Washington, Apr 15: A vast majority of children who are sexually
abused are done so by someone they know – most often a family
member, an adult the family trusts or, in some instances,
another child, a new study has revealed. According to numbers
provided by the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child
Sexual Abuse, parents generally teach their children about
“stranger danger” from an early age, telling them not to talk
to, walk with or take gifts or candy from strangers, but
statistics show danger often lurks closer to home. Parents can
help protect their children from sexual abuse by talking frankly
to them about abuse, starting at a young age with age-
appropriate information. “It’s essential that parents have a
continuing conversation with their children about sexual abuse,”
Kay Knaff, clinical services program manager for Youth Villages,
a private nonprofit organization that helps children with
emotional, behavioural and mental health issues, as well as
children who have been abused or neglected,