122 p r e v e n t i n g s e x u a l a b u s e
To help your child understand about secrets
Talk about secrets that are OK
and not OK.
If we don’t tell
Jean that Grandma
is coming for her
birthday, it is an OK
kind of secret.
But we don’t keep
secrets about the
private parts of our
bodies. Be sure to
tell me if anyone
wants to touch your
private parts.
Explain to your child that if someone threatens
her to keep her from talking about
something, she must tell you. An
abuser may say things like This
is our secret. If you tell anyone, I
will kill you or kill the person you
told. And I will tell everyone about
the bad things you did. Reassure
your child that nothing bad will
happen if she talks to you. A child
needs to know that an abuser
makes these threats because he is
doing something bad, not the child.
Respect your child’s growing need for
privacy while bathing or dressing
A blind child may find it hard
to understand the idea of
private body parts because he
or she needs help in so many
everyday activities. But you can
encourage your child to tell you
when he or she does not want
help.
Don’t
come in.
Sometimes a person
may say that if
you tell a secret,
something bad will
happen or they will
hurt you. If this
happens, it is very
important for you to
tell me.
OK, Lora,
I’ll wait
outside.
helping children who are blind