Additionally, I have seen people wearing spirally designs to indicate a labyrinth, which is of interest to some modern people religiously - Pagans, I think.
The photos of the rings look a lot like things you can get in the silver jewelry kiosk at the mall.
So, this *may* be true, but there are so many people wearing this sort of symbolic jewelry out there, it would be hard to separate the people wearing things innocently from the predators. Which ones do you report?
Just my opinion, but the way to keep children safe is to know where they are, who they are with, and to teach them to say "no" to inappropriate advances. That, and to report specific suspicious behavior to the authorities at once.
Agree with everything you’ve said. If I hadn’t seen this article, and saw that pretty heart pendant, for example, it’s something I might definitely consider wearing! And, I can imagine many people buying a pendant like this for their loved ones without knowing ANYTHING about the “pedophile” connotation.
I definitely agree with your suggestions on how to prevent pedophilia as well. The other thing I’d like to caution people is that the great majority of pedophiles are KNOWN, and TRUSTED by the child and their parents. So while obviously it’s important to always know where your child is, and who they are with is important, it’s also EXTREMELY important for parents to know the “signs” of abuse, and not to let their love, or friendship for the possible perpetrator blind them to these signs. Again, MANY, MANY pedophiles are FAMILY MEMBERS of the abused.
One thing I would suggest to ALL parents is to talk with their children and tell them the types of things pedophiles will say to them to scare them (Your parents don’t really love you, I will kill you if you tell, I will kill your family members if you tell, You’re just a child no-one will believe you over ME, they’ll send you to an insane asylum if you tell, etc... etc...). It’s VERY important that kids know that these are EMPTY THREATS, and are used to try to manipulate the child into protecting the abuser.
As for saying “no”. While that is good in theory, it may lead to undue shame because we know that a child saying “no” isn’t going to mean squat to a pedophile, and the child may feel they didn’t say “no” loud enough, or fight back enough when most of the time it’s not like there is anyone around to HEAR their objections.
IMHO, it’s better to just inform the children of the types of “inappropriate touch”, and make sure they know that as a CHILD it is NEVER THEIR FAULT these things happen. Understanding that TELLING on the pedophile is a MUST, is the most important thing we can help our children understand. Talk to them about the emotions they would feel if this happened (when they are old enough to understand) - shame, fear, disgust - and let them know that while it’s natural to feel that way NOT telling is much, much worse, and will make them FEEL even WORSE in the long run, than any discomfort admitting it happened may cause.
>>So, this *may* be true, but there are so many people wearing this sort of symbolic jewelry out there, it would be hard to separate the people wearing things innocently from the predators. Which ones do you report?
Just my opinion, but the way to keep children safe is to know where they are, who they are with, and to teach them to say “no” to inappropriate advances. That, and to report specific suspicious behavior to the authorities at once. <<
You are certainly right about the parenting approach.
But while I agree I’ve seen similar jewelry I have yet to see exactly these designs for sale retail so I think they may be symbols.