When it comes to prevention of child sexual abuse, we have to realize that it is totally up to the adults to protect the children. Children are innocent and cannot be expected to take care of themselves in these complex situations. That is why it is of utmost importance for caregivers to keep a constant eye open for possible red flags.
Children are trusting individuals – they have no reason not to trust someone unless that person has been mean and/or insensitive to them. If a person is nice and sensitive to a child, he/she will likely have no problem in developing a trusting relationship with a child. Most predators know this well and are typically very good at developing trusting relationships with unsuspecting children. It is up to the adults to keep a close eye on all the people coming in close contact with the children to make sure the children are not at risk.
That is one of main points I try to make in my book “Father Figure – my mission to prevent child sexual abuse”. For example, a single mother starting to date a new person, should not introduce the person immediately to her children. She should take adequate amount of time to get to know the person well before slowly introducing her children to him. She should continue to keep an eye out to make sure the children are safe when they are in close contact with this person. Over time it will be clear if that person is trustworthy or not. You can of course never be 100% sure, but giving some time to get to know the person well can often minimizes the risk significantly.