Summary

A short storybook for parents, carers and other adults to share with children aimed at preventing children becoming victims of sexual abuse. Includes notes on how to begin conversations with children.

Type of intervention

Book

Target groups, level of prevention and subgroups

• Children and Young People (Victims) | Primary prevention | Young Children (0-5 years), Children (6-11 years), Adults (21+ years) | Male and female | Book
• Communities and Families | Primary prevention | Young Children (0-5 years), Children (6-11 years), Adults (21+ years) | Male and female | Book

Target population

Young children aged 3-10 years and their parents and carers.

Delivery organisation

-

Mode and context of delivery

A short story book for parents and carers to read and discuss with their children. It can also be used in a group setting.

Level/nature of staff expertise required

No professional background or qualifications required.

Intensity/extent of engagement with target group(s)

The book is in a short and simple format and contains colourful illustrations. It is ideal for reading on an occasional basis, to reinforce key messages over time.

Description of intervention

The author was a prosecutor of child abuse and sex crimes in New York for more than a decade. With an awareness that children often suffered sexual abuse for lengthy periods of time, the book ‘endeavours to teach children that they don’t have to endure abuse in silence. Parents and educators should use it as a tool to facilitate an open dialogue with youngsters’. It is aimed at preventing children from becoming victims in the first place and the book uses a simple rhyming scheme to tell the story of a young girl’s experience of inappropriate touching by the friend of a family member and how and why she is able to tell her parents.

The author draws the attention of parents to the importance of teaching children the correct names for their body parts and that their bodies have boundaries that should be respected by everyone. She includes a section called ‘Suggestions for the Storyteller’, in which she provides useful ‘tips’ to aid parents and other adults in sharing the book with young children, including the use of the book as a tool with which to begin a conversation with a child and how to open and encourage communication.

Evaluations

“The author skilfully captures an extremely difficult subject using simple language any child can understand.” -Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author, “Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff”

“With an easy rhyme and attractive pictures, this book will help both adults and children enter into a conversation about a subject that is often extremely hard for anyone to speak about, privately or publicly.” -Pamela Pine, PhD, MPH, Founder and CEO, Stop the Silence: Stop Child Sexual Abuse, Inc., www.stopcsa.org.

References

-

Contact details

Safety Star Media (Publisher)
PO Box 427, New York
NY 10156
Website: http://www.mybodybelongstome.com/
ISBN: 978-0-9821216-0-3

INFORMATION CORRECT AT JULY 2021

RATING: Book