Body Safety Blog

PLEASE HELP BY SIGNING OUR G7 #BEBRAVE PETITION. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

My name is Rosalia and I'm a survivor of childhood sexual violence.

I started this petition with 8 other survivors from the Brave Movement.

We are 9 survivors of childhood sexual violence from G7 countries and beyond. We are urgently calling on leaders of the world’s richest countries to take bold and transformative action when they meet in June to end childhood sexual violence -- so that what happened to us never happens to another child.

Childhood sexual violence is a global scourge, which at least one in five girls and one in ten boys experience.  It has devastating long-term consequences for children, families, and societies.  And the COVID pandemic has exposed children to even greater risk.

Childhood sexual violence is happening now, in silence, in every nation. In family homes, sports, schools, and places of worship. Also across borders, in the form of online abuse,...

Rosalia 00:02 

Alyssa Milano is joining me today. I'm so excited, everyone! Thanks for being here, it is Rosalia Rivera. I'm back for another live with Consent Parenting. I'm so excited that you're here because I am thrilled to be joined today by Alyssa Milano. Does she really need an introduction? I will leave that open because you know, she is just... I've been, you know, following her since I was a kid. She's an incredible actress, producer, activist, advocate, mother, author. She's just doing amazing things in the world. And I'm just so grateful that she's taking the time to join me today. When we see her she's here. Yay. Happy to have her and to talk about what we're going to be talking about today. Oh, let me see me. Sure. There we go. Hi. How are you? 

Alyssa Milano 00:59 

I'm good. How are you? 

Rosalia 01:01 

I'm great. I'm excited. You've made my day. You've made my week, you've made my month. 

Alyssa Milano 01:05 

Oh you're so sweet,...

Private part safety has many facets. I'll be sharing more about the nuances and intricacies that can help make teaching private part safety less stressful and more comprehensive.

If you have a toddler, you'll want to check out my upcoming workshop that is specifically for parents in this stage and who are wanting to teach private part safety.

Have you started teaching private part safety and did you know to teach about private part exposure?

I believe that kids should learn about safe vs unsafe touch so that they recognize when abuse is happening.

But that alone is not going to help prevent abuse.

I've talked about how a 50/50 rule is best when it comes to a more effective abuse prevention strategy.

This means that 50% of your work as a parent, when it comes to sexual abuse prevention, should be to teach your child's circle (family members/relatives, educators, caregivers, etc.) about body safety practices and how to implement them.

And the other 50% should be to teach your child about empowering consent education and abuse prevention information (strategically).

But where I find most parents miss the boat, in the 50% of teaching their kids, is that they don't equip them with the HOW to exit an unsafe situation and how to report/disclose what happened.

Rates of reporting are very low for this reason and it perpetuates the cycle of abuse that a child may be going through. This is...

Dear Pedophile & Child Molester,

I see you.

I see the way you were hurt or shamed by someone when you were young, and that this is why you feel you need to hurt someone smaller: to numb the open wound you always carry.

You have an illness.

And like a disease, if not brought under control, this illness will continue to spread through you until it corrupts every part of your humanity. 

But you can stop. This illness can be treated and cured. You don’t have to do this.

Hurt people, hurt people, and I know that maybe you’re deeply hurt and are deeply hurting innocent children.

I see how you resist admitting the truth to yourself: that this is really all about you taking control away from someone else because deep down you feel disempowered. 

I see the shame you feel inside and how it propels you to make decisions that spin you further down the shame spiral—in a self-corrosive and outwardly...

Body literacy is what we are teaching our kids when we teach them the names of their private parts and about the functions of those parts. This can greatly reduce the risks of sexual abuse.

Here's why.

Our (as in everyone's) genitalia, unless medically different, has the most concentration of nerve endings than any other part of the body. It's one of the reasons kids notice this very sensitive part of the body when they begin to have physical self-awareness.

This typically happens before or around the time of potty training, which is when they are transitioning to other materials covering those areas of the body (from diaper to underwear) and it makes the sensations of those areas felt more prominently.

As kids develop more physical self-awareness, it's natural (and normal) for a child to explore their body and those areas in particular. We don't want to shame this self-exploration/self-pleasure because it is part of healthy development and builds body...

5 FOR 5! The top 5 abuse prevention books that all parents need for their kids!!!

5 FOR 5! Five things parents need to know before sending their child to a sleepover!

Download the free Sleepover Safety Checklist here: 
https://aboutconsent.lpages.co/sleepover-safety-pdf/

Learn the TOP 5 things to do BEFORE you send your child to DAYCARE, PRESCHOOL, or SUMMERCAMP in the next few weeks or months to prevent abuse.

Get my FREE Prepare to Prevent: Daycare/Summer Camp/ Preschool Guide
http://aboutconsent.com/prepare

If you'd like to learn more about my Prepare to Prevent Program, go here:
https://aboutconsent.lpages.co/prep-program/