The Facts

• Only 10% of sexual assault victims report the abuse.
• 99% of the time, the offender is someone the family knows and trusts.
• On average, people who molest children have 75-150 victims.
• 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted by the age of 18.
• The average age of first offense for sex offenders is 14. 

Sex Offender Red Flags

• Work with children, and devote free time doing special things for children.

• Pre-occupation with children (especially of a certain age or gender).

• Engage in frequent physical contact with children.

• Seek out alone time or overnight stays with children.

• Act like children or allow children to do questionable or inappropriate things.

• Always available and voulnteer to watch children.

• Do not have children, but are aware of current fads, music and slang.

Common Deception Techniques

• Plan for disclosure, practice their response.

• If child reports, talk person out of reporting.

• Deny abuse but with an element of truth.

• Vocal about being against child abuse.

• Prey on adults who have strong belief in the good of others.

• Nice, likeable, well-spoken, dress well

• Offer a sincere apology, say it was an accident, or they were misunderstood.

What You Can Do As A Parent

• Teach your child names for their body parts.
• Communicate with your child - encourage questions, know when you child's behaviour is different.
• Talk to you child about who they can tell, and they need to tell no matter what someone tells them.
• Provide supervision.
  -  On The Internet
  -  In Public Restrooms
  -  Extra-Curricular Activities
  -  Overnight Stays
  -  In Your Neighborhood
   
• Listen to you own Intuition.
• Check for sex offenders in your neighborhoods. One option is to access: https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/soSearch/default.cfm. Or, using your favorite search engine (Yahoo, Google, etc.), enter, '(state) sex offender registry'.

If Your Child Has Been Abused

• Remain calm & supportive.
• Say to your child, "Tell me about what happened."
• Listen, but don't ask a lot of questions.
• Watch your non-verbal behaviour.
• Do not make child tell other people.
• Do not confront the offender.
• Make a report to either law enforcement or Children's Protective Services.