Child Abuse - Identifying and prevention

Child Abuse – Identifying and prevention


The issue of child sexual abuse and molestation has become increasingly worrisome as human sexuality controversially evolves. Child abuse is heard of regularly on the news and has become a normal tonic to the ear which doesn’t seem to be waning away any time soon.

Child sexual abuse is when a child is exposed to deliberate sexual activities forcefully or lured by an older individual usually of an adolescent age. This has violated the normal psychological growth of the child, and has hindered a trusting relationship which would always affect such an abused child when they become matured.

The problem with child sexual abuse is that such molesters are the everyday faces which cut across all classes of people, religion and race. A sexual molester is usually attracted to minors or teenagers they are generally called Pedophiles.

People who are attracted to little children or minors are believed to have some form of mental ailment called Pedophilia. This is a mental disorder termed psycho sexual at which an adolescent fantasizes about having sexual activities with minors who haven’t reached a mature state biologically or have not yet reached puberty state.

People believed to be pedophiles are extremely difficult to control in terms of their sexual impulses and they could also damage the normal psychological state of their young victims.

How Can Pedophile Be Identified?
They are usually very trusting. Usually a member of the family, a close family friend or a very trusting member of the community or even a neighbor, father, brother, driver, nannies, uncles and cousins. Anyone is a potential pedophile.

They are very good in the art of persuasion, playing tricks, verbal manipulation and cunning. Some could be forceful and violent. Usually before the abuse, the child molester would try to establish some form of trusting bond between them and their potential victim.
They then proceed to touching and fondling of the child private organs, kissing, and even penetrative such as genital and anal penetration of their young victims.

An important characteristic of the pedophile is the constant focus on the child whenever the potential child abuser visits the home. They usually provide gifts , money and expensive toys just to attract the child and gain the trust of the parents.

Pedophiles usually target vulnerable families. Families that are distressed, broken families at which parents are divorced,working class parents who don’t have time for their kids, needy families and unhappy families. They take advantage of the situation to get their young victims.

Pedophiles are not of a specific gender or age. They could be anyone from anywhere and could decide to be a child molester at anytime. The internet have even made children more vulnerable to these pedophiles who pose as younger kids just to lure under aged minors to their nest.

What Can Be Done?
parents should develop better communication with their kids so that they can easily feel comfortable to express themselves when abused or touched in any improper way.

•Children should be taught the difference between safe and unsafe touches.
• Children should be taught that their parents are always there to protect them whenever they are in need of protection from those they do not feel comfortable with.
•Children must be taught to report when ever an adult tells them to keep a little secret in whatever form.
•Children should be taught to learn to say no to requests that make them feel uncomfortable.
•Parents and guardians should be watchful of their children with any adolescent even a close relative.
•Children should always be taught to always tell where they are going whenever they are leaving the house.

Parents and guardians should play a major role in securing their children from these sexual predators or stand the risk of exposing their children to sexual and emotional trauma which could last a life time. Its the parents responsibility to be extremely watchful. Never ignore the complaints of a child no matter how minor it might sound or busy that parent could be.

Children will always tell their problems to people they feel close and acquainted to. Always read the body language of kids listen to their words and watch their actions. Any child is at risk of being a victim of a child sexual abuser