A 58-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl and masturbating in front of her and her friends while watching pornography told investigators he was teaching the girls about sex, Mesa police said. James Wimbush was a 14-year resident of an apartment complex in Mesa, AZ. On August 2, an 11-year-old girl who lived in the same complex told her mother that Wimbush had shown her pornographic videos on two separate occasions, according to police. Her 11-year-old friend of hers was also present during one of the visits, police said.
These incidents of child sexual abuse could have been prevented, if people only knew what to do. There are seven compelling and powerful parent-approved, kid-tested techniques to thwart would-be sex offenders.
The best way to protect children is through the power of education. It’s critical to teach your children how to protect themselves, whether online, at a playground, at the mall, or at home.
How can children protect themselves?
o Accept the fact that sex offenders are average and ordinary.
The unbelievable truth: Sex offenders behave average and ordinary to the world. He or she may be a leader in the church; community; or business. Sex offenders rarely fit a classic stereotype: education, socioeconomic status, career, or culture.
o Accept the definition of child sexual abuse.
“The new definition of child sexual abuse is based less on the blood bond between victim and perpetrator and more on the experience of the child. Incest is both sexual abuse and abuse of power. It is violence that does not require force. Another is using the victim, treating her in a way that she does not want or in a way that is not appropriate by a person with whom a relationship other than the child is required, but rather meets the needs of the other person at the expense of the child .
If the experience has sexual significance for another person, rather than a parenting purpose for the benefit of the child, it is abuse. If it is unwanted or inappropriate for your age or the relationship, it is abuse. Incest [sexual abuse] it can occur through words, sounds, or even exposing the child to images or acts that are sexual but do not involve the child. If she is forced to see what she does not want to see, for example, by an exhibitionist, it is abuse. If a child is forced to live an experience of sexual content or nuance, that is abuse. Whenever a child is induced to engage in sexual activity with someone who is in a position of greater power, whether that power derives from the age, size, status, or relationship of the perpetrator, the act is abusive. A child who can’t say no, or who thinks he can’t say no, is a child who has been raped.” -E. Sue Blume, Secret Survivors
o Know the signs that your child is or could be a target
Self-protection offers a direct and effective method for children to protect themselves. Who, apart from the child, is in the best position to protect himself? Sex offenders say they can sense a child to victimize. They can tell from the child’s behavior, body language, and facial expression. They feel fear, helplessness, passivity. They chose a child who is easy to intimidate or control, so hopefully the child will not say so. Secrecy is paramount to the perpetrator.
o Trust your suspicions
Several people at this apartment complex said that James Wimbush seemed a bit strange. Appropriate suspicion or a sixth sense is key to thwarting would-be sex offenders. Most people dismiss their suspicions as an overreaction, ironically this is rarely the case. And more, it is better to prevent than to cure.