#MeToo movement was started by Tarana Burke, who was a sexual harassment survivor and activist in 2006. The MeToo movement is related to sexual harassment and assault of women. It gained widespread population in late 2017, where people around the world were using it to share their horrible sexual assault experiences.
It started when an American actress Alyssa Milano posted on twitter that if all the women who have experienced sexual harassment in any phase of their life wrote MeToo as a status, we would be able to sense the magnitude of the problem.
Women started sharing their experiences and exposing the names of people who were the culprit, thus exposing many celebrities. This movement resulted in disrupting the lives of many people who were the perpetrators of sexual harassment as legal actions were taken against them who were exposed by women.
We all are aware of how the sexual crimes against women as well as women are increasing day by day, and even the small kids are not safe from the people around them. The little kids who are not also aware of what sexual abuse is, thus are in a situation of grave danger.
We have even come across cases of small babies getting raped, so we can imagine how cruel the world we are living. We can never know what is going into the evil minds of people and can not have control over them.
But what we can do for the best of our kid is to empower them with knowledge so that they know if something unusual and not suitable is happening with them or around them and they can without a single line of doubt talk to you about it.
We often come across articles of small kids getting raped several times and not taking any actions against them or not even talking to their parents. Sometimes kids are themselves not aware of what happened with them or are afraid to share with anyone because of threatening from the abuser.
I understand how uncomfortable it becomes to talk to your child about sex, sexual abuse, etc. If you think that only you are in the dilemma of having this conversation with your child, then let me tell you that you are not alone in this.
According to research by Making Caring Common Project, it was found that among the kids interviewed by them, around 76% of kids never had a conversation with their parents, which included sex, sexual harassment, sexual relationship, etc.
It’s quite shocking that in today’s world, where even a newborn is not safe from predators, parents are still not talking to their kids about sex. You should never avoid such conversations with your kid just because you are not comfortable with it.
It’s a critical issue and should be openly discussed with the kids. Some boarding schools have now understood the importance of sex education for kids and thus incorporated it in their syllabus.
Now it’s your turn to take a step forward for the safety of your kid. Some of the tips and guidelines for you to get started are
- Talk to both girls and boys
When we think that only girls are a victim of sexual abuse, we are in the wrong place. With changing times, the crimes have increased, and boys are also becoming a victim of sexual abuse.
- Define everything from unusual touching or verbal misconduct to sexual assault or rape
You must talk to your kid about everything. It’s better to keep an open mind and to impart knowledge rather than him getting involved in unwanted situations.
- Take your time and think about what you want to tell them and keep the conversation according to their age.
You surely don’t want to say to him something which is not appropriate for his age. Invest time in thinking about what topics and how you are going to explain to your kid about them.
- Tell them about what consent means.
A girl, when in a drunken state, is not in a condition to say no, but that doesn’t mean that it’s consensual. Teach both boys and girls about the meaning of consent that they should move ahead only when the other person says yes. And also that saying yes to one thing like kiss doesn’t mean that the other person is ready for all things like sex.
- Be careful about what you speak and do not engage in victim-blaming
We often tend to blame girls for any sexual abuse; make sure you are not doing the same. Talk and treat equally to both of them and impart non-biased knowledge.
- Talk about a healthy relationship
Teach them about what a healthy relationship is so that they can distinguish when they are treated in the wrong way. Teach them good social ethics and respect others if they want others to respect them.
Talking about #MeToo is very important for every family. Give your kids an idea about what are the safety measures and what steps they should take if they face any situation. Be sure to engage with your kids in a good talk and tell them about healthy relationships and their boundaries. And as parents, we should also understand that the thinking of the next generation is different from us. So accepting the generation gap is also vital while imparting knowledge about sexual abuse.
