How to handle child abuse

1) Parent can prevent or lessen the chance of sexual abuse

Telling children that if someone tries to touch your body and do thing that make you feel funny, say NO to that person and tell me right away. Teaching children that respect does not mean blind obedient to adults and to authority, for example, don't tell children to, always do everything the teacher or baby sitter tell you to do. Encouraging professional prevention programs in the local school system. Sexually abused children and their families need immediate professional evaluation and treatment. Child and adolescent psychiatrist can help abused children regain a sense of self-esteem, cope with feeling of guilt about the abuse, and begin the process of overcoming the trauma. such treatment can help reduce the risk that the child will develop serious problem as an adult.

2) Primary prevention

Primary prevention consist of activities that are targeted at the community level. These activities are meant to impact families prior to any allegations of abuse and neglect. Primary prevention services include public education or activities, parent education classes that are open to anyone in the community for parents or abusers to interact with the child, and family support programs. Primary prevention can be difficult to measure because you are attempting to impact something before it happens, an unknown variable.

3) Secondary prevention

Secondary prevention consist of activities targeted to families that have one or more risk factors including families with substance abuse, teen parents, parents of special need children, single parents, and low income families. Secondary prevention services include parent classes targeted for high risk parent, respite care for parents of a child with a disability, or home visiting programs for new parents.

4) Treatment

Trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy has been used to help children exposed to any type of trauma, although it was originally designed for survivors of sexual abuse. It targets trauma-related symptoms in children including depression, and anxiety.

Abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy was design for children who have experience physical abuse. It targets externalizing behaviors and strengthens pro social behaviors. Offending parents are included in treatment, to improve parenting skills/practices.

Child parent psychotherapy was design to improve the child parent relationship following the experience of domestic violence. It target trauma related symptoms in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, including aggression, defiance an anxiety.