Know Touch - No Touch

20/06/2017

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/bihar-minor-girl-gangraped-in-thrown-out-of-moving-train-4711599/

The girl had gone to defecate out in the open in the early hours of Friday which is when she was abducted by the six people. They then took her to the Vanshipur Railway station and boarded a local train.

27/03/2017

Let us make our children aware of dangers lurking around:

21/02/2017

Autism and abuse - Red flags to look for:

We live in a very harsh world.
As parents and professionals, the onus of ensuring safety of our children must be the uppermost- all else is secondary.

Parents of girl child worry more but in today's world, boys can be equally prone to abuse!
It is an enormous responsibility on each one of us to ensure safety of a child, more so when the child is autistic and non-vocal.

We talk so little of s*xuality in general and therefore, the possibility of discussion on s*xual abuse is almost non-existant.
The lack of talk, however, does not mean that the issue does not exist.

Research in the west has found that " Due to the particular manifestations of ASDs, children on the spectrum are likely to be at greater risk for s*xual abuse than other children."

Remember, abuse, physical or s*xual, happens more often at the hands of very 'close ' persons whom the child trusts utmost.

Know and understand the Signs of abuse:

A. Physical Signs
- bruises in ge***al areas
- ge***al discomfort
- torn or missing clothing
- S*xually transmitted infection
- head injury
- headaches

B. Behaviourial Signs
- depression
- withdrawal
- atypical attachment
- avoids certain settings
- avoids specific adults
- excessive crying spells
- regression
- sleep disturbance
- poor self-esteem
- non-compliance
- eating disorders
- resists touch by a physician
- self-destructive behaviour
- s*xually inappropriate behaviour
- sudden drop in interests in activities

Children with or without autism find it difficult to report such abuse, more so in the case when they are non-vocal.
I would rather we as parents and professionals familiarise ourselves with the Red-flags and ensure such things never happen to them!

My intent in writing this post is not to scare mothers out there, but to help them be always on alert to ensure their child is as safe as ever can be!
Prevention is the word!

( I acknowledge that the above table is compiled from various research journals )

13/12/2016

HERE IS A LIST OF THINGS U NEED 2 TEACH UR CHILD(REN) AT AN EARLY AGE:

1: Warn your Girl Child Never to sit on anyone's laps no matter the situation including uncles.

2: Avoid Getting Dressed in front of your child once he/she is 2 years old. Learn to excuse them or yourself.

3. Never allow any adult refer to your child as 'my wife' or 'my husband'

4. Whenever your child goes out to play with friends make sure you look for a way to find out what kind of play they do, because young people now s*xually abuse themselves.

5. Never force your child to visit any adult he or she is not comfortable with and also be observant if your child becomes too fond of a particular adult.

6. Once a very lively child suddenly becomes withdrawn you may need to patiently ask lots of questions from your child.

7. Carefully educate your grown ups about the right values of s*x . If you don't, the society will teach them the wrong values.

8: It is always advisable you go through any new Material like cartoons you just bought for them before they start seeing it themselves.

9. Ensure you activate parental controls on your cable networks and advice your friends especially those your child(ren) visit(s) often.

10. Teach your 3 year olds how to wash their private parts properly and warn them never to allow anyone touch those areas and that
includes you (remember, charity begins from home and with you).

11: Blacklist some materials/associates you think could threaten the sanity of your child (this includes music, movies and even friends and families).

12. Let your child(ren) understand the value of standing out of the
crowd.

13: Once your child complains about a particular person, don't keep quiet about it.

Take up the case and show them you can defend them.

Remember, we are either parents or parents-to-be.
and remember "THE PAIN LASTS A LIFETIME"

04/12/2016