The gravity of child sexual abuse issue in recent years warrants concerted effort as it cuts across racial, ethnic and socio-economic class. Keeping our children safe is the duty of all adults. Teaching children to be wary of strangers and not accept treats/rides from strangers are no longer sufficient. In most cases, the perpetrators are known to the victims.

In many countries, preventive education and appropriate counseling interventions have been successful in breaking the patterns of abuse. However, in order to teach prevention techniques effectively, we need to examine our social, cultural and religious attitudes about sex roles, family life, sexuality and violence.

Experts believe education is an effective preventive measure as it breaks through the silence and denial that have long tolerated child sexual abuse and thus, decreases the level of public acceptance. It increases access to resources for treatment and intervention by young people. More importantly, through education, children will understand and be more aware of issues related to sexual violence.

However, this does not mean the children would receive too much explicit information about sexuality. On the contrary, prevention education focusing on the dissemination of factual information about child sexual abuse and the development of skills would empower a child to avoid or to resist an approach by a perpetrator. Children without information and resources have few defenses against those who seek to harm them.

Prevention education within a religious context will allow children to discuss values, teachings and scripture as it relates to this topic. Given our general reticence to discuss sex, it is of vital importance that teachers (and parents) teaching the material have the correct attitudes and understanding about sexuality (factual information) and the correct religious perspectives on all matters related to sexuality.

Teachers with the correct information and right attitudes will be able to impart the right sentiment to children of all ages in the accurate language appropriate to them. Through a well-structured programme, our children will not only learn about personal safety but coping skills and core values such as self-esteem, empathy and respect.