There are plenty of things that one can do to stop sex crimes. As per the recent statistics, one out of every six boys and one out of every four girls are sexually abused at some point of time before they turn eighteen. The statistics are obviously quite staggering but the most unfortunate thing is that the resources and attention that are devoted to ending sex crimes are far less than needed. In fact, it should not be an exaggeration to say that almost every individual in this country is somehow or other, directly or indirectly, affected by sexual assault. Following is a brief rundown on some of the steps that you can follow to reduce the occurrences of such crimes.
Sex Offenders Look Like Ordinary People
While you are working on your strategies on what can be done to stop sex crimes, the first thing that is very important for you to know is that sex offenders do not look like movie villains. Considering the very fact that 75% of the women who are raped know the rapist. Likewise, the assaulters in over 80% of children sex abuse cases are the ones who the victims know and trust. Therefore, it is a wrong assumption that sex offenders are special category of people, such as the creepy guy in the trench coat, the stranger in the alley, and others. All such descriptions are quite filmy. It is very important for you to understand that most of the sexual predators are ordinary people and victims often know and trust them. Many people also have the misconception that only women or girls are abused sexually. Statistics say that even males are victimized. As per the last year report, one in every eight rape victims was a male.
Attend Specialized Programs
As the old saying goes, prevention is the best care, you are also advised to attend programs to stop sex crimes. Such programs have been specifically designed to educate people regarding sexual violence. There are several organizations that allow various groups to attend workshops, such as to military people, to students, and to other groups. Most elementary schools these days are offering “Stranger Danger” programs for kids, where children are told about their rights to say “no” to those who want to touch their bodies in an unwanted way. They are taught that it is their right not to be sexually abused. Parents however are strongly recommended to attend workshops in this regard because they are the bets people to contribute when it comes to preventing sexual abuse related to children. Despite the education programs that are running in elementary schools, children are still being abused, and probably the main reason behind this is that predators know how to intimidate and manipulate kids into keeping silent.
There are several cracks also in our legal system. In order to stop sex crimes, there has to be a legal system with no loopholes. Unfortunately, there is a very little window of opportunity available out there to report such abuses, especially when it is a case of a sexually abused child. Children take too long a time to open up, and by the time they do, the statute of limitations expire. Therefore, effective legal reforms are also very important when it comes to stopping such crimes.