Aside from the rain, nine-year-old Cheng Chia-fu (
"I learned not to trust any strangers and when a stranger wants to touch me, I should run away as fast as I can," the second grader said.
Cheng was one of some 500 participants attending yesterday's "Children self protection parent-child game party -- I'm the boss of my own body" at Ta-An Park. The event was sponsored by the Garden of Hope Foundation (
There were 16 booths at the event where children and parents were first required to answer questions about molestation before they were allowed to participate in the activities. Those who answered nine out of the 16 questions correctly were eligible to participate in the raffle drawing, in which about 50 big and small gifts were given out.
"What we're trying to do here is teach both the children and parents about sexual molestation through various kinds of educational games," said Chi Hui-jung (
"We want the children to be sensitive about their body and own feelings. We also want them to know that they have the absolute right to say no if they don't feel comfortable with what a stranger is doing to them or even some one they know," Chi said.
About 80 to 90 percent of the sexual molestation cases the foundation handles are committed by individuals who are close to the children, Chi said.
"We encourage the children to tell someone they trust when encountering molestation," Chi said. "We also ask that the parents be patient with their kids and listen to their stories and trust what they say. Parents also should not be afraid to seek help, because there is nothing to gain by protecting someone who is molesting a child."
Rebar's assistant manager, Lee Hsun-tsan (
"We know we cannot teach enough about molestation in one event, so we want the parents, teachers, and the media to participate in events that will bring this issue into the forefront," he said.
One child seemed to get the point: "I learned that I should not let someone who I don't know touch me, and if they make me uncomfortable, I should tell them to stop," she said.
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