School-aged Victims of Sexual Abuse - Implications for Educators

• NCJ Number: 74746
• Author(s): P M Wishon
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 13 pages
• Sale Source: Eric Document Reproduction Service
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper presented at the 1979 conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, New York, NY

Annotation

A brief description of sexual abuse in the United States is followed by suggestions for educators to prevent molesting of pupils and help school-age victims.

Abstract

In recent years more children have become involved in the pornography market and prostitution. Furthermore, the number of reported cases of intrafamilial incest is rising dramatically. These victims become guilt-ridden, bitter, and scared and need support that teachers are unprepared through training to provide. Because child molesters gravitate toward areas where children congregate, such as school playgrounds, these areas should be watched and suspicious persons reported. Signs of sexual abuse are not obvious, but educators should look for combinations of overly aggressive or passive behavior, truancy, sexual precociousness, medical problems, complaints from children, and unexplainable poor academic work. Children's chances of being molested can be minimized by classroom discussions concerning suspicious behavior of individuals and precautionary tactics. Students who are victims of sexual abuse require individualized educational programs which focus on value clarification, positive interpersonal relations, assessments of self-worth, and community support systems. Because schools do not have enough guidance counselors and psychologists, high-risk students might be given priority over persons needing only vocational or academic counseling. In addition, school professionals should receive inservice training in handling victims of sexual abuse. Parents and educators should pressure the State and Federal governments to enact better laws which protect children from sexual exploitation. School officials could also cooperate with other community agencies in a joint effort to address the problems of child sexual abuse. Teachers can help victims of sexual abuse by presenting themselves as models of supportive, understanding, and unpretentious adults and demonstrating that an individual's value is measured in terms that transcend the body or the capacity to generate sexual gratification in others. A bibliography of 10 references is included.