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PERSONAL SAFETY EDUCATION
The concept of Personal Safety Education
works to allow every child the right to feel safe all the time,
using a methodology that promotes the safety of self against abuse.
The program is an extension of the safety rules we teach our children,
that is, don't play with fire, look both sides before and while
crossing the road etc. Besides empowering children to take part
in their own protection, it strengthens the ability of those morally,
socially and professionally responsible for the protection of children,
that is, the State, parents, educators, and the larger community.
| WHAT IS PERSONAL SAFETY? |
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Personal Safety is curriculum
designed to protect children from abuse, specifically sexual
abuse |
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Personal Safety
empowers children to take part in their own protection by giving
them age-appropriate information, skills, and self-esteem. |
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Personal Safety
teaches children that their body belongs only to them and nobody
has the right to touch them in a way they don't like or understand. |
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Personal
Safety teaches children to understand their emotions to help
keep them safe, using fear and anger in positive ways. |
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Personal
Safety teaches assertiveness skills, helping children to stand
up for their own rights without violating the rights of others. |
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Personal Safety builds the
support system of each child, including the family, school,
community, and friends. |
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Personal Safety builds the
self-esteem of each child to empower them to practice assertiveness
skills for their own protection. |
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Personal Safety builds empathy
for one another. |
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Personal Safety teaches children
that only the offender is to blame for any inappropriate sexual
touch. |
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| It's
important to understand sexual abuse need not always involve
touching the child. It includes other non-contact acts as well
Know More.. |
| TEACH
YOUR CHILDREN THE FOLLOWING RULES |
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It is NOT OK to touch someone
else's private body parts |
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It is NOT OK for someone to
touch his or her own private body parts in front of you. |
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It is NOT OK for someone to
ask you to touch his or her private body parts. |
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It is NOT OK for someone to
take photos or videos of you with your clothes off. |
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It is NOT OK for someone to
show you photos or videos of people without their clothes on. |
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| TALK
TO CHILDREN DIFFERENT KINDS OF TOUCHING. TEACH THEM THAT THERE
ARE THREE KINDS OF TOUCHES. |
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SAFE
TOUCH are those touches that are experienced by the receiver
(child) as warm, caring, nurturing, and supportive. They do
not diminish the receiver and do not take from the receiver.
All persons need to receive this kind of touch. |
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UNSAFE
TOUCH are those that hurt the receiver, that make the
receiver feel bad, that inflict pain or that seem to disregard
the receivers (child's) feelings. It is usually very clear that
the child does not want this kind of touch, which is experienced
by the child as manipulative, coercive, abusive, and frightening.
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CONFUSING
TOUCH are those which make the receiver feel uncomfortable,
uneasy, confused, or unsure. The receiver experiences confusion
and conflicting feelings about the touch and/or about the person
who does the touching. The intent of the adult may be unclear,
the touch may be unfamiliar. There are times when this kind
of attention "feels good" but is also frightening,
such as a touch that is sexually stimulating, being asked keep
the experience a secret or being given undue intimate attention
in front of others. Thus, the attention or touch that "feels
good" is not always good or safe. |
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Safe Touch Confusing
Touch Unsafe Touch
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What determines the nature
of the touch? |
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Whether the touch or attention
is "safe" or "unsafe" or "confusing"
is determined by how the receiver experiences it, NOT
by the intentions of the person giving the attention of doing
the touching. The adult may intend the touch/attention to convey
a certain kind of message (support, affection, etc.) but the
message is entirely dependent upon how the receiver perceives
the touch/attention, and the adults have no control over this.
The adult's intentions are irrelevant. |
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