victim and their family. However, “stranger danger” is also a possibility.
  2. Numerous experts predict that 1 in 3 girls will be sexually abused before age 18 and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused in his youth.
  3. Men and women, as well as children and young adults can perform sexual abuse.  A majority of molesters are men over age 18.
  4. Molesters attain greater power when adults see something, like an ‘accidental slip’ of the hand, but say nothing to stop or prevent inappropriate behavior.
  5. New York State has some of the Nation’s strongest child protection laws and conviction for a sexual assault of a child. Conviction can result in extensive jail time.

 

Identifying Child Molesters:

  1. There are no hard and fast rules about what “makes” a person a child molester. The reality is that sex offenders can be anyone, any gender, any creed, race or age.  They can be a family member, a friend or stranger.
  2. Child molesters may take on certain types of behavior like having few adult friends, being socially distant with adults, or having keen interest in friendships with minors and doing favors for them or giving gifts.
  3. Molesters are sometimes known to ‘groom’ the children, parents and community — lulling them into a false sense of security and trust. They blend into the surroundings, befriend children and parents alike, and become beyond reproach and blame.
  4. Sexual offenders often start young, ‘peeping toms’ or lewdness starts anywhere from age 8 on and acts/assaults tend to escalate in severity.
  5. Offenders are often seeking power over someone weak and trusting. They may or may not maintain ‘normal’ physical relationships with adults.
  6. Misunderstood “non-injury” abuse and actions could include anything from tickling, roughhousing, and voyeurism, to wrestling and/or caressing.
For Children and Young Adults

Stuff for Younger Kids

Your whole body is private and belongs to you.

Some parts of your body are extra special and they are “off limits” to touching unless there’s a good reason (like keeping you clean, healthy, and safe). These are the parts of your body that would be covered even when you go swimming.

So it’s okay for your Mom or your Dad to clean your baby brother or sister when they change their diaper or give a bath. It’s also okay for the Doctor to check you when you visit for a checkup or because you are sick. All of these things are meant to keep you, the child, clean, healthy, or safe.

Here’s an easy way to remember. It’s called “The Bathing Suit Rule”: No one should touch you on any part of your body that is covered by your bathing suit.

If anyone ever tries to touch you in those places say, “STOP! I DON’T LIKE THAT!” in a very loud voice. You should do this even if the person who is trying to touch you like that is a relative, a neighbor, a teacher, or a priest.

You should do the same if the older kid or grownup asks you to touch them on parts of their body that would be covered by a bathing suit.

Always tell your Mom or your Dad or another safe adult whenever that happens. If it happens again, tell them again. ALWAYS KEEP TELLING until someone makes it stop.

ALWAYS TELL, even if the bigger kid or grownup who touched you told you not to tell.

No matter what any bigger kid or grownup tells you, that kind of touching is NEVER your fault, even if you couldn’t avoid being touched. If that happens, ALWAYS TELL your Mom or your Dad or another safe adult.

What if you find a touch confusing? What if you’re not sure if it’s a “bad” touch? You should always tell your Mom or your Dad or another safe adult. They can help you sort out whether or not the touch was bad.

If you get an “Uh, oh!” feeling or just any kind of uncomfortable feeling about the way an older kid or grownup touched you, trust that feeling! Then tell your Mom or your Dad or another safe adult. They’ll help you to sort it all out.

How do you tell when a touch is not okay?

When the person says that the touching is a secret.

Secrets are not okay!

When the person tries to scare you into not telling anybody. The person might say, “You’ll get into trouble if you tell,” or “I’ll hurt your Mommy if you tell anybody.”

Saying scary things is not okay!

When you feel icky about the way the person touched you. When you get an “Uh, oh!” feeling.

Icky feelings are not okay!

When the person won’t stop touching you even though you said, “No! Stop!”

This is definitely not okay!

What kind of tricks might a person try on you?

To be able to touch you in a bad way, an older kid or a grownup might give you expensive gifts or things your parents wouldn’t give you, like the things you really want. “I’ll give you some money to buy that toy you want.” “I’ll let you stay up as late as you want.”

S/he might try to scare you. “If you don’t let me do this, I won’t be your friend.” “I would get into a lot of trouble if you tell anybody about this.” “I’ll tell all your friends you did it anyway and then they won’t want to play with you.”

S/he might try to confuse you. “Doesn’t that feel good? Why wouldn’t you want to be touched like that? Don’t you like to feel good?” “Everybody likes to be touched like this.”

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Stuff For Older Kids

When you’re on the internet

When you use the Internet, don’t visit chat rooms with people you don’t know.

Keep your identity private. Never give any personal information (for example, your name or address or phone number) to people you don’t know.

Never respond to an e-mail, instant message, or chat comment that are inappropriate or make you feel uncomfortable.

Be wary when someone asks you to leave the public chat room (usually monitored) to join them in a private chat room (unmonitored).

Be wary of chat room participants who say that you are mature for your age or ask for personal information or even a photograph.

Never arrange to meet someone you met on-line without your Mother, Father or guardian’s permission and supervision.

Remember that a lot of grownups with bad intentions pretend to be kids when they go on the Internet. This is so they can take advantage of kids and teenagers.

In visiting websites or chat rooms always ask yourself: “What would my Mother or  think if they saw me doing this or reading this?”

Other things to be watchful for

Sexual predators often treat you like you’re much older and more mature than you are.

They may show you pornography or “talk dirty” to you about sex.

They may be touching you all the time – stroking your hair, rubbing your neck or shoulders, hugging you.

They may allow you to use alcohol or drugs in their presence.

They may let you do other stuff that your parents wouldn’t allow.

They may give you expensive gifts or inappropriate (too personal) gifts.

They will tell you to keep all these things from your parents or other adults. Be wary of any “secret clubs” where the predator will engage in these activities.

Why do sexual predators do these things?

To test the limits of what you will permit (in terms of touching) and what you will participate in (in terms of the pornography, alcohol, drugs, or other forbidden things).

To make you feel obligated to them. For example, if I allow you to do forbidden things, if I buy beer for you, if I give you expensive gifts without expecting anything in return – don’t you feel a little obligated to me?

You can feel obligated in another way. If you have done things that you know your parent disapproves of or that you would get in trouble for doing, how can you now go and tell your parents about it?

To make you feel as though whatever happened, you wanted to happen, or you allowed it to happen. Or maybe you enjoyed the attention you were getting, or the gifts you received. Maybe the activity was fun for you. So, how can you complain now? You wanted this to happen.

Always remember

These are tricks that sexual predators use to build up enough of a relationship with a kid to use him or her sexually. That’s all they are.

It’s never your fault. You’ve done nothing wrong.  No one has the right to make you feel at fault.

An adult who is taking sexual advantage of a minor is always at fault, and is always breaking the law.

If an adult – even one you like very much – ever does any of these things, tell your parents or another safe adult right away.

Keep telling, until someone makes it stop.

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