Protect your child from sexual abuse

"In America a woman is raped every two minutes...the facts show that most rapes are committed by someone close to the girl." Maya Angelou, the famous African American poet, novelist, and educator, can relate to that statistic because she was raped at the age of eight by her mother's boyfriend.

After Angelou was raped, her uncle retaliated by murdering the rapist. Maya Angelou then chose not to speak for six years due to that traumatic episode. Thankfully, Angelou was able to overcome that painful incident, but what about all those other innocent children who are currently facing sexual abuse?

If parents in Fall River are not vigilant, their children can be assaulted by sex offenders or other predators. Here are some alarming facts to consider:

• "Experts estimate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthdays."
• "Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under."
• "The median age for reported sexual abuse is 9 years old."
• "Approximately 20% of the victims of sexual abuse are under age eight."
• "As many as 60% are abused by people the family trusts- abusers frequently try to form a trusting relationship with parents."
• "70-80% of sexual abuse survivors report excessive drug and alcohol use."

Today is the day to protect your children from danger. Children are sexually abused by family members as well as strangers. Therefore, parents have to ask their children about any form of cruelty to make sure they are safe.

Additional links:

Say No!

Prevention

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