The following article is the first article of a five-week series focusing on raising awareness about sexual assault and child abuse. April is both Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness month and it is our hope to educate our local community on these two very serious issues. Two in 5 women and 1 in 5 men will experience a form of sexual assault in their lifetime. Locally, the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center has been serving victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and child abuse since 1978. Last year, HCWC served 2,111 victims of abuse (face-to-face) from Hays and Caldwell Counties. Of those, 749 were adult victims of sexual assault and 545 were victims of child abuse.
In the wake of the #metoo movement, many parents, teachers, and caregivers want to know what we should be teaching young people. As an educator and mother, I get questions like, “what age should these conversations start?” and more often, “what should these discussions look like?” Teaching consent and boundaries is simpler than we think. However, it needs to begin as young as possible and be ongoing throughout a person’s life.
At a very early age parents begin pointing and teaching children the names of their body parts: ears, eyes, nose, foot, etc. However, we skip private parts, give them nicknames, or whisper them like a secret. Teaching children the anatomically correct names of their private parts is essential. The penis and vagina are just as important to know as hands and toes (maybe more so!). We should be able to discuss all body parts with children. These body parts should not be secret or shameful. Young people need to be given the appropriate vocabulary to understand and advocate for their own bodies.
