Love and Justice in the Face of Wickedness - HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN

Who have the responsibility to protect their children from harm?  Parents do.  Your children are a sacred trust, an inheritance from Jehovah." (Psalm 127:3)   It is your responsibility to safeguard that trust. What can you do to protect your children from abuse?

First, educate yourself about abuse. Learn about the kind of individuals who abuse children and the tactics they use to deceive them. Be alert to potential dangers.  (Proverbs 22:3; 24:3) Remember that in most cases, the abuser is someone the child already knows and trusts.

Second, maintain good communications with your children.   (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7)  That includes being a good listener.  (James 1:19)  Remember that children are often reluctant to report abuse.  They may fear that they won't be believed, or they may have been threatened by the abuser to keep the abuse secret. If you sense that something is wrong, kindly draw them out with questions and then patiently listen to their answers.

Third, educated your children.   Share with them age-appropriate information about sex.  Teach them what to say and what to do if someone tries to touch the in an appropriate way.  Use the information that God's organization has provided on ow to protect your children. -See the box on the above title and subtitle. In the search engine, just type in  the first title and scroll down to the subtitle above-How to Protect Your Children, you will see "Educate Yourself and Your Children." 

Next time:  Providing Comfort for the Victims of Abuse

From the jw.org publications