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solving young adults. Instead of
learning to be contributors, they
must strive today to be survivors.
Teach Yourself First
The times in which we live demand
parents teach their children how to
avoid being caught up in the web of
child sex abuse. To do so, parents
must first realize that there is no
clear stereotype of a child moles–
ter.
Child molestation cuts across all
economic, educational, soCial, reli–
gious and ethnic lines.
What we do know is that about
80 percent of the time the mo–
lester is
not
a stranger. In more
than nine of
1
o
cases, the abuser
is a
male.
Another common factor among
child molesters, especially in the
case of
incest, is alcohol
one study, 80 percent of child sex
abusers were themselves abused as
children.
While these facts constitute only
a rough profile of child . molesters,
much is known about the tech–
niques they employ to tempt their
victims.
Child molesters simply go
where the children are. They look
for situations that put them in
close contact with children; for
work in counseling, coaching,
child-care facilities and other sim–
ilar jobs.
Rarely is violence used against
preadolescents. Instead, seduction
has proveo to be the child mo–
lester's best means of coercion.
"These guys spend hours winning
the love and affection of a child,"
said police Sgt. Joseph Polisar of
Albuquerque, New Mexico. "Sorne
Teach your chUdren never to get
into any car or go into
anyone's house without your permisslon.
abuse.
The lives of many molesters are
known to be influenced by child
pornography and erotic literature.
Authorities have found that such
"visual aids" are used as tools by
abusers to justify sexual relations
to the children whom they victim–
ize. The new victim is often pho–
tographed and the photos are used
in yet other attempts at child
molestation.
And perhaps the most common
characteristic of all, according to
12
pedophiles will take a year to swoon
a child."
Once a child. has been secretly
trapped, the abuse may continue by
way of threats or blackmail. Typi–
cally, the molester will threaten to
tell the child's parents what has
happened or to show them photo–
graphs of the child in indecent
poses. In sorne cases, the abuser
will threaten the child's family with
harm:
Abusers sometimes demonstrate
their potential for violence on ani-
mals or inanimate objects to rein–
force fears in their victims.
Caught in a battle of unequals
and uncertain how his parenis will
react to the secret, the child
usually submits to the abuse–
sometimes for months or even
years.
Watch for Slgns of Abuse
By no means sbould parents sud–
denly become alarmists over the
issue of child abuse. Avoid being
paranoid. But parents must, for
their children's sake, learn to rec–
ognize signs of possible molesta–
tion.
According to Dr. Sandra
J.
Kaplan, Chief of Child and Adoles–
cent Psychiatry at North Shore
Hospital in Manhasset, New York,
there are different signs to look for
in various age groups.
In preschool children,
parents should look for a
significant change of sleep
or eating habits, bed-wet-
ting, a fear of strang–
~··
ers-especially men–
precocious questions or
open displays of sex-
uality such as mastur–
bation, and redness or
infections in the gen–
ital area.
In preadoles–
cents, watch for changes in
school grades or social
behavior and, again, a fear
of strangers.
And in adolescents, Dr.
Kaplan asks parents to
watch for sexual diseases,
preoccupation with sexual–
ity, depression, alcohol or
drug abuse, pregnancy and
running away. In the latter
case, many of these run–
away youths wind up
involved in prostitutiqn.
One university survey of male
and female prostitutes in Seattle,
Washington, found that almost half
had been sexuaUy abused by a rela–
tive or neighbor as children.
What to Teach Children
What do children need to know
about child sex abuse? Here are
sorne tips based on advice from
experts who have counseled cases
of child sex abuse:
• Teach children about the pur-
The
PLAIN TRUTH