In my book titled “Father Figure – my mission to prevent child sexual abuse” I have described a true story that focuses on the fact that prevention of child sexual abuse is everyone’s responsibility. Even an ordinary citizen can at times be able to do something to minimize or eliminate risks for young children.
The first point I have tried to make is that all adults should keep an eye open to detect any red flags and take some action if a red flag is detected. It is very critical because even one episode of child sexual abuse can torment the victim for a long time to come. No child deserves that.
There are some who might say that you really cannot do much if you are not a member of the family. That is the second point I have tried to make in this book. No matter who you are, there are things that can be done even if you are not a member of the family. An ordinary citizen can do things that can initiate actions on the part of systems such as child preventive services, law enforcement services, etc.
One of things I have heard people say is that trying to do something can be extremely frustrating and can consume a lot of your time. Well, that is the third point I have tried to make in my book. It is true that sometimes it can take a significant amount of time and energy to get the systems to initiate some actions. But it is worth it because you are trying to protect the life of an innocent child.
A lot of our systems are over-burdened and it can take some perseverance and persistence to get them to take some action. But eventually they will take actions because they do care about the safety of all children.