Guess whose body it is when you were born? YOURS! It didn’t belong to your mom or your dad or your grandparents or Uncle Jake. It belonged to you. Now I know that’s a strange concept to put into a little kid’s mind. I seriously doubt if your mom and dad sat you down when you were old enough to understand and explained to you that it was your body and you had rights regarding it. They were supposed to watch out for you and be loving and supportive parents. Not many are. Some of them wind up being our perpetrators. Not much help there. They’ve put you so much in harm’s way that you don’t know it’s your body much less that you have the right to decide who gets to touch it.
Think of the mind of a child. They are all alone with no wisdom, no idea of what to do other than those ideas given them by their caretaker. As soon as they are old enough to understand instructions, they must be told that their body belongs to them and if anyone tries to touch it without their permission, they can scream their head off.
I’m not speaking here of a loving parent who needs to change a diaper, bath a child, dress them or give them loving hugs and kisses. These are all appropriate behaviors and I commend these parents. I am speaking only of inappropriate or abusive behavior to the child by anyone whether relatives or not.
I have written A Child’s Bill of Rights below. Please share this with all the parents you know. If you are a relative of the child and suspect at all that they are being sexually molested by one of their parents call the police and report it.
A CHILD’S BILL OF RIGHTS
1. A child has the right to decide who can and cannot touch any part of their body.
2. A child has the right, in fact the duty, to report to a safe person any time someone attempts to touch their body inappropriately.
3. A child has the right to set boundaries regarding any part of their own body.
4. A child has the right to dial 911 on the phone if they think they are in any danger from someone wanting to touch their body inappropriately and ask for help NOW.
5. A child has the right to be believed if they are honestly reporting any danger from someone touching or attempting to touch their body inappropriately.
6. A child has the right to run away or scream for help if someone approaches them in a manner that seems scary or “yucky”.
Please read these RIGHTS to your child frequently. They belong to them. Help them to understand what each one means.
Tell your child frequently:
“Your body belongs to you; you can decide who touches it.”
Copyright (c) 2011 by Marjorie McKinnon. All Rights Reserved.
