Barriers to Telling

What children should know

Children should know that telling their trusted adults that they are being abused may be difficult, but it can help.

Why this is an important part of child sexual abuse prevention

Children can experience a range of feelings that may prevent them from telling someone they are being sexually abused. This program aims to acknowledge and normalise these feelings, while reinforcing the importance of continuing to tell.

Several myths help perpetrators continue their abuse in secret and without detection. Part of protecting children includes discussing and dispelling the myths as a community. If trusted adults can normalise children’s fears about telling, and become informed about the reasons why children don’t tell, they can better protect the children who rely on them.

Barriers to children disclosing include:

Ideas for having conversations on this concept