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What to Do If a Child Discloses Sexual Molestation
If your child discloses sexual molestation, how you react is very important. What
you say is just as important as what you don’t say. Your
actions now could later influence court proceedings, investigations,
and safety assessments.
Don't
- Over-question your child or demand details
- Under-react to or minimize the information
- Overreact to the information or panic
- Criticize or blame your child
Do
- Listen and stay calm
- Respect your child's privacy and potential fear or uncertainty
about telling
- Support your child and the decision to tell, no matter what he or
she says
- Express love and support with words and gestures
- Explain to your child that he or she has done nothing wrong
- Help your child understand it was the offender's fault, not your
child's
- Remember that children seldom lie about acts of sexual exploitation
- Assure your child they can come to you at any time and tell you anything
- Seek appropriate medical care for your child
- Alert the child-protection, youth-services, child-abuse, or other
appropriate social-services organizations in cooperation with law enforcement
- Seek out counseling or therapy for your child and the entire family
Contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's 24-hour,
toll-free telephone line to report any information about missing or sexually
exploited children at 1-800-843-5678. This number is available throughout
the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The TDD Hotline is 1-800-826-7653.
Often children do not disclose about incidents of sexual exploitation.
It is up to attentive adults to recognize the signs
of sexual molestation.
Adapted from Just
in case...Parental guidelines in case your child might someday be the
victim of sexual exploitation. Copyright © 2007 National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children. All rights reserved.
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