WATCH OUT: Your Child Is being abused

Often times parents or guardians fail to notice their child or ward are being abused not because they never saw the act being carried out but because they do not really know what child sexual abuse really means and so don't clearly know the forms it can come in.
Child abuse is not only a physical contact between the perpetrator and your child. It also includes any sexual conduct that is harmful to a child's mental, emotional, or physical welfare.
Some times these parents or guardians notice this being done to their children but they never see it as a child sexual abuse. They instead mistake it for an 'expensive joke'. So today I'm going to be pointing out to us those activities we fail to really reprimand against and call it sexual abuse.
This is going to guide us to what we let our children get exposed to and the people we leave around them and with them.
Most child sexual abuse are perpetrated by people the victim knows. Could be an uncle,an aunty,a nanny,an older cousin, a family friend or a neighbour. And because they are people farmiliar to us this makes the abuse less detectable and this makes the unseemingly act carried on your child look to you as only 'an expensive joke'.
Let's start by defining sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which a child is abused for the sexual gratification of an adult or an older adolescent. A child is sexually abused when they are forced or persuaded to take part in sexual activities.
Sexual abuse comes in two forms
-Physical contact
-Non- contact abuse

Physical contact: this is a form of sexual abuse where there is a direct physical contact between the perpetrator and your child.
It includes;
-Sexual touching of any part of the body whether the child's wearing clothes or not
-Rape or penetration by purring an object or body part inside a child's mouth.
-Forcing or encouraging the child to take part in sexual activities.
- Making a child take their clothes off,touch someone else's genitals  masturbate.
-Involving a child in making child pornography
 Non - contact abuse: this is where most parents miss it. Often times your children come to you telling you 'I don't like this play uncle did with me today' and all you say is 'why are you playing with uncle? Uncle is not your mate'. Or maybe dismiss it with a wave of hand.
This form includes:
- Exposing of oneself to a mirror in the presence of a child: sometimes we see someone do this is the presence of our children but we don't really take it seriously like calling the attention of the adult to order and warning. This is actually a child sexual abuse because it is harmful to the child's emotional and mental welfare.
- Obscene phone calls or digital interaction. This is a way perpetrators lure a child. Reprimand anyone doing this in the presence of your child.
-Masturbation in front of a Minor: Another form of non contact abuse is when an adult masturbates in the presence of ac child. He is not engaging the child physically but mentally and emotionally.
-Forcing a child to watch pornography with them: Sometimes parents see someone showing some obscene videos to their children. This is not just immoral, this is child sexual abuse. Your child is being abused!

Child abuse is really not only physical, the mental and emotional damage is just as bad as the physical.
Parents should be wary of people they bring into their house and even more wary about what they engage your children in.
If you notice any of this being done to your child you should handle it with every seriousness. If you don't protect tour child, who will?
Our next post is going to be about how to get your child trust you enough to open up to you. A follow up post to this will also be on telling us who a paedophile is (how to identify someone who sexually abuses children).
I'm sure this post was really helpful to you because I know it's a timely one. This menace is gradually eating deep into the society.
Please drop your comments in the comment box below. Tell us how helpful this was to you. Tell us any other suggestions or contributions you have.
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God bless you. We hope to hear from you very soon.