Hesperian Health Guides
Chapter 13: Preventing child sexual abuse
It might seem strange to find information about sexual abuse in a book on helping children who cannot hear well. But, sadly, children who are deaf are even more at risk for sexual abuse than children who are not deaf. So it is very important for families with deaf children, and those who care for or teach deaf children, to know about it.
| Keep our children safe | |
| No one has the right to use a child for sex. | |
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| Not anyone! | |
We parents need to talk about sexual abuse—with each other and with our children.
Talking about it is the first step in stopping it. Silence only protects abusers.
Yet it is hard to talk about sexual abuse. In many places:
- people do not know what sexual abuse is, how it happens, and the harm it causes.
- people are uncomfortable talking about sex.
- people do not want to believe that sexual abuse happens to very young children, so they do not think or talk about it.
- rules or customs limit who can talk to children about sex, what can be said, and when such conversations can happen.
Every child should be safe from sexual abuse.
Keeping children safe from abuse is every adult's responsibility.