Currently, we as parents are bombarded by news about sexual assault and rape. Every other day there is a rape incident in our country. Despite all the news about rape, it is unfortunate that when it comes to giving advice about rape and warning our children about the dangers of sexual abuse, there is not much to go by.
When is the right age to tell my daughter about rape?
There is no ‘right’ age to tell your child about rape. But generally, children between ages of 6 and 8 reach a level of maturity which enables them to understand the term and its dangers.
Your daughter, if she is around this age, depending upon her maturity, should be able to understand what ‘laws’ and ‘crime’ mean.
She should know when you tell her that:
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Rape is a crime.
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Rape is a terrible form of crime that hurts a person.
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Rape is a serious offense when one person does something to the other person without that person’s permission.
Children older than 8 years generally need more ‘specific’ answers. If your daughter is between the age of 9 and 12, she will be less satisfied than younger ones on general or vague statements. In fact, she will not just want some information but she will want it to be more detailed and direct. At this age, children will understand that there is an innate ‘sexual’ element attached to the word ‘rape’.
For children between the ages 13 and 22, and even those who are 12 years old, give information to them from a variety of sources! Talk about it while you are having dinner, get them to read up on it from relevant media, draw your children into discussion about its complications.
Above all, tell them that violence is violence, and rape is an extreme form of violence, and it cannot be condoned, no matter what the situation or circumstance is.
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