This page includes sensitive terms and topics. It’s wonderful that you’re looking to learn more about how to talk to the kids you care for about their bodies. This is such an important part of abuse prevention! Just as you teach children that a nose is a nose, they need to know what to call their...
Healthy Sexual Development
These guidelines can help you create an environment to better protect your family from sexual abuse. By understanding what puts children at risk of sexual abuse, we can take actions to counter those risks. Together we can create a community safety net with information and assistance to protect...
More than a third of all sexual abuse of children is committed by someone under the age of 18. Children, particularly younger children, may take part in inappropriate interactions without understanding how it might be hurtful to others. For this reason, it may be more helpful to talk about a child’...
It can be hard to acknowledge that all of us, even children, are sexual beings, have sexual feelings and are curious about sex and sexuality. Children’s curiosity can lead to exploring their own and each other’s body parts by looking and touching. They may peek when family members are in the...
The Facts About Child Sexual Abuse Surveys of adults reveal that as many as one in three girls and one in six boys have been sexually abused before the age of eighteen. And the trauma of sexual abuse can affect the emotional and physical health of those children for the rest of their lives. Nine...
You can learn to recognize typical behaviors. If you are a parent or work with children, learning about sexual development is key to preventing child sexual abuse. You can learn to recognize typical behaviors -- as well as the concerning behaviors that need intervention. You can learn to talk to...
Creating safe environments for student athletes in both competitive and leisure sports activities is possible when all adults, including parents and those in athletic youth-serving programs, commit to learning warning signs when codes of conduct are breached, how to speak up when there is a concern...
Child sexual abuse can be a very confusing topic, both to adults and to children. Below are six clarifications of common misunderstandings many adults have articulated on our Helpline while attempting to make sense out of confusing situations. Child sexual abuse does not have to involve physical...
All children are curious about sex. The more children know about their own sexuality, the less likely it is that others will take advantage of them because of their lack of knowledge. Having ongoing conversations with children and teens about their own developing sexuality is an important part of...
You can find help to determine if sexual play between children is a problem. When presented with a sexual behavior in a child, it is not always obvious whether or not the behavior is anything to be concerned about. Knowing what is developmentally expected is the first place to start. Understanding...
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