What precautions can a parent or guardian take to protect a child from sex crimes? Completely guaranteeing that you will be able to protect a child from being the victim of a sex crime may not be possible, but there are parameters that caretakers can put into place to be able to monitor their child’s safety.
First and foremost, trust your gut. We have natural instincts as parents to help guide us in protecting our children. If for any reason something ever feels off when your child is alone with certain adults or goes certain places, it’s OK to say no. Do not let the fear of hurting other adults’ feelings or having to have an uncomfortable conversation with someone keep you from protecting your child. Also, there should never be adults talking to your child on social media, even close adult friends. There should never be private conversations going on between your child and another adult without your awareness.
We often want to trust others and give them the benefit of the doubt, but in this scenario protect first and trust later. Trust is key to protect a child from sex crimes. To learn more about how sex offenders are reaching out to kids click here.