What a sad world we live in…I was driving home from dropping my son at school this morning when an advert about child abuse played in the radio. It was for the charity – NSPCCÂ https://www.nspcc.org.uk/.
A parent was talking to her child and they were discussing the “underwear rule”. The girl was telling her mum that if someone other than her parents touches her beneath her underwear that she must tell someone and that she will get a reward for doing so.
It’s a sad state of affairs that adverts like these even have to be created. The reality is that there are opportunistic people out there who have the capacity to use a situation to their advantage and do so. Not all adults that molest children have a sexual preference for children. The minority are classed as paedophiles whilst the majority have a ‘thinking problem’ rather than a sexual preference for children. Thus majority often have ‘cross-overs’ into committing rape and other offences.
Often, the molester is known to the child and groom the child over a long period in order to build up trust.
I worked with paedophiles early on in my career in mental health and found the cases that had molested children to be the most affable, likeable people when just viewing them without considering their crime. This makes sense though as they need to be trustworthy and kind in order to gain the trust of their child victims.
There isn’t a specific look that a paedophile has so don’t be lured into the stereotypical idea of what a child molester’s appearance will be.
Tips:
Don’t become paranoid about possible child molesters as children pick up on this.
Be vigilant and be careful about who you trust to look after your children in your absence.
Be wary of time on the internet. Cyber sex crime is on the rise.
Do contact the police if you are concerned about someone behaving inappropriately.
Educate your children from a young age about what is appropriate behaviour and what isn’t
Always maintain open communication with your children. Often, if something is going on they might be afraid to tell their parents as they are unsure how their parents will react. Let them know that they can tell you anything and that you will always listen and keep an open mind.
Mandy X
https://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC70.pdf
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/research/statistics/statistics_wda48748.html
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
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