The primary responsibility for protecting children from abuse is with parents, not children. Therefore, parents must be educated before they can educate children. If you are a parent, there are several things you need to know. You need to know the characteristics of the perpetrator and how the mode is. Parents often imagine perpetrators as strangers who lurk in the dark, looking for ways to kidnap and rape children. There are bad people like that. News media often report about them. However, they are relatively rare. In about 90 percent of cases of child sexual abuse, the perpetrator is someone who is known and trusted by the child.

Naturally, you don't want to think that neighbors, teachers, medical personnel, sports coaches, or kind-hearted relatives can lust at your child. And, most people don't. You don't need to suspect everyone around you. However, you can protect your child by knowing the typical tactics of an abuser.