Education and protection is our best defence against paedophiles and sex offenders.

  Parents, teachers and community groups need to educate children on ways to protect themselves against offenders.

  Parents, teachers and community groups need to educate children on the methods used by offenders to pray on children so children can learn to identify potentially abusive situations. 

  Do not automatically think a child is making up stories about abuse, always look into it further.  This is what offenders rely upon - our disbelief of the child.

  If you think a child is being abused physically or sexually, contact police.

  If a child has told you about physical and/or sexual abuse always report it to police.

  If a child has told you about or you think a child is being abused physically or sexually and you or  the child are reluctant to tell police, please contact us.  

  Start educating children from a young age that "it's their body and no-one should be touching it inappropriately".

  Start teaching sex education to children at a young age;  offenders sometimes target children who are naive about sex.

  Teach children how to resist or refuse offenders advances - teach them to say 'no' and escape the situation or encourage them to yell or scream and physically resist the offender.

  Encourage children to talk to you or other trusted adults about things that are bothering, frightening or scaring them.

  Teach the child that they are not to blame for physical and/or sexual abuse - that it is always the offenders fault.

  Teach childen that the offender may be a person they know and trust and will try to encourage the child not to 'tell their little secret'.

  Teach children that some secrets should never be kept from people and they will never get in trouble for telling the "secret". 

  Children need to know there are 'good' secrets eg fun surprises and there are 'bad' secrets which are frightening/scary.

  Children need to know there is 'good' touching eg a cuddle and there is 'bad' touching eg prolonged cuddles, rubbing on legs, prolonged arm around the shoulder, touching "private parts".

  When teaching children use words that are age appropriate.