An effective and important way to protect children against sexual abuse is to teach them and give them the power and ability to say 'no'.
There are many reasons why a child doesn't say 'no'. It is important that you look at the reason why the child doesn't dare to say it. It could be insecurity, being scared of rejection, doesn't want other people to be mad at them, fear...
Therefor it is important to ask about the opinion, the feelings, the thoughts... of the child. Talk with the children, comfort them.
"What do you think about this?" "How do you feel about this?" "It is okay if you don't like this or don't want to do this."
Keep in mind and tell them that they cannot always say no to anything they want. They still need to listen to the teachers and parents for example, but saying no to someone who wants to undress them is something completely different.
But how can you teach a child to say no?
Explain consent
It is important that you teach the children they can say no when it's about their body, their feelings and emotions. It is also important that you teach them to respect when others say no. Consent is a two-way street, so it is important to be aware and understand each other.
Roleplay
Show some situations to the children. Practice with colleagues and let the children watch. After this you can let the children practice with each other. Let them make their own scenarios. Here it is important that you keep control of it and take it serious.
Teach them to follow their intuition
When you ask about how a child feels about something, they can think and be more aware of their own feelings. Let them explain what they are thinking and feeling and comfort them in it. Ensure them it is okay to be not okay with something sometimes.
Practice the 'no'
Demonstrate to the children how you can say 'no' in a serious, effective way. Practice their posture and convinciness. Make sure there is no room for a yes in the way they say it. Let them practice it with you and each other.
Make yourself tall
Make your shoulders wide
Keep your head high
Say 'no' with a strong voice
Walk away and tell someone what happened and why you said no
Teach them to explain why they say no to something
You can also do this by doing a roleplay with each other.
For example: No, you can't borrow my pencil, because this is my favorite pencil
No, you can't have my food, because I am still hungry
In this video a little boy explains how to react when a child is in a disturbing situation. You can show this video to the children to teach them how to react.
Maak jouw eigen website met JouwWeb