Nanny's behavior is reportable.
Dear Stop It Now!,
I know a young woman who is a nanny to a 3 year old and 1 year old. She has recently posted sexual pictures of herself (some clothed and some naked) online. I came across one of her pictures online with the legs and feet of a young child within 2-3 feet of her. She was clothed in the picture, but had her blouse fully unbuttoned, revealing her chest, with sexual posing and facial expressions. Additionally, there is another picture (no child shown), in the same home, and she is naked in the picture.
I have a great deal of concern for these children. The parents of the children hired this young woman to care for their children. I do not know the names of the family she nannies for, so cannot get in contact with them.
Is this something that requires protection? How would you suggest I proceed in order to protect these children from potential further harm?
Dear Concerned Bystander,
Thank you for contacting us for support around this difficult situation. You are right to be concerned about the safety of these children and thank you for taking the step to find out what you can do.
Child Sex Abuse Definition
If an adult engages in any sexual behavior (watching, showing, or touching) with a child to meet the adult’s interest or sexual needs, it is sexual abuse. Child Sexual Abuse does include harmful contact and non-contact behaviors. Exposing children to adult sexuality in any form is abusive and can be very confusing and scary for the child. For more information, see our FAQ: What is child sexual abuse exactly?
Reporting
As you cannot contact the parents directly, a next step could be to contact your local child protection agency and/or the police. They’ll be able to advise you on additional steps and it is their job to determine if abuse has occurred and what to do about it.
Another idea is if photos that show semi-nudity with children present are on Facebook, this is most likely in violation of Facebook’s policies and information about reporting can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/help/www/181495968648557?rdrhc#!/help/www/263149623790594/. While this report won’t address these specific children’s safety while under the care of this nanny, it will help protect their privacy in the cyberworld.
Speaking Up
You don’t note your relationship to this young woman. Are you in a position to share with her your concerns about how her behavior may be putting her charges at risk? If you feel like this is a safe option, you can share with her your commitment to children’s safety and that you are aware that her photos may be creating an unsafe environment for the children she watches. You can let her know that children should not be exposed to this behavior and that she may be creating possible legal problems she for hersel.
I do want to emphasize that this conversation should only happen if you feel safe about the situation, and ideally if you have an ally who can join you, this will often help the conversation as well as provide support for you. And…it’s ok if you can’t take that step. If you do want more information about this type of conversation, check out Let's Talk – a guidebook to help with having difficult conversation with people we care about when their behaviors are concerning.
Your commitment to children's safety is wonderful, and I hope this information helps you follow up on your concerns.
Take care,
Stop It Now!
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Last edited on: May 28th, 2021