NCJ Number
221909
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: January-February 2008 Pages: 36-54
Date Published
January 2008
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article reviews some of the existing sexual abuse education and/or body safety programs, as well as research surrounding them in relation to child sexual abuse (CSA).
Abstract
It is imperative for children who have not been exposed to child sexual abuse (CSA), as well as those who have suffered sexual abuse, to learn self-protection skills. To achieve the best results, self-protection programs should incorporate parental involvement, opportunities for practice, repeated exposure, and concepts such as identification of potentially abusive situations, age-appropriate sex education, and body safety skills. Self-protection skills should be introduced when children are developmentally capable of learning the medical names of their genitalia, or as early as age 3. Therefore, teaching self-protection skills begins in the home with the parent and progresses from preschool to high school. Primary prevention programs geared at educating children about CSA should be labeled as self-protection programs, rather than prevention programs. Historically, the aim of prevention programs has been to increase children’s understanding of CSA. It is notable that many of the articles reviewed in this paper use the term prevention; however, the terms personal safety skills, abuse-response skills, or self-protection skills, which do not imply that the child is responsible for reducing the risk of CSA are preferred. Tables, references