From About.com's Diana Davila, an article on Protecting Our Children From Sexual Abuse that goes further than mine. My intent was to create a guide for martial arts school best-practices. Davila goes further:
The facts:
The National Foundation to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse estimates that one out of every three girls and one out of every six boys will be abused in some way by their late teens. The majority of cases will never be reported, or may be reported years later.
To parents, check out the instructors.
Do a search on the various online state databases to see if the instructor, assistant instructors or any staff member at the martial arts school you are selecting is listed as a sex offender. You can also check with your local police department to see if there have been any reports or complaints of abuse of any kind, as well as to check on any other pertinent criminal complaints or charges.
Red flags to detect abuse:
Pay Attention to Your Child Observe your child's behavior. Any drastic changes to behavior, habits or appearance should be red flags that something is wrong, whether or not you suspect abuse. Some behavioral signs to watch out for include
- withdrawing from friends and family
- depression
- hostility or unusual aggression
- nightmares
- suddenly having an extreme aversion to a particular person or place
- soiling or wetting the bed after being fully potty trained.
Followed by "what to do if you suspect abuse." There's a lot more. Read it all.
For more information:
TDA: Preventing Sexual Abuse in Martial Arts
TDA: Another Case of Sex Abuse in the Martial Arts
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