Role of the Teacher in Preventing Child Sexual Abuse (From Educator's Guide to Preventing Child Sexual Abuse, P 87-92, 1986, Mary Nelson and Kay Clark, eds. - See NCJ-104251)

• NCJ Number: 104259
• Author(s): I L Davis
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: Network Publications
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper reviews the content of child sexual abuse prevention education for children and discusses teacher training, planning, and teaching methods.

Abstract

Sexual abuse prevention education for children should build self-esteem, cultivate assertiveness, and teach protective behaviors. Prevention education for older children should also guide them in healthy parenting by focusing on parenting skills, early childhood development, factors in child abuse, and family and community living skills. Teachers must help select sexual abuse prevention materials appropriate for various age groups from preschool through the 12th grade. Teachers experienced in child sexual abuse prevention might review curriculum materials and share their evaluations with other teachers. Teacher training must help teachers to put into perspective their own anxieties and misinformation about sex. Teachers should examine their own sexual experiences and values so as to be clear about what is and is not sexual abuse. It is particularly important that teachers be clear that affectionate physical contact between adults and children is not sexual abuse. To ensure administrative support for the teaching of child sexual abuse prevention, school administrators should also be involved in the training. Workshops can be conducted within school districts to guide teachers in incorporating sexual abuse prevention into the existing curriculum. In presenting teaching methods, teachers should be instructed in using student-student and teacher-student interactions at school to teach affirmative action in controlling how others touch the students' bodies. 20 references.