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The worrying detail in this colourful drawing that will give parents chills

By Naomi White|

Give this picture a quick glance and all you'd see is a colourful drawing of a girl.

A closer inspection, however, tells a different story.

Posted to Reddit, the worksheet is a tool to teach kids about personal safety. And the key question this student got wrong is a stark reminder of just how important it is to reinforce these messages.

?The parent posting this explained, "My child is five years old. This was an in-class project during today's kindergarten class."

The worksheet, titled: 'I'm the boss of my own body' explains to the students the importance of alerting a trusted adult to any behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable.

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A classroom activity highlighted the importance of teaching kids body safety. (Reddit)

"If you get an uh-oh feeling inside, stay safe by saying "No!" and then go tell a trusted adult," it reads. "My body is mine and no one should touch my private areas without permission."

While that all seems straightforward enough, students were then asked to colour in their 'private area'. This child however, coloured the whole person, with a few extra marks on her elbows and in the underwear area.

Followers on Reddit praised the assignment, saying how important it was to teach this from a young age.?

As much as we might wish there wasn't a need for these safety skills, childhood sexual abuse is much more common than many of us realise. - Dr Kaylene Henderson

"I'm so glad we teach kids this stuff now! I don't recall get anything in the 1980s," said one.

"This kind of lesson is insanely important. Paired with having the lesson repeated at home by enforcing a child's body autonomy with grandparents, mum and dad, and siblings, it gives children the power to help protect themselves," said one Redditor.

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Dr Kaylene Henderson says it's important to teach kids about how they should react in an unsafe situation. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Alarmingly, many people also opened up about their own experiences of child abuse.

"I didn't even realise what had happened for a long time. I wish someone would have talked to me about," said one. "I had no idea it was wrong. I wish I had this tool back then. I didn't tell anyone until I was in my 40s," revealed another.

"Someone I love dearly was sexually molested by the son of their babysitter. I am the only person they ever told. Yes, kids need to know this even at a young age," shared a third.

Other adults shared their own tips, such as using the correct names for body parts.?

"We decided to just use 'penis' and 'vagina' with our kids. Makes it very clear if one of our kids tells us that someone touched them there or they have an issue there."

It's an area that child psychiatrist and mum Dr Kaylene Henderson feels strongly about.

"As much as we might wish there wasn't a need for these safety skills, childhood sexual abuse is much more common than many of us realise," she told 9Honey.

"Thankfully, children are wonderfully curious young learners (who will only find these conversations as uncomfortable as we make them).?"

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Dr Henserson said many people are unaware how prevalent child sexual abuse is. (Getty)

Dr Henderson says statistically, kids are more at risk of being sexually abused than being hit by a car.

And though many parents teach kids about stranger danger, the unfortunate reality is that ?most abusers are known to their victims.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures indicate that one in six women and one in 10 men aged over 18 were abused before the age of 15.

Dr Henderson shared her tips for empowering kids to feel confident about what is safe and unsafe behaviour.

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While it's important to teach stranger danger, children are at a higher risk of being abused by someone they know. (Getty)

Tips for speaking with young children about body safety:

  • Teach your children the correct anatomical names for their body parts.
  • Explain that there are parts of our bodies which are private, and just for us. These include our genitals, bottoms and mouths.
  • Educate your children to never let anyone touch these private parts of our body or to touch another person's private parts, even if they ask him/her to. (There may be medical exceptions in which children need to let others touch certain parts of their bodies, but mum or dad will then be present).
  • Teach your children that their bodies belong to them. No-one can ever make them do something with their bodies that they don't feel good about. This even applies to adults.
  • Explain to children what they can do if anyone ever tries to touch the parts of their bodies that are just for them: They can say no, shout out or run away if needed, then go straight to a trusted adult to tell them what happened.
  • Don't encourage your children to keep secrets. Instead, teach them that the only secrets that we should keep are fun surprises, such as birthday gift purchases or upcoming surprise party details. Secrets which make a child feel bad or uncomfortable shouldn't be secrets at all. Your child needs to know that they can tell you anything and you will always do your best to help.
  • Books: There are some great children's book which have been written on the subject of body safety, including Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept, 'My Body Belongs to Me' and 'Everyone's Got a Bottom'. Books such as these can provide a great focus for these conversations.

If this article has caused distress, there is help available. Visit Bravehearts or or contact Kids Helpline or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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