A Child’s Perspective of Child Abuse

Many adults are uncomfortable about talking with children about child abuse or who, unfortunately, may be victims themselves. It’s important to use language appropriate for communicating effectively with children about this sensitive subject. Our aim must be to answer children’s questions in a way that they can understand without frightening or confusing them.

We can’t assume that a child will behave or react in any particular way. Every situation that involves child abuse is different, and every child responds differently. Simply being an available, responsible adult may provide the support a child needs. Establishing or maintaining a sense of normalcy or routine may help to reassure a child and start the healing process.

I kept all of this in mind when interviewing my 11 year old son. I truly valued our conversation because it allowed me the opportunity to hear from a child and understand his thoughts on child abuse. When you list to our podcast, you can hear that he has some strong thoughts about some aspects of child abuse, but then there are other areas where he doesn’t quite know what the solution would be – all he knows is that child abuse is wrong. Please take a moment and listen to our conversation, and take a peek into a young mind – see how he processes the conversation and how engaged he really is.