Ways to Prevent Child Abuse

Support activities that raise awareness during April, National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Contact a local agency for information on becoming involved.
Volunteer at a local child abuse program. Parent support groups, crisis centers, and hotlines are typical programs that often welcome volunteers. Check your telephone directory for names of agencies in your area.
Learn to identify possible offender behavior and approach those individuals about your concerns.
Learn to identify and report suspected abuse or neglect. Keeping children safe means that each of us has an obligation to inform authorities if you have a reasonable suspicion that children are being harmed. Your concern may mean that children are protected from an abusive environment.
Advocate for services to help families. Communities need comprehensive services that address issues that affect families. Parenting programs, health care, and housing needs are all important to maintaining healthy children and families.
Speak up for non-violent television programming for children. Let local television stations and sponsors of network programs know that you consider excessive violence inappropriate for impressionable young viewers.
Make a contribution to a child abuse prevention organization. Your donations are put to good use in much-needed community programs. Prevention services are critical to preventing child abuse and to strengthening families.
Help a friend, neighbor, or relative. Someone you know may be struggling with his or her parenting responsibilities. Offer a sympathetic ear or a helping hand. Assisting occasionally with child care of offering to locate sources of community help can be a tremendous boost to someone under stress.
Help yourself. Recognize the signs that indicate outside help is needed. If you feel overwhelmed, constantly sad, angry, and out of control, get some help. Remember, it is a sign of strength, not weakness, to ask for help.
Support and suggest programs on child abuse prevention sponsored by local organizations. Kiwanis Clubs, Exchange Clubs, PTAs, church groups, and women's and men's clubs all offer excellent opportunities for raising public awareness in the community.

In addition, several national organizations, including the National Black Child Development Institute and the National Indian Child Welfare Association, can assist communities in preventing child maltreatment.

Promote programs in schools. Teaching children prevention strategies can help to keep children safe from those who would perpetrate abuse on them.
[source: "Ten Ways to Prevent Child Abuse in Your Community", National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse]

Safety Tips For Parents:

Know everything you can about your children's activities and friends. Monitor children's activities and participate with them. Don't allow children to play alone in fields, on playgrounds, or in other dangerous or isolated areas.
Teach your children about strangers.
Teach your children to refuse anything from strangers, including money, gifts, or rides. Know where new items come from.
Teach your children how to safely enter home alone. Teach them how to pretend you are home and how to answer the phone if they are alone.
Teach your children to keep a safe distance from strangers and not to give strangers directions for help. Adults need to get help from other adults.
Do not let your children go to public places, especially restrooms, alone. Develop a family plan stressing where to meet if lost when you are away from home. Do not have children meet you in the parking lot.
Do not place your children's names on their clothing or on the outside of their possessions.
Teach your children to say "no" to touches on the parts of their bodies covered by a swimming suit.
Teach your children to say "no," to tell someone, and to get away if someone bothers them.
Join with other concerned parents to set up safety systems for your neighborhood.
Teach your children which kinds of secrets are harmless and which ones are not. Assure them that some "secrets" have to be told if children and their parents are to be kept safe.
Assure your children that they will not get in trouble for telling about a touch that made them uncomfortable, even if the person who did it is a friend, family member, or teacher.
[source: Adapted from "Safety Tips for Parents", Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services]