Sometimes, adverse circumstances hit you in the most unexpected places and in the most unpredictable ways. You might feel that your children are well-protected at home but never leave them unsupervised.

The National Children’s Alliance revealed the statistics about child abuse stating that around 700,000 children are abused in the United States annually. Two-thirds of these children suffer from sexual abuse while one-third served physical abuse with the younger ones being more vulnerable to such treatment.

Giving Your Child in External Supervision

We know that parents are busy at times and need to serve some important commitments. In such a situation they look for babysitters or some other helping hand to take care of their child while they are away.

Stats reveal that 68 percent of children are abused by a family member and 90 percent of the times, the child knows his perpetrator. Thus, it is also hard to trust people you know as they might serve to be a potential threat to your child.

Having ‘The Talk’ with the Child

Even the simplest of things can make the situation go against you. For example, never call the private body parts of your child with made-up names instead, use the real world. If you will hesitate to take the name, the children will also feel ashamed to tell the truth.

Remind your child that no adult should ever ask him to keep a secret. Sex abusers often use a pet phrase, “This is our secret. You can’t tell your mom because she’ll be very mad at you.” Most important thing is to believe your child. Their confidence and self-esteem receive a great boost when their parents trust every word they say.

Conducting Screenings

If you happen to give a room or a part of your house to paying guests or tenants, conduct proper screening before letting anyone inside. You shouldn’t give access to your child to random people before ensuring that they have a clean history. Programs such as Tenant Background Search are the best ways to check the history of tenants.

You should also carry out the screening process for the babysitters and of the different staff members if you are leaving your children in some kind of programs. Such screening includes their past addresses, work history, and crime records (if any).

Your children need your attention and care at all times so don’t neglect their well-being. Around 80 percent of 21-year-olds suffer from a mental disorder if they were abused as a child and you surely don’t want your child to be one of them.