Keeping children safe can be challenging because many adults who abuse them are in positions of trust. Adults can include family members, faith community members, teachers, neighbors, and people with financial or professional power.
Many children who are targets of abuse from an adult will not so easily report this but here are some things you can pay attention to
Adults that are Always with Children
It’s not always easy to identify inappropriate adults because children will spend time with many different adults and not all of them are inappropriate. One way to tell however is the more than normal amount of time an adult spends with people that are not their age. Away from their day to day this adult will always be in the company of younger people and seem to find this appropriate.
Another sure way to tell is when an adult is having an inappropriate relationship with a child is when make comments like, “Future partner” or “time to settle down” about a person that is very clearly under-age should be a cause for concern and a red flag.
Adults That Are Always Gift giving
To gain the trust of a parent or caregiver to lower suspicion and gain access to their child some adults will be very generous and provide support. They will give gifts of money, and meet other basic needs.
This generosity may also single out the targeted child with special things for them. Also, they will directly gain the child’s trust by gathering information about the child and getting to know their needs, and then finding ways to fill those needs.
Once the adult begins to fill the needs of adult members and the child’s, they may become indispensable in that family’s life. Which makes it difficult to see what is actually happening, and that the child is being targeted.
Adults That Cross Boundaries
Once emotional dependence and trust have been built, the adult will cross boundaries and begin spending time alone with the child. The role of benign benefactor will move to a more active role where the child is pulled into an inappropriate relationship. In some really extreme but also very common situations they will force the child if a girl, into a marriage.
Please note, if a child tells you that someone makes them uncomfortable, even if they can’t tell you anything specific, listen. Talk to someone who can help you figure out if this is something that must be reported to the authorities.