Pedo Joe!

Video Transcript:

It's easy to groom a child because an adult always has a position of power over a child. I am Anthony Zankus. I am an expert in the fields of sexual violence, family violence and trauma. It's really hard to just look at somebody and say that person's a predator. What you have to do is look at the behaviors and listen to the things that they say. We met before. It's hard to forget those eyes. Look at those eyes. Look at them. Can I just move? Very good. Very clear warning signs are adults who ignore children's boundaries when it comes to touching, kissing, holding or tickling. They will engage in those behaviors with the child and continue them despite the fact that a child squirms away or pulls away or voices any sort of discomfort verbally or non-verbally. Most adults take those cues and realize, oh, they don't want to be hugged or tickled right now and that's fine. Sex offenders and predators just plow right through it. Another is sexualizing a child by talking about dating or their bodies in a way that would not be appropriate for their age. How old are you 17? Oh, six. You're turning 11. I don't know. I guess you remember no day two 30. No days two or 30. No days two or 30. In my field, we often say that child sex predators don't just groom children, they groom families and communities. Seeing these behaviors in an adult doesn't mean that adult is a predator or would ever harm a child. But what it does do is it sets that child up to grow up in a world where they view these violations of personal space as normal and that's unacceptable. Everyone, regardless of their gender expression or age, deserves to walk through this world with their physical boundaries intact and not living in fear that they'll be violated. Offenders have depended on not only the silence of their victims but our silence. If we allow children the permission to say no or speak up for them when they can't, you're going to go a long way in preventing so much harm. So you're going to go a long way in preventing so much harm.