crime
Protection against abuse: strengthening children’s self-confidence
Experts recommend practicing the route to school. photo
© Christoph Reichwein/dpa
The case of a kidnapped and abused girl in Edenkoben frightens children and parents. Experts give tips for prevention. Why children’s self-confidence is important.
According to experts, parents need to increase their self-confidence Strengthen children to better protect them from abuse. “Experience, statistics and research say: Children who act confidently are much better protected than children who play small,” said Joachim Türk, Vice President of the German Child Protection Association.
Most recently, a case from Edenkoben in Rhineland-Palatinate caused a stir. A 61-year-old sex offender is said to have kidnapped and abused a ten-year-old girl on her way to school.
Numbers and prevention
According to experts, sexual violence usually takes place in children’s social circles or on the Internet. In Germany, around 15,500 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in 2022, according to police crime statistics. However, the number of undetected cases in the dark field is presumably much higher.
“Children see adults as authority figures. They need to be encouraged that they don’t have to give an answer to strangers or that they can confidently say no,” said Carina Kneip from the prevention management team at the Rhineland-Palatinate State Criminal Police Office to the German Press Agency. This is important because in other situations it is considered impolite.
Practicing the way to school, discussing so-called safety islands such as gas stations or supermarkets with the child and sticking to agreements – according to Kneip, this can contribute to a safe way to school. The children must be signaled: “You can be loud, you can run. Children should calmly draw attention to themselves by screaming and running away and actively ask for help.”
Children and young people need to feel that they are supported and taken seriously, said Kerstin Claus, Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues. “This includes making it very clear to them that they are never to blame for sexual violence. Because the responsibility always lies entirely with the perpetrator.”