The newest edition of <em>The Christian Chronicle</em> features several articles about churches and child abuse.  Although any incident of child abuse is tragic, it seems even more of a violation when children are abused in a church setting because we naively think that churches are safe places for children.  Regrettably, our trusting approach to church situations actually make it more likely that sexual predators will target children in churches.

The most significant step church members can take to help prevent abuse of children is to be aware of the warning signs of abuse and to create a church culture of awareness.  Part of developing awareness is for parents to teach their children about sexual aafety.  Parents who can sit down and talk with their children about safe and unsafe touching will provide a foundation so that their children will feel comfortable talking to them if inappropriate touching does occur.

For parents who grew up in homes where sexuality was discussed, talking with children about sexual safety will seem natural.  However, many parents grew up in homes where talking about sexual issues was taboo.  For parents who aren’t comfortable talking about sexual issues, reading a book or coloring book with their children can provide a non-threatening way to begin the discussions.

Churches and parents can no longer afford to treat sexual issues as a taboo subject because it sets up children to be victimized.  When parents and churches are silent, children also remain silent and unprepared to protect themselves.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 at 1:47 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.