Child Sexual Abuse: Prevention or Promotion?

Current child sexual abuse prevention programs assume that, by targeting potential victims, they can reduce the prevalence of child sexual abuse. This article presents findings, however, that suggest this assumption is flawed. First, recent studies indicate that the prevalence of abuse has not decre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social work (New York) 2003-04, Vol.48 (2), p.174-185
Main Author: Bolen, Rebecca M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Care and treatment
Child
Child Abuse
Child abuse & neglect
Child Abuse, Sexual - prevention & control
Child Abuse, Sexual - statistics & numerical data
Child Care Centers
Child molestation
Child neglect
Child pornography
Child Sexual Abuse
Children
Crime Victims
Crimes against
Criminal Psychology
Educational sector
Elementary school students
Female
Gender Identity
Gender relations
Gender roles
Government regulation
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Juvenile Delinquency - prevention & control
Laws, regulations and rules
Male
Men
Prevalence
Prevention
Program Effectiveness
Program Evaluation
School age children
School Health Services - organization & administration
School Health Services - standards
Schools
Sex crimes
Sex Offenders
Sexual Abuse
Sexual behavior
Social programmes
Social Programs
Social Work
Socialization
Teaching Skills
United States
United States - epidemiology
Victims
Victims of crime
Violence against women
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Description
Summary:Current child sexual abuse prevention programs assume that, by targeting potential victims, they can reduce the prevalence of child sexual abuse. This article presents findings, however, that suggest this assumption is flawed. First, recent studies indicate that the prevalence of abuse has not decreased over the history of prevention programs. Second, because of the pervasiveness of the threat of child sexual abuse, it is doubtful that prevention programs can adequately prepare children for the diversity of approaches by potential offenders. It is suggested instead that potential offenders are more appropriate targets of prevention programs. Because a large portion of abuse appears to be related to socialized relational patterns gone awry, it is suggested that a more efficacious method of prevention is a school-based program that promotes healthy relationship patterns. The article compares the existing victim-based paradigm with the proposed potential healthy relationships paradigms along four domains: underlying assumptions, orientation, method, and goals.
ISSN:0037-8046
1545-6846
DOI:10.1093/sw/48.2.174