These statistics are so sad, as a parent scare the living day lights out of me. You never know who is lurking around waiting for their opportunity to strike. I really hope that parents in general will start taking even more notice in who their children are around. We have to protect our babies!!!
Barring wrapping your child in bubble wrap and securing him or her in a padded room for life, you simply cannot protect him or her from all would-be monsters. But what you CAN do is raise a child who is not easy prey for predators. (Please know that I'm not saying any of this would have helped Shaylyn. She was a small baby who was vulnerable simply by virtue of her age.)
1. Talk to your kid and make sure that you're your kid's safe space. Listen to them. Listen more than you talk.
2. Get to know their friends and who they're around all day.
3. Talk to them about being safe online and about potential risks.
4. Teach them about healthy boundaries even as babies and toddlers (ask permission for kisses and hugs! Listen and respect their "nos." If they don't want to be tickled, don't keep tickling them. If they don't want to kiss grandma goodbye, don't force them.)
5. Teach them the right names for their body parts.
6. Let your kid know you'll always be available to listen and that they will not get in trouble when they need to talk.
7. PAY ATTENTION to any new people, new behaviors, new attitudes, new anything in your kids' life.
And please know that I'm also not saying that victims of predators in any way deserve what is being done or that parents are responsible in any way. But some "tried-and-true" parenting practices of the past, like expecting kids to be seen and not heard or "instant obedience" or unquestioned respect for elders, have been co-opted by predators and used for their own nefarious purposes.
So think Ransom of Red Chief. And raise that kid.