66 | AUGUST 2019 | L&LI
n South Africa, one in three children
have experienced some form
of sexual abuse, and 80% of the
perpetrators are people the child
knows,” explains clinical psychologist
Joanna Kleovoulou. “While these
shocking statistics would make any parent
want to lock up their little ones for their
own protection, the best way to safeguard
them is to arm them with knowledge.
Although many parents are reluctant to
talk to their children about their sexuality,
because they have no idea about what
to say or want to keep their child innocent
for as long as possible, talking to children
about sexuality is actually an integral part
of their whole self – physical, intellectual,
emotional, social and spiritual – and
should start as early as the age of one.”Parenting is challenging, but never more so than when you’re
trying to keep your little one safe. Our experts help you navigate
your way through the minefield of sexual abuse. By Lynne Gidish
TEACH YOUR
CHILD ABOUT
SEXUAL ABUSE
HOW TO
Marita Rademeyer, a clinical
psychologist and chairman of Jelly
Beanz, a non-profit organisation
that offers hope to children affected
by trauma and abuse agrees.
“Remember, the responsibility of
preventing abuse always belongs
to an adult, so it’s important to talk
to your young child even though
you may find this difficult. Telling
your child, ‘No one is allowed to
touch your privates,’ doesn’t offer
any form of protection. Children
need to know how their bodies
work and what sex is about, and
they also have to understand
what ‘wrong touching’ is about.
“We fear contact sexual abuse
the most (touching of genitals), yetnon-contact abuse (being shown
pornography or being exploited for
child abuse images) may be just as
devastating. Children are extremely
vulnerable to this, so they need to
know pornography is harmful to them
and what to do when they come
across this. Most importantly, they
need to know what they can do if
they are being sexually abused. It’s
far better for children to hear about
sex from their parents, so they can
get the right information and can
ask questions in a safe place, which
is why the best thing you can do to
protect your child from abuse (or
to stop it if it’s already happening)
is by having open and honest
conversations from a young age.”