As parents, we are the best teachers for our children to teach them about Personal Safety. We can use daily life events as an opportunity to talk to them about it. For instance, we can use ‘What If?’ questions to practice safety rules with our children. ‘What if your friend wants to play doctor-doctor and touch your private body parts?’ ‘What if someone asked you to jump off a wall?’ ‘What if an uncle or an older child wanted to play a secret touching game with you?’ This will make our children think about situations they may encounter and give them the confidence to take decisions and act accordingly.
Teach your children the three important safety rules:
RULE
NO. 1 - It is NEVER all right for someone to TOUCH, LOOK or
TALK about your private body parts except to keep them clean and healthy. It is
never alright for someone else to ask you to TOUCH, LOOK or TALK about their
private body parts.
RULE
NO. 2 - If someone tries to break this rule, say “NO” and
GET AWAY.
RULE
NO. 3 - TELL a TRUSTED ADULT and KEEP TELLING until you
get the help you need.
Teach
children the names of private body parts and introduce these names as part of
their vocabulary when you teach them names of the other body parts like ear,
eyes and nose. This way children will learn that there is no shame or
embarrassment associated with private body parts. This also helps them in
reporting abuse.
A few simple steps can help us keep our
children safe. Arpan teaches Personal Safety Skills to children to keep
themselves safe from abuse and to seek help when needed. To learn more, you can
visit www.arpan.org.in
or you
can make your child take the online Personal Safety course at www.arpanelearn.com
