Teach a child which parts of the body are private, and to tell you at home if anyone touches them or asks for secrecy; if the child tells you, believe them first and don't scold, then take them to report to the police and to a doctor

Cost

Free. Teach a few lines in passing at bath time or while changing clothes, and ask again every so often. The hard part is that parents themselves feel awkward naming body parts, and, when the child really does tell, holding back the anger and not scolding.

What you get

A 2015 Cochrane review pooled 24 trials of school-based sexual abuse prevention courses with 5802 students aged 5 to 18. Most of these courses teach several things: safety rules, that the body belongs to oneself, and which parts are private. They also teach children to tell which kinds of touch are not okay and which secrets must not be kept, and whom to tell. Many courses also stress that when something happens, it is not the child's fault. First, whether children can protect themselves. Researchers had people pose as strangers and try to lure children, in 2 trials with 102 children. Those who had taken the course made a protective move with an OR of 5.71 (95% CI 1.98–16.51, a range of plausible values), about 5.7 times the chance of those who had not. Converted from the original, about 390 of every 1000 who had not taken the course did it, versus about 795 of those who had. Next, knowledge. In 18 trials with 4657 children, the questionnaire score SMD was 0.61 (0.45–0.78), where 0.5 counts as medium. Six months later it was still 0.69 (0.51–0.87). 3 studies with 795 children looked at harm: children's anxiety and fear did not go up or down (SMD −0.08, −0.22 to 0.07). 3 studies with 1788 children looked at whether children would tell. The OR for disclosing having been sexually abused was 3.56 (1.13–11.24), going from about 4 to about 14 per 1000. But children in the same class and school are alike, and after adjusting for that, the difference could no longer be seen (OR 3.04, 0.75–12.33). The quality of evidence for all outcomes was moderate. The authors state that whether these courses actually reduce sexual abuse can be known only by long-term follow-up. In 2018 six United Nations agencies including UNESCO issued guidance on sexuality education. It recommends teaching children aged 5 to 8 the names of the parts of the body, including the genitals. Children should also be taught which parts of the body are private. When someone touches them in a way that makes them uncomfortable, they should say “no,” walk away, and tell a trusted adult. The guidance states that sexual abuse is never the fault of the child victim, even when it is done by an acquaintance, someone trusted, or even someone in the family. The People's Daily's sexual-abuse prevention handbook gives an easy way to remember it: the places covered by a tank top and shorts, no one may look at and no one may touch. Article 16 of the Law on the Protection of Minors (《未成年人保护法》) requires parents to give children safety education and to raise their awareness and ability to protect themselves. Article 40 requires schools and kindergartens to carry out age-appropriate sexuality education. When schools and kindergartens find sexual assault or sexual harassment, they may not conceal it and must promptly report it to the public security and education departments. In 2020 nine departments including the Supreme People's Procuratorate established a mandatory reporting system. The people who must report include people at schools, kindergartens, hospitals, child care institutions, residents' committees, villagers' committees, hotels and other units. When in the course of their work they find that a child has suffered or is suspected of having suffered abuse, they must immediately report to the police. The situations that must be reported include: signs of an abnormal injury to the genitals or private parts, and a girl under 14 who is suspected of having been sexually assaulted, pregnant or had a miscarriage. The reporter's information is kept confidential. A reporter bears no legal liability for disputes arising from the report. In 2025, prosecutors prosecuted 42873 people for crimes of sexual abuse of minors such as rape and child molestation, 5.5% fewer than the year before. This made up 58.9% of those prosecuted for crimes against minors. Of the cases of harm to minors prosecuted that year, 3852 had leads that came from mandatory reporting, 7.1%. A 2025 opinion from 16 departments including the Supreme People's Court says that acquaintances account for a high share of these cases. Some young children lack awareness of how to protect themselves, and their guardians fail to pay attention, so a child may not even know they have been abused (China / multiple countries).

Notes

Graded B because the figures all come from courses taught in schools, and measure knowledge and moves in drills, not how much abuse was actually reduced. There is no separate trial of parents teaching at home. The size of the benefit is rated small because there are only these substitute measures and no figure for how much abuse really fell. Teach in the way above: use the real names of body parts, and tell the child where the private parts are. Then tell them that if anyone asks them to keep a secret, or not to tell Mom and Dad, they should tell you at home, and they won't be scolded for telling. When the child tells you, take it seriously first; don't press on whether it was made up, and don't scold. The law requires teachers and doctors to report on “suspicion,” and parents need not wait until they are sure. Tell the child it is not their fault, then call 110 (China's police number). Don't bathe the child or change and wash their clothes before the injury examination; see §13.42 (after a sexual assault). It is the same whoever the other person is; report relatives and teachers too. For the legal consequences when the other person is under 14, see §9.18 (the other person is under 14). If a friend's child tells you, tell the child's parents and report together. For a stranger's child, call 110 and leave it to the police; don't go and settle accounts with the other person yourself. The law states that anyone has the right to report to the public security authorities. The beneficiary is the child.

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. Walsh K, Zwi K, Woolfenden S, Shlonsky A. (2015). School-based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4), CD004380. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004380.pub3
2. UNESCO, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, WHO (2018). International technical guidance on sexuality education: an evidence-informed approach (revised edition). https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/ITGSE.pdf
3. 贵州省民政厅 (2024). 未成年人防性侵手册，请家长孩子查收！（转载人民日报）. https://mzt.guizhou.gov.cn/xwzx/mzyw/202407/t20240723_85145012.html
4. 全国人大常委会 (2024 年修正). 未成年人保护法（第十一、十六、四十条）. https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=ff8081818f197cf001905e567af635a0
5. 最高人民检察院等九部门 (2020). 关于建立侵害未成年人案件强制报告制度的意见（试行）（第二、三、四、十三、十五条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/wsfbt/202005/t20200529_463482.shtml
6. 最高人民检察院 (2026). 未成年人检察工作白皮书（2025）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/wsfbt/202606/t20260601_728630.shtml
7. 贵州省民政厅 (2025). 最高法、最高检、民政部等16部门联合印发《关于依法从严惩处和防范性侵害未成年人违法犯罪的意见》（转载人民法院报）. https://mzt.guizhou.gov.cn/xwzx/mzyw/202508/t20250807_88423354.html

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 30, tip 19. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer