Protecting Children in the LGBTQIA+ Community

Protecting Children in the LGBTQIA+ Community

By: the Dakota Children’s Advocacy Center

Every child deserves a nurturing environment and a support system to guide them through youth transitions. Unfortunately, LGBTQIA+ youth are at greater risk of several types of trauma including bullying, physical and sexual abuse, homelessness, sexual exploitation, suicidal thoughts, and other types of violence. According to the CDC, LGBTQIA+ children are 4 times more likely to report child sexual abuse than heterosexual youth. We can take steps to help ensure that youth feel safe and supported.

• Learn the Facts of child sexual abuse and risk factors for LGBTQIA+ youth so you can be prepared for any scenario.

• Knowing the facts, think about ways you can minimize opportunities for abuse.

• Talk About It openly, so you can break down barriers and reduce the stigma around abuse and the LGBTQ+ community. This can also help kids know that you’re a safe adult they can come to.

• Recognize the Signs of abuse, which might not always be obvious.
• React Responsibility to suspicion, disclosure, or discovery of abuse and always report abuse.

Information from this article can be found at https://www.d2l.org/safe-childhoods-lgbtq-youth/. To learn more about signs of child abuse, and how to prevent it, visit https://www.dakotacac.org/the-issue-of-child-abuse/.