It’s about
Preventing Abuse! IT’S ABOUT YOU! | There are four major forms of child abuse: | | | 1. Physical Abuse: Injuring a child on purpose by hitting, kicking, shaking, throwing, shoving, burning, pinching, pulling hair, or whipping. 2. Sexual Abuse: Any sexual act between a person and a child, such as making a child look at or touch private parts of a body, or touching or taking pictures of a child’s private parts. (Private parts are any part of the body normally covered by a swimsuit.) 3. Neglect: Not taking care of a child’s physical needs, such as failing to give a child clean clothes; enough food; medical care; or a safe, clean place to live. 4. Emotional Abuse: Screaming and yelling, and telling a child things like he or she is bad or worthless. | | |
| | | It’s About Knowing! |
| You need to know that all people have a right to feel safe all the time! All People doesn’t mean just girls or just boys or just adults. It means all people. It means YOU! All the time does not mean just at school, or just at home, or just at your grandparents’ house, or just with friends. It means all the time. You have a right to feel safe all the time. |
| Did you know that there are many children in the United States who don’t feel safe all the time? It is estimated that thousands of children are being abused in the United States every day. Many of these children are abused by people they know, including family members, neighbors, babysitters, friends, and sometimes even coaches, pastors, and teachers. | A person who abuses children may be: • male or female • rich or poor • of any race • of any religion • of any kind of background • unemployed, or may have an important, high-paying job.
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You can learn to protect yourself.
The first thing to learn is to
listen to your body and your feelings. | | Your body has an
‘internal warning system’
similar to a building’s
fire alarm system. |
| When you are feeling anxious about something, your internal
warning system turns on. When that happens, you may have: Dizziness (feeling woozy)
Sweaty Hands (palms wet)
Pounding Heart (heart racing)
Butterflies (fluttery feeling in the stomach)
Shaky Legs (hard to stand still, legs seem to be falling out from under you) |
| You need to decide when your internal warning system goes on is whether you are in the middle of a Positive Experience or in the middle of Danger. Positive Experience Your internal warning system may go on when you try to do something for the very first time, like ride a new bike or join a new club. It may also turn on when you have to do something in front of a lot of people, like perform a dance. These things are Positive Experiences. They cause you to feel a good kind of nervousness that can actually help you to do better. |
DANGER
is when you or somebody else is being hurt or could get hurt in some way. This includes when you or somebody you know is being abused. One kind of danger is when somebody else touches your body in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable. There are different ways that people can touch other people. Some of the ways are appropriate and some are not. You NEVER have to let anyone touch you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable. Remember,
your body is yours | Inappropriate Touches | | Appropriate Touches | | A hug or a kiss that makes you feel uncomfortable | | A high five | | A pat on the behind | | A hug or kiss from someone you love and trust | | Touching a person’s private parts | | A handshake | | Hitting, kicking, pulling hair | | A pat on the shoulder or back | | | | Treatment by a doctor, nurse, or parents when you have a rash or something hurts | | | | | |
If you are in the middle of DANGER, don’t forget that you can think. Also, remember that you have the RIGHT to feel SAFE all the time. If you don’t feel safe, you can do something about it. TRUST your body when your internal warning system goes on. |
DANGER |
| THINK
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| Trust your body and your internal warning system |
| You have the right to feel safe |
| If you don’t feel safe you can do something about it |
| ACTIONS |
| To take when you don’t feel safe:
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| 1. Yell ‘NO”. 2. Get away. 3. Tell someone and get help, even if you are threatened, or bribed, or made to feel guilty. |
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It’s about saying ‘No’! Whenever anybody tries to get you do do something that puts you in danger, you have the right to say ‘No’. To really get your point across, you need to say ‘No’ with both your words and your body. Sometimes body language – the way you act – is sometimes even more important than what you say. |
| The most important thing about saying ‘NO’ is getting away from the situation that makes you feel uncomfortable. Go as fast as you can to a safe place. Never enter a car or a building, including your own house, with somebody you don’t feel safe around. 
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Here are some ways you could distract somebody and get away: |
| 1. Scream and make a lot of noise. 2. Kick something or spill something. 3. Pretend you are going to throw up. 4. If all else fails, bite or kick the person who is hurting you. 
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TELL, TELL, TELL | Don’t be Fooled | | Abusers may say things to keep you from telling others. Don’t fall for their tricks! Here are some things an abuser might say to you to keep you quiet. 1. ‘What we do together is our special secret.’
2. ‘I’ll buy you something nice if you don’t tell.’
3. ‘Nobody will believe you if you tell.’
4. ‘You’ll make people mad at me if you tell.’
5. ‘If you tell anyone, I’ll hurt you or someone you love.’ No matter what the abuser says, it’s important that you Tell. It’s the only way to be safe. Remember: abusimg a child is against the law. It is not your fault, no matter what the abuser or anyone says. | Remember, nothing is so awful that you can’t talk about it. If you are being forced into doing something that you don’t want to do, and if you know that you are in danger, find that person that you feel comfortable in telling! Don’t let anybody scare you into keeping a bad secret by using threats or telling you that nobody will believe you or that it’s your fault. How do you know when you have told enough people? When somebody listens to you and you feel safe again. If your mother is busy, tell your teacher. If your teacher is absent, tell you aunt. If your aunt does not believe you, tell the police. Keep telling until someone believes you and does something about it. |
It’s About Helping!
Someday a friend might tell you that he or she is being abused. Or, you might be
worried that a friend may be in a dangerous situation. Here are some ways you can help:
NEVER promise to keep a secret when a person tells you that he or she is being hurt or
wants to hurt himself or herself in any way. Keeping that kind of secret is very dangerous.
Your friend may be in serious danger and need help immediately. Tell an adult right away!
NEVER try to help your friend fix a problem or confront an abuser alone. Tell an adult who can get a
professional to talk to the abuser. Abusers are people who are breaking the law.
Common Signs and Symptoms of Child Abuse
| 1. Unexplained burns, cuts, or bruises 2. Problems in school 3. Fear of all adults or of a particular person 4. Lack of concentration 5. Depression 6. Inappropriate interests in or knowledge of sexual acts | 
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Being Prepared |
Don’t take alcohol from anyone
| | | | | It is always best to stay away from situations that could lead to danger, but you may find yourself in the middle of danger unexpectedly. Think ahead about what you might do. | Don’t take drugs from
anyone | | | Don’t take candy from anyone you do not know | | | | | |
