Introduction

Home: Workers: Counselling Issues: Preventing child abuse

Sexual assault is a risk for ALL children regardless of age, class, family, gender, race or religion. It is estimated that as many as one in three children will experience unwanted sexual attention before the age of eighteen. Statistics indicate that girls are more at risk but it is thought that sexual assault of boys has been underreported. It is a serious crime with short and long term effects for children and their families. It is also a crime that we can go some way to preventing by ensuring that adults and children have information about child sexual assault and strategies to deal with the risk.

This information aims to increase awareness of this social problem and strengthen both adults and children by providing information about child sex offenders and offering practical ideas and exercises for adults to enhance the protection of children.

Sexual Assault is one of many dangers that face children. 'Taking Steps' proposes that children should be aware of this danger along with many others that parents, schools, communities and governments attempt to protect children from. From infancy to adulthood we educate children about danger in its many forms eg. fire, electricity, cars, snakes, water, sun. We teach them about prevention and protection from these dangers through first aid, bike and road safety, seat belts, swimming and fire programmes. However, we are hesitant to tell children about the explicit dangers that exist because some adults sexually assault children. Some people are concerned that information about child sexual assault can scare children. It can be a scary topic, but so is drowning, burning or being hit by a car. Other people are concerned that this information may undermine childrens' innocence but nothing undermines a child's innocence like the experience of sexual assault. Besides, most children are taught stranger danger alerting them to the fact that there are some adults who can harm children. Most children are not assaulted by strangers but by people known and trusted both by children and their parents.

The greatest risk to children is from adults they know. It is not only the immediate family but family friends, neighbours, uncles, cousins, grandparents, church and community members, babysitters, and peers and older children. We do not want to teach children that they cannot trust any adult because most adults are not potential sex offenders but we do need to teach children and adults to recognise danger signs and to emphasise children's strengths and abilities in reacting to unsafe situations.

The difficulties adults face about teaching children about child sexual assault from people they know are mainly due to embarrassment and the veil of secrecy that always accompanies sexual assault. In general we do not want to think about the reality of people we know sexually assaulting children. It always happens to some one else. As adults we try to protect ourselves from the awful facts. We tell ourselves that it only happens to families where there is a stepfather, or unemployment, or drug/ alcohol abuse or where the mother is unavailable sexually. We think that we can exclude ourselves from this risk believing that our family is not like that. In the same way, we cling to myths about rape believing that because we do not wear short skirts or walk home alone after dark we are safe.

It is a false security.

Sponsor

Gippsland Centre Against Sexual Assault

Disclaimer Copyright Updated: 12 Jul 2003