Education and Prevention

Thank you for visiting the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). On this site, you may encounter information about sex offenders living near you or your loved ones. An informed public is a safer one, and information will help you make better choices. What does it mean to live, work, or attend a school near a sex offender’s residence? What are the real threats to you or your children’s safety? What should you do if you suspect abuse is occurring or has occurred? All of these questions may come to mind as you view the results of your queries to this Website. The information contained on this portion of NSOPW will assist you in learning the facts about sexual abuse and help you protect yourself and loved ones from potential victimization. Below, you will find information organized into three groups:  children, teens, and adults. Each section is prefaced by facts, which are followed by prevention and education materials and additional links to resources designed to assist parents and caregivers.

Children Teens Adults


Arrow Children

Facts:

  • Over 56,000 cases of child sexual abuse were reported and substantiated in 2007.1
  • As many as one in three girls and one in seven boys will be sexually abused at some point in their childhood.2
  • In as many as 93% of child sexual abuse cases, the child knows the person that commits the abuse.3
  • Most perpetrators are acquaintances, but as many as 47% are family or extended family.4
  • Approximately 30% of cases are reported to authorities.5
Parents and child

What is child sexual abuse? Child sexual abuse is any form of sexual activity imposed upon a child by an adult or other child in a position of power, authority, or influence. Child sexual abuse can involve touching the intimate parts of a child’s body, enticing or forcing the child to have sexual relations, or participating in nontouching offenses, such as obscene phone calls or taking pornographic photos.

The child victim may be a boy or girl; in most cases knows and trusts the abuser; may be an infant, toddler, preschooler, or school-aged child up to age 18; may come from any socioeconomic background, ethnic, or religious group; is usually afraid to tell about the sexual abuse for fear of being blamed or punished; and rarely is abused by a stranger.

Who sexually abuses children? The people who sexually abuse can be immediate or extended family members (fathers, mothers, stepparents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.). They can be neighbors, babysitters, religious leaders, teachers, coaches, or anyone else who has close contact with children.

Warning signs that might suggest someone is sexually abusing a child:6 The following behaviors could be cause for concern:

  • Making others uncomfortable by ignoring social, emotional, or physical boundaries or limits.
  • Refusing to let a child set any of his or her own limits. Using teasing or belittling language to keep a child from setting a limit.
  • Insisting on hugging, touching, kissing, tickling, wrestling with, or holding a child even when the child does not want this physical contact or attention.
  • Turning to a child for emotional or physical comfort by sharing personal or private information or activities that are normally shared with adults.
  • Frequently pointing out sexual images or telling inappropriate or suggestive jokes with children present.
  • Exposing a child to adult sexual interactions without apparent concern.
  • Having secret interactions with teens or children (e.g., games; sharing drugs, alcohol, or sexual material) or spending excessive time e-mailing, text-messaging, or calling children or youth.
  • Being overly interested in the sexuality of a particular child or teen (e.g., talks repeatedly about the child's developing body or interferes with normal teen dating).
  • Insisting on or managing to spend unusual amounts of uninterrupted time alone with a child.
  • Seeming “too good to be true” (e.g., frequently babysits different children for free, takes children on special outings alone, buys children gifts or gives them money for no apparent reason).
  • Frequently walking in on children/teens in the bathroom.
  • Allowing children or teens to consistently get away with inappropriate behaviors.

If you observe these behaviors in someone you know, talk to that person. For more information and guidance about starting a conversation with someone, visit the Stop It Now! online help center or call the national, toll-free Helpline at (888) PREVENT.

Warning signs in children of possible sexual abuse: Stop It Now! has developed a tip sheet to help identify possible warning signs. Any one sign does not mean that a child was sexually abused, but the presence of several suggests that you begin asking questions and consider seeking help.

Behavior you may see in a child:

  • Has nightmares or other sleep problems without an explanation
  • Seems distracted or distant at odd times
  • Has a sudden change in eating habits
  • Refuses to eat
  • Loses or drastically increases appetite
  • Has trouble swallowing.
  • Sudden mood swings: rage, fear, insecurity, or withdrawal
  • Leaves “clues” that seem likely to provoke a discussion about sexual issues
  • Writes, draws, plays, or dreams of sexual or frightening images
  • Develops new or unusual fear of certain people or places
  • Refuses to talk about a secret shared with an adult or older child
  • Talks about a new older friend
  • Suddenly has money, toys, or other gifts without reason
  • Thinks of self or body as repulsive, dirty, or bad
  • Exhibits adult-like sexual behaviors, language, and knowledge

If you have questions or would like resources or guidance for responding to a specific situation, visit the Stop It Now! online help center or call the national, toll-free Helpline at (888) PREVENT.

Materials:

  • The Joyful Child Foundation Be Safe, Be Brave: A Parent’s Guide to Prevention ( PDF | html). Most parents find themselves horrified by the prospect that someone they trust could violate their children, and it is our natural inclination to believe that it could not have already happened and gone unnoticed. This realization is often followed by disbelief, fear, and even hopelessness. This handbook is designed to aid you in protecting your children against sexual abuse and abduction.

  • National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Child Safety Resources: Parents, guardians, and adults who care for children face constant challenges when trying to help keep children safer in today’s fast-paced world. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) offers easy-to-use safety resources to help address these challenges. For decades, children were taught to stay away from “strangers.” But this concept is difficult for children to grasp, and often the perpetrator is someone the child knows. It is more beneficial to help build children’s confidence and teach them to respond to a potentially dangerous situation, rather than teaching them to look out for a particular type of person. NCMEC’s prevention and safety education programs and materials contain information and tips that will help you keep your children safer. The Just In Case… and Know the Rules publication series are especially important for parents and guardians.

  • STOP IT NOW! Parents & Caregivers:  Do Your Part to Protect Kids. Don’t wait until you see a problem before you start taking action to protect kids. Learn some simple things you can do every day to make sure kids are safe, and then teach others. Make sure every adult who cares about kids has the information they need to be confident about making a commitment to safety. You can begin prevention today.
  • NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational safety resource from NCMEC and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet and in the real world.

Additional Resources:

  • CyberTipline: NCMEC operates the CyberTipline as a means of reporting incidents of child sexual exploitation, including the possession, manufacture, and/or distribution of child pornography; online enticement; child prostitution; child sex tourism; extrafamilial child sexual molestation; unsolicited obscene material sent to a child; and misleading domain names, words, or digital images. The CyberTipline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Make a report at www.CyberTipline.com or by calling (800)THE-LOST if you have information that will help in our fight against child sexual exploitation.

  • Darkness to Light programs raise awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse by educating adults about the steps they can take to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse.

  • The Safer Society Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit agency, is a national research, advocacy, and referral center on the prevention and treatment of sexual abuse.

  • Stop the Silence aims to increase awareness about and conduct programming to address the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse and the relationships between this issue and broader societal violence.

  • radKIDS® is a national leader in children's safety education and provides a holistic, practical, and realistic life skills safety program available for children and parents.

  • NAPSAC, the National Association to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children is dedicated to ending childhood sexual abuse in three generations through awareness, education, and the advocacy of children's rights.

Arrow References

  1. Child Maltreatment. Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2007. Available online: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm07/cm07.pdf.
  2. Briere, J., Eliot, D. M. "Prevalence and Psychological Sequence of Self-Reported Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse in General Population: Child Abuse and Neglect," 2003, 27:10.
  3. Douglas, Emily, and Finkelhor, D., Childhood sexual abuse fact sheet, http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/factsheet/pdf/childhoodSexual AbuseFactSheet.pdf, Crimes Against Children Research Center, May 2005.
  4. Briere, J., Eliot, D. M. "Prevalence and Psychological Sequence of Self-Reported Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse in General Population: Child Abuse and Neglect," 2003, 27:10.
  5. Finkelhor, D. "The Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse." Future of Children, 2009; 19(2):169–94.
  6. Stop It Now!, available online:  http://www.stopitnow.org/behaviors_watch_adult_with_children.

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