www.cfchildren.org
The Committee for Children is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for children’s social and emotional learning. As part of their child safety campaign, they have compiled a series of pamphlets that are a how-to guide for parents and guardians to have age appropriate conversations with their children about bodily autonomy and personal safety. This is a topic that both parents and children can find to be very uncomfortable to discuss, but these conversations can help families to recognize the signs of abuse and help the child feel empowered.
As their introductory guide states:
“Child sexual abuse happens—more than you think. But, research shows there’s something simple and powerful you can do right now that goes a long way to protect your child: talk with them. Informed children are less likely to be abused, and those who feel comfortable talking openly with a caring adult are more likely to disclose abuse if it happens” (Finkelhor, D., & Dziuba-Leatherman, J. (1995). Victimization prevention programs: A national survey of children’s exposure and reactions. Child Abuse & Neglect, 19(2), 129–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(94)00111-7)
Download the “Hot Chocolate Talk” conversation guides here
