Ep 23: When Everyone Is Silent | Body Safety Education for Kids

‼️‼️Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse and may be triggering for some listeners. My guest in this episode is body safety educator and author Diane Tarantini. We discuss the critical importance of teaching children—early on—about body safety to prevent abuse and equipping them with the knowledge and vocabulary to report to a safe adult if something does happen to them. We also share our insights and experiences, emphasizing how we turn our pain into purpose. Diane is a survivor of a niche interfamilial abuse of sibling sexual abuse, and she is one of only a small number of survivors who openly shares her story about her experiences. Recognizing herself as “mean mommy” led her to her healing journey. 💥CTA: Please subscribe to my podcast. Your support will help me to continue bringing my HEALing message to the world. 💥Video version of Let's HEAL! with Beth Jones is available on YouTube channel @BethJonesHEALingMentor. Highlights of this episode 💙 The importance of body safety education. Early education on body safety to prevent childhood trauma and abuse is critical in a world where kids are potentially exposed in so many ways throughout their typical day. 80% of abuse cases occur when a child is alone with the perpetrator. 💛The statistics and reality of child sexual abuse. Only 30% of children disclose abuse during childhood, and the average age of disclosure is 52 years old, highlighting the long-lasting impact of abuse and the difficulty in coming forward. I am this statistic. 💙Barriers to disclosure. Children often lack the awareness or vocabulary to describe abuse, and disclosure may be easier to strangers or after the perpetrator has passed away. Children also need safe adults to report to, and Diane advises kids she works with to have 5. Because if the first or second don’t hear, keep going. Adults… wake up!! No child should have to go beyond the first person they chose to tell. 💛 Body safety assemblies in schools. Erin’s Law has been passed in 38 states and requires kids in grades K-12 to attend a body safety assembly at least once a year. Implementation of the law varies from state to state and school to school. If you’re unsure whether your child is receiving this essential training, contact their school and ask. And check out SHIELD Task Force (www.shieldwv.com), a nonprofit providing engaging body safety assemblies and presentations in schools. 💙Our pro tips on therapy: build a relationship with your therapist and treat him/her as part of your tribe or support system, but… if you start to resent your therapist, the time you're investing or handing over the check, it’s time to go! Diane’s Books Everyone Was Silent: A memoir (https://amzn.to/3H6sV3T) The Brave Knight (https://amzn.to/43AtVEN) Connect with Diane ✨https://dianetarantini.com/ ✨https://www.instagram.com/writingdianet/ ✨https://www.facebook.com/DianeTarantiniAuthor ✨https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-tarantini-b883938a/ ✨https://www.youtube.com/@MommunityPodcast  Follow me, the HEALing Mentor 🩵Website: https://empoweredsurvivors.com/ 🩵Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethjoneshealingmentor 🩵Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethJonesHEALingMentor/ 🩵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bethjoneshealingmentor 🩵LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethjoneshealingmentor/ Thank you for listening. Click the "SUBSCRIBE" button to stay connected with this pocast. Keywords #healingmentor #healingjourney #healtolove #bodysafety #childprotection #childsafety #erinslaw #bodysafetyeducation #preventchildabuse #childsexualabuse #childabuseawareness #childabuseprevention #csa #ssa #childabusesurvivor #siblinabuse #childhoodtrauma #parentingtips #safeparenting #protectchildren #parentawareness #childeducation #talkwithkids #childadvocate  #abuseawareness #speakup #breakthesilence #childsafetyresources