Teaching safe and unsafe touch can make a child sceptic about everyone,till they learn to define their instincts and stand up for themselves.Better an extra ‘no’ than an adult convincing the child to blame self for being abused.Steps are slowly but steadily programmed into the child .Try out the following;

1.Naming body parts accurately,without embarrassment.

2.It is important not to play with the child’s body ,even in infancy .Respecting the child’s privacy ,taking caution important.It is as important to cuddle,hug and pet the child as much as possible beyond that.These two are the first means to teaching the child what makes him or her feel safe.So,the training starts on a positive note with helping child feel safe about touch.To be able to identify safe touch they have to understand what is unsafe.

3.Tell the child what are his/her private parts and respect his/her privacy.We start by maintaining our body privacy in front of the child.It is ok to be able to tell a child which body parts of the parents or any other person is off limits.Not changing in front of the child,redirecting the child’s need to touch mothers breast post weaning,not to make an exhibition of the child’s nudity however sweet or innocent it might look even in front of close family members- are all basics to teaching a child the importance of privacy.

4.Saying a No – striking a balance between setting rules for a child which they needs to follow and empowering the child to say a ‘NO’ emphatically ,at points of discomfort,is a very tricky job.There is no absolute path,but it is important to learn to listen to the child. Listen means not only to hear,but to understand which it is but to understand which it is naughtiness,and when it is fear and vulnerability. Having faith in the essential goodness of the child would provide a valuable context to both parent and child to communicate.