In 1995, 67% of children ages 1016 reported that they had participated in a school-based CSA prevention program. However, this percentage has significantly declined in recent years because of increased focus on other topics, such as bullying prevention, standardized testing, substance use, and intimate partner violence. Despite this shift, the implementation of CSA prevention programs within school systems remains ideal because of the ability to concurrently reach multiple children in that setting. However, in recent years, there has been resistance to establishing CSA prevention education within the schools, as some believe that talking about sexual abuse is not appropriate in a school setting.
According to Topping and Barron, CSA prevention programs might be limited because of constraints on funds and time. Some CSA prevention education critics also argue that these types of programs place an unfair burden on the child to report or prevent CSA attempts and that it may not be appropriate to expect children to defend themselves against perpetrators. In fact, Walsh, Zwi, Woolfenden, and Shlonsky found in their meta-analysis of several school-based CSA prevention programs ‘evidence of improvements in protective behaviors and knowledge among children’.
Furthermore, this increase in knowledge and skill was seen in children regardless of the type of CSA prevention program that was implemented.
A study conducted by Gibson and Leitenberg provided further evidence of the effectiveness of CSA prevention programs, as they found that 9% of participants who had participated in a school-based prevention program were sexually abused compared to 16% who had never participated in CSA prevention. In order to effectively implement CSA prevention programs within the schools, a better understanding of these challenges and barriers needs to be gained.
Findings from this study may promote awareness, enhance programming, and contribute to prevention efforts for CSA. The purpose of this collective case study research was to explore the experiences of several key internal stakeholders who are currently involved with a CSA prevention program in a southeastern state in the United States.
She stated, ‘They groom them at a young age and so they break down their resistance and by the time they get to middle and high school, they are assimilated already into this lifestyle and so they think it is normal.’ Another participant had similar thoughts and discussed the importance of empowering children to protect themselves. She stated, ‘We can’t protect them all the time, and I think it is important to give them the knowledge that what’s happening to them is wrong and that they can make a difference by saying no’.
Likewise, another participant discussed how teaching children to protect themselves from predators is fundamental. She went on to ask the question, ‘how do you go to school and learn to become a successful adult and have good decision-making if you are carrying this around?’ Another interview revealed, that at every turn around every corner, there is someone who is looking to take advantage of that child, and that child needs to understand how to protect him- or herself. This participant went on to describe the importance of equipping children with the language they need to express what is happening to them. One participant discussed how many parents do not know how to educate their children or how to appropriately respond if a child discloses sexual abuse.
‘It’s an adult problem, it needs an adult solution’. Another participant shared similar thoughts and discussed how parents should be providing this type of education to their children at home. Another participant discussed how some parents might be averse to having their child participate in CSA prevention education at school. He discussed how these parents might be concerned about discussing CSA with children who have not previously been exposed to sex and how perhaps this type of discussion could pique their curiosity. This participant countered this by stating, ‘What better way to do it in a controlled environment and you can answer the questions that they may have’. Another participant also discussed how some parents do not believe their children should learn about CSA prevention at school, but that many of these children are simply not being educated at home.
He stated, ‘What those parents don’t understand is that while they may be proactive in what they’re doing in educating their children about these types of things, 90% of the kids in schools today are not getting this education at home’. Another participant went on to discuss how teachers also do not get enough training on this topic. Although research is limited to the efficacy of CSA prevention programs, outcome data indicates that effective programs promote education and awareness, decrease stigma, and increase rates of reporting sexual abuse. The data that emerged from the participants provide valuable perspectives on the challenges and benefits of CSA prevention programs and how professional school counselors may advocate for their implementation within the schools.
This article opened me to a new problem that I can become face to face with in the classroom which will affect the affected student. Research was conducted to evaluate the number of children facing this problem. Different kinds of awful mishaps can prompt Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Sexual maltreatment is an especially vile kind of injury as a result of the disgrace it ingrains in the person in question. With child sexual maltreatment, causalities are frequently too youthful to even think about knowing how to communicate what’s going on an search out assistance. When not appropriately treated, this can bring about a lifetime of PTSD, depression, and uneasiness.
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