Henry Smith MP column, Crawley Observer, 2 September 2015
Over the last couple of years the British public have been shocked at the ongoing revelations of sexual abuse that have been brought to light through Operation Yewtree. The most high profile offender that has been exposed through this operation is of course Jimmy Savile, but by focussing on these ‘celebrities’ it is sometimes easy for people to forget that Child Abuse is sadly taking place throughout the country by all different types of people.
Whilst child abuse has always occurred due to better reporting and detection, recorded sexual offences against children have increased sharply over the last decade, with the police recording almost 36,500 sexual offences involving minors, in the UK, for the period of 2013/14.
Throughout August the NSPCC ran an Underwear Rule campaign which called on parents to talk PANTS to their children in an effort to help protect them from sexual abuse.
The PANTS Underwear Rule is an easy rule for children to remember:
Privates are private,
Always remember your body belongs to you,
No means no,
Talk about secrets that upset you,
Speak up, someone can help.
Raising awareness amongst parents and carers of children aged 5-11, the campaign was designed to enable them to have age-appropriate conversations that don’t feel scary, or damage a child’s innocence, and was an overwhelming success; over 400,000 parents have spoken to their children to date and some of these conversations have led to children opening up about abuse.
Being a parent to two young children myself I’m personally as well as through my public position a supporter of the diligent work that the NSPCC do to help protect our children and I am more than happy to help spread their word. The NSPCC’s ambition is to get to the point where the Underwear Rule is as well-known as the Green Cross Code - something that all parents teach their children. All parents have worries over their children’s wellbeing, so let’s embark on this mission to get parents to talk PANTS - this simple to remember rule may just help yours and many other children from suffering at the hands of a sexual predator.
If you would like to find out more on the NSPCC’s campaign, please visit:
I would urge you, If you have any concerns over a child’s safety, to contact NSPCC counsellors for guidance on 0808 800 5000.
If you are under 18 years of age and need to talk to someone for advice, in confidence, please call ChildLine, Free, on 0800 1111.