PROFILING SEXUAL OFFENDERS
Teach your children about their bodies and let them know that no one
should touch their private parts. Make sure you let them know that private
parts are those that are covered by their bathing suits. Encourage them to
come to you and share. Get the message across. Fondling is not acceptable!
Communication with children is a matter of life and death. Sex
offenders rely on their victims experiencing guilt and shame. They tell
their victims fondling is a secret. They become more demanding and threaten
to tell their victims’ parents. They’ll say things like, “You’re just a kid
and they’ll believe me over you.” These threats aren’t effective if the
children have an open line of communication with their parents. Another
tactic sex offenders use is physical threats. “If you don’t do what I say,
I’ll kill your mother.” Children are easily intimidated by such threats and
sacrifice themselves to save loved ones. It’s up to loving parents and
caring adults to prepare children for dangerous encounters with pedophiles.
Pedophiles are everywhere that children go. You can find them in the
park approaching children to lure them away right under their parents’
noses. They will observe the children closely before they move in.
Sometimes they’ll be on the look out for children who have book bags with
their names labeled on them. Other times the pedophiles will mill about and
mingle in the crowd long enough to hear parents call their children by
name. Once the pedophiles have secured the names of the children, they will
approach them with a smile and address them by name. They can introduce
themselves as friends of the parents. They can say things like “Betty, I
found a kitty. It’s hurt. Do you like kitties? Do you know anything about
them? Can you take a look at my kitty and see if you can help?”
Many children go with them in spite of the fact that their parents
told them not to go with strangers. After all, the nice gentleman was well
dressed. He smelled good and he knew their names. As a matter of fact, he
may have even looked like daddy. Pedophiles also frequent malls, schools,
and churches. Child abuse is a crime of opportunity and that’s just what
they’re waiting for. They’re waiting for you to drop off your kids at the
mall.
Some sexual predators look for an easy target. The victim of choice
might be a kid with scruffy hair and poor hygiene. This tells the predator
that the kids is probably a latch key kid. This child has no parent
around. The parent could be working and not be able to afford daycare.
This kid is left alone in the house and has his own set of keys. If the
child’s keys are hanging form a pocket, this alerts the predator. He wants
to make sure the no one is around to protect the victim. Learn to read the
warning signs. They will be quite obvious once you know what to look for.
All you have to do is learn to recognize them. Never leave your children
alone or with family members they don’t like. If they don’t like them, they
have a good reason. Children everywhere are at risk for being violated.
Learn to be proactive, not reactive. Don’t leave your children’s safety to
chance.
There are some things you can do to prepare your children for possible
encounters with pedophiles. Take them to a local martial arts school.
Children can learn to strike the offender in vulnerable places and get lose
from certain grips. This will incapacitate the offender and allow them time
to get away and seek help. According to Childhelp: Abused children are 25%
more like become pregnant, 2.5 times more likely to develop alcohol and drug
abuse, 2/3 of the people in treatment for drug abuse reported being abused
as children, are more likely to be arrested as adults, and 30% more likely
to commit violent crime. This article expresses solely my opinion, doesn’t
represent any organization, and doesn’t offer medical or legal advice. By
Julia Jankowski, M.Ed., Certified Addiction Professional, Certified Mental
Health Professional, Civil Competency Evaluator
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