Placing your child in the care of others
In the past two weeks, we have received news of two teachers/coaches who have been accused of having an improper relationship with someone underage. It seems like anymore we can’t go a day without hearing about a pastor, teacher, or someone in a trusted position of authority involved in abuse between them and a minor. There is no doubt some of this abuse has happened in the past, but with the increase of 24-hour news and the internet, one might think that every childcare worker should be listed on the sex registry list.
The truth is most teachers, priests, youth pastors, boy scout leaders and other people in positions of authority are decent people who are either just trying to earn a living or at best trying to make the world a better place around us. Though it may seem like the right thing to remove our children from schools, youth groups and such it can also be harmful to a child’s socialization development. That said it can be scary for parents living in a time like ours to know what to do.
Skeptics might say that improper/illegal sexual relationships have occurred in the past, which is true. However the internet and social media have not only better informed us that sexual abuse is happening, but it appears that it is also contributing to the increase of the problem.
Where once pornography could only be found in “adult” bookstores, nudie magazines and the black market for items like child porn, it has been much easier to find. In fact, not only is it easier to be found. It is easier to participate in. Social Media platforms like Snapchat have given adults and students alike the idea they can send naked pictures back and forth without any repercussions. However, that is further from the truth. Once the initial exchange occurs, those pictures can be used as leverage to bring shame and bullying.
In a survey conducted by Nancy Jo Sales in her book American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers “showed most teenage girls receive unrequested nude or semi-nude pictures. These adolescents are also subject to unwanted requests for sexual text messages, also known as ‘sexts.’” The website socialmediavictims.org in an overview of the impact of “Social Media and Sexual Assault” says that hypersexualization on social media platforms can ultimately lead to sexual harassment for adolescents online.
Sexual abuse on social media platforms may take various forms, including: Threatening to distribute or actually distributing intimate or sexual images of a victim without their consent Sending unrequested nude images Pressuring a victim to send sexually explicit images, emails, chats, or texts Sharing unsolicited pornographic images or videos with a victim Taking sexually explicit content of the victim without their consent Even though the problem only appears to be growing there are things that you can do to protect your child/teenager from ongoing sexual assault. The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network or Rainn (rainn.org) says that even though “there is no foolproof way to protect children from sexual abuse, there are steps you can take to reduce this risk.” The article Below May Help.