There are some horrible situations that people do not want to think about, but it is critical that we do. How do you know if your child has been put at risk by another person, often someone you trusted? There is no way to know what is happening, but when you know the warning signs of a child molester, you can make better decisions to protect your loved ones. Talk to our California child sexual abuse attorney at The Senators Law Firm today.
Recognize the Types of Child Molesters
There are two types that most child molesters can fall into:
- A child molester could be the person in a car trying to lure a child in with candy. This is the least concerning type of molester to worry about, though. They are rare.
- A child molester could be a person who grooms a child over time, often becoming friends or close enough to parents where they may be trusted people who are a part of your life.
You can easily tell the signs of a child molester in the first type. In the second situation, that is much harder to do. How do you know you can trust anyone?
What Research Tells Us About Child Molesters
Professionals have been able to break down the most common signs and conditions that exist that often warrant more attention. That is, not everyone who falls into these categories is a molester, but there is a similarity between molesters in these areas:
- Most often, they are single people who are unattached to anyone, typically not in a relationship.
- They spend a lot of time with kids and show an interest in being around kids most often.
- They provide children with gifts, whether they know them well or not, often being very “thoughtful” in the gifts they give.
- Most often, they are men, though there are some women child molesters.
- They tend to have a kid-friendly or kid-like home, often with toys, video games, sports, and other things that you would assume were in a child’s room.
Recognize the Signs of Grooming
The key to recognizing the warning signs of a child molester is, by anything else, to monitor for child grooming, the process where a child molester works their way into a child’s life, and often the family over time to gain trust until they take action. Parents may be able to recognize this if they pay close attention (it is rarely obvious it is occurring during that moment):
- The person pays a strange amount of attention to the child.
- They seem to gain a parent’s trust so much so that the parent may instinctively feel like the relationship is off, but they trust the party.
- The person seems to be around your child often, or around many children often, and often more children than adults make up their life.
Do You Believe Someone Hurt Your Child?
This is nothing that any parent ever wants to think about, but if you see the warning signs of a child molester in your life, do not wait to take action. Contact the police immediately. Then, Contact The Senators Firm and allow our team to go to work for you with a free consultation.