Child Sexual Abuse Hides in Plain Sight - 3 short PSA's People who molest kids usually aren't strangers lurking in the bushes. EDITOR'S NOTE: These three short PSA's are among the best I've ever seen. The statistics clearly show they are far more likely to be sexually abused by a person they're supposed to be able to know love and trust. The biggest group of offenders by far is parents, family members and extended family members and the second biggest group includes what I refer to as "caregivers" (teachers, babysitters, coaches, clergy, volunteers). According to the Department of Justice, these two groups make up fully 90% of predators, while only about 10% of perpetrators of child sexual abuse are strangers to the child.

We raise our kids to worry about “stranger danger”: the child molester hanging out at the park who tries to lure a child with a piece of candy or a tale of a lost puppy. But as “Some Things Are Hard to See,” a campaign of gripping PSAs created for DIF Zapopan, a family development nonprofit, reminds us, when it comes to child sexual abuse, the perpetrator is usually someone that a boy or girl already knows.

The ads, which were designed by Publicis México, a Mexico City–based creative agency, focus on situations that children often find themselves in with close relatives. Instead of starring actual people, the videos shows camouflaged silhouettes of kids and adults, and there is no dialogue. Each clip starts out showing a seemingly innocuous setting—and then morphs into awful situations that might make your skin crawl. 

The “ Hard to See Uncle ” clip is set in a bathroom, with a young child who is getting ready to bathe and an inappropriately helpful uncle.

The “ Hard to See Grandpa ” PSA is set in a little girl's bedroom, where a grandfather inappropriately tucks in his granddaughter. 

In the “ Hard to See Mom ” video, a mother and child are in a living room. It's chilling to see the mom raise her finger, indicating that the kid should be quiet.

Each clip ends with the stat that in Mexico, 80 percent of child sexual abuse cases “ are perpetrated by a close relative. ” Here in the United States, the statistics are horrifyingly similar: A  2003 National Institute of Justice report found that three out of four adolescents who have been sexually abused were assaulted by someone they knew well. 

Last fall, one such situation played out in the tabloids after Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson's mom, June “Mama June” Shannon, allegedly resumed her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, convicted child molester Mark McDaniel. The couple's alleged reunion led Shannon's 20-year-old daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell—who was concerned over what it might mean for her younger siblings—to come forward and publicly share that McDaniel had sexually abused her when she was eight years old.

So while these PSAs are uncomfortable to watch, it's nothing compared with what child sexual abuse victims such as Cardwell have been through. The videos go on to ask the public to “ help us stop this. ” Given that one in four girls and one in six boys in America will be a victim of sexual assault before age 18, perhaps these ads will help people open their eyes and see the abusive situations in their midst.