How To Protect Children From Pedophiles

With all the media attention that the Jeffrey Epstein case brought to pedophiles, it has shined a bright light onto an unfortunate reality. Some people are sexually attracted to children and take action based on their attraction. Keeping your children safe from these predators is important, and knowing how to protect children from pedophiles is a key part of any family’s safety strategy. Being able to spot a pedophile and teaching your children how certain behaviors can reduce the chances of your child being targeted by one of these heinous predators.

Teach Your Children The Correct Names Of Genitalia

It’s commonly agreed that talking to your kids about this kind of stuff is hard and can feel a little bit awkward. How do you even sit a five-year-old down to tell them that what’s in their pants is called a penis or vagina? Many parents opt to use more “child-friendly” names when referring to genitalia, and this is a problem because many pedophiles do the same thing as a way to disarm a child.

It is imperative that your child knows the proper anatomical name of these body parts so they don’t get lulled into a false sense of security by the cutesy names that pedophiles will very often use to refer to genitals. If your child knows the proper name, they’ll be better equipped to notice when an adult is being sexual towards them.

Be Active In Your Child’s Life

Pedophiles will often target children that appear to be distant from their parents. So, make sure that you make time for your kids’ sports games, dance recitals, all of their events. This will make them a more difficult person for a pedophile to target in public. Also, make sure to keep track of your kid. Check in with them from time to time, ask what they’re doing and who they’re with, meet your child’s friend’s parents. A strong, well-connected family is one of the best defenses against a sexual predator targeting your children.

Encourage Your Child Trusting Their Intuition

Your intuition is a powerful tool, it has evolved with humanity for thousands and thousands of years to help keep us out of danger, and even as a child, many people have strong intuition. Tell your child that if someone, especially an adult, is making them uncomfortable to let it be known. Having nice, polite children is pleasant, but them understanding their boundaries and putting their comfort and safety first will keep them safe.

In the same vein, teach your kids to have strong boundaries. This also involves you respecting their boundaries, so make sure to sit down and have conversations with them to see what you can do to be better parents for them. At first, this can be really hard to hear because most of us want to believe that we are the greatest parents on the face of the planet, but just like with any relationship you have to communicate and respect boundaries. If your child is requesting something unreasonable, make sure that you communicate to them why it’s unreasonable calmly and try to find a middle ground that works for you. Also, if your child doesn’t want to hug a family member don’t make them. This teaches them that others have a right to touch them even if they don’t want to be touched by that person, and makes it harder for them to see when a pedophile is trying to victimize them.

Safety Should Always Come First

Whether protecting your children from pedophiles or teaching them to cross the road without getting hit by a car, safety is always important. Make sure that your child understands that their boundaries need to be respected and are important, and do your best to lead by example. Raising a child is hard, and knowing that pedophiles exist in this world just makes it that much more difficult. With a little bit of practice and co-operation, you can teach your children to navigate these complex, difficult situations with ease.