NCJ Number
128855
Journal
Education and Urban Society Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (May 1990) Pages: 270-284
Date Published
1990
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Many schools, attending to increasing recognition of the problem of child sexual abuse, have instituted prevention programs for their young students.
Abstract
While it is not clear why certain children are at higher risk of sexual victimization, some research indicates that offenders are able to identify and exploit a child's vulnerabilities including status conditions, emotional characteristics, and situational factors. The goals of sexual abuse prevention programs are to empower children to prevent their own sexual victimization and to provide an opportunity for disclosures. Program evaluations generally assess knowledge gains, touch discrimination, skill acquisition, and application of behavioral strategies. Most evaluations conducted to date have found no unanticipated or adverse consequences of these programs. Schools, which provide an appropriate place to teach children about sexual abuse prevention, must confront policy prioritization when deciding whether to implement this type of program. A variety of programs addressing issues including AIDS, adolescent pregnancy, suicide, and drug abuse appear to share similar goals and techniques which, in general, can be used to promote mental health and empowering skills. 37 references