Every summer approximately 10 million children will pack up their clothes, bedding and favorite pillows and head off to summer camp. Most will return home with wonderful memories of new friends and fun filled days. Some will return home with devastating memories that will last a lifetime - memories of being sexually abused.
According to Psychology Today, adolescents account for approximately 50% of all sexual abuse. Unfortunately, summer camp is an ideal place for abusers; in recent years, sexual abuse has occured at Christian camps, publicly funded camps, Boy Scout camps, and even the camp run by the school President Obama's daughters attend.
While no camp is immune from the possibility of sexual abuse, there are five important steps parents can take to prevent their child from becoming a victim of abuse.
When teaching your child the names of body parts, use the proper terms for penis, scrotum, vagina and anus. The use of euphemisms can jeopardize your child's credibility should they someday need to report abuse. Explain that these parts of their body are very private, and that no one should be touching them there unless that person has a legitimate reason (e.g., a pediatrician or early child care provider).
It is important for parents to know that the camp has policies and procedures in place to minimize the risk of sexual abuse. Parents should ask the following questions:
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2005 that 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls are sexually assaulted before the age of 18. The vast majority of abusers (90%) are male, and 71% of the time, the abuser knows the victim.
Whenever someone seems to be overly interested in your child, beware. Camps routinely forbid their counselors to babysit or spend time with campers outside camp precisely because a counselor who has had the opportunity to develop a close relationship with your child is in a position to have an undue amount of influence. Sexual predators tend to be masters at "grooming" their victims by insinuating themselves into their victim's life and becoming someone the child likes and trusts.
What many parents don't realize is that almost a third of sexually abused children are victimized by an older child. That's why it's important to know what the camp's policies are regarding how much contact is permitted between different age groups and how well supervised the groups are.
Warning signs of sexual abuse in younger children:
Warning signs of sexual abuse in older children
Child molesters are adept at manipulating their victims into believing that the abuse is the child's fault, that they won't be believed if it's reported, and that they or someone they love will get hurt if abuse gets reported. By letting your child know their private parts are off limits to others and that they will never get in trouble for reporting, that it's never OK for someone to ask them to keep a "forever" secret, and by not allowing any adult to be alone with your child, you're making your child far less vulnerable to predators who know how to exploit the naivete of children.
Dr. Jackie Humans is a graduate of the Workplace Bullying Institute, the only organization in the United States that trains individuals how to present anti-bullying programs for bullying in the workplace. She also works with Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS), a nonprofit organization that sends volunteers into schools to present programs about keeping kids safe. She is a well-known speaker and program leader on subjects such as bully prevention, Internet safety, sexual harassment, date rape and child abuse, and the author of 15 Ways to ZAP a Bully!
Revised June 21, 2011. Updated February 15, 2017
Links:
[1] https://www.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/basics/camps-clinics/packing-sports-camp-tips-make-sure-your-child-prepared
[2] https://www.momsteam.com/nutrition/dehydration-at-summer-sports-camps-surprisingly-common-studies-find
[3] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/sports-camps-are-mrsa-hot-spots
[4] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/treatment-reporting/handling-child-sexual-abuse-in-sports-advice-for-parents
[5] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/myths-about-abuse-in-sports-Celia-Brackenridge
[6] https://www.momsteam.com/team-of-experts/parents-can-protect-their-children-against-sexual-abuse-in-sports
[7] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/sexual-abuse/prevention/preventing-sexual-abuse-in-sports-what-should-parents-say-to-their-child