Practice has shown that more than 90% of children who report having being sexually abused are telling the truth.
    If your child trusts you with something like this, what is the best thing to do?
    The place:
    Try to find a secluded and protected place to talk to the child.
    Your behavior:
    Sharing such a secret can cause you very strong emotions. Try to control yourself as much as possible, do not panic, do not shout and do not blame them. If you have difficulty, contact a relative or professional to support you.
    What to tell the child:

• Reassure the child that you trust them.
• Explain to them that whatever another adult has done is not their fault, that they are not bad and have not done anything wrong.
• Say it must have been very difficult for them to say all this and note how right and brave they were.
• Make sure they are safe, ask them if they feel threatened at this time and support them to feel safer. If the situation requires it, seek help from other people or institutions so that the child can be in a safe and secure environment.
• During the conversation, help the child mostly with questions, not assumptions! Who did it, where, what did it do to you?
• Don’t ask “Why?” since that in itself implies an accusation.
• Name things by their real names and use the child’s vocabulary.
• Don’t promise things you can’t do. Reassure the child that you will do everything possible to protect them. Explain to them what you will do from now on, tell them that you need to alert the relevant authorities.

    It is important to know that:

• Often children tend to reveal the “secret”, but with certain conditions: “I have a problem, but if I tell you about it, you will have to promise not to tell anyone else.”
• Most children are well aware that there will be negative consequences if they violate the secret of abuse - questioning, investigation, punishment of someone.
• Very often the perpetrator uses threats with consequences for the child and thus forces them to remain silent.
• Just as abuse in itself is illegal, it is illegal not to report child abuse.
• It is important that you respect confidentiality by discussing abuse only with those who are directly involved in the legal and child-supporting process. These people can be a social worker in the Child Protection Department, the investigator, the police, the nurse, the teacher. In such a situation, every person who is in your place would need the support of a specialist - a psychologist or a social worker.