Prevention of the Sexual Abuse of Children in the School Environment

Keywords: child sexual abuse, grooming, institutional grooming, prevention standards, prevention programs

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the assumptions of the prevention of sexual violence against children in the school environment. Child sexual abuse has become a global problem that affects not only the family environment, but educational institutions as well. One example of such an institution is a school where, under the guise of upbringing, there may be numerous abuses committed by people who are an authority in the child’s life. School staff members are often unaware of institutional grooming and its perpetrators, which means that the entire institution may unknowingly contribute to promoting child sexual abuse. The author first presents the methods of grooming used by perpetrators, pointing to activities aimed at children and the mechanisms of institutional grooming that may create a specific culture that makes it difficult to protect children. The author then presents the standards and strategies for prevention in schools, paying attention to the need to involve the entire community: conducting proper recruitment and training of employees and constructing preventive programs adapted to the age and development of children and their proper implementation.

References

Beisert, M., & Izdebska, A. (2012). Wykorzystywanie seksualne dzieci [Child sexual abuse]. Dziecko krzywdzone, 2(39), 48–66.

Colton, M., Roberts, S., & Vanstone, M. (2012). Learning lessons from men who have sexually abused children. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 1(51), 79–93.

Craven, S., Brown, S., & Gilchrist, E. (2006). Sexual grooming of children: Review of literature and theoretical considerations. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 3(12), 287–299.

Finkelhor, D. (1984). Child sexual abuse: New theory and research. Free Press.

Finkelhor, D. (2009). Przeciwdziałanie wykorzystaniu seksualnemu dzieci, [The prevention of child sexual abuse]. Dziecko Krzywdzone, 4(29), 7–36.

Finkelhor, D. (2012). Characteristics of crimes against juveniles. Crimes Against Children Research Center.

Gallagher, B. (2000). The extent and nature of known cases of institutional child sexual abuse. The British Journal of Social Work, 30(6), 795–817.

Izdebska, A. (2009). Konsekwencje przemocy seksualnej wobec dzieci [Consequences of child sexual abuse]. Dziecko krzywdzone, 4(29), 37–55.

Izdebska, A., & Ruchel, A. (2011). Profilaktyka wykorzystania seksualnego dziecka – systemowe oddziaływania w zakresie edukacji seksualnej [Child sexual abuse prevention: Systemic interventions in sex education]. Dziecko krzywdzone, 1(34), 54–67.

Kaufman, K., & Erooga, M. (2016). Risk profiles for institutional child sexual abuse: A literature review. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Kaufman, K., Tews, H., Schuett, J., & Kaufman, B. (2012). Prevention is better than cure: The value of situational prevention in organisations. In M. Erooga (Ed.), Creating safer organisations: Practical steps to prevent the abuse of children by those working with them (pp. 140–169). Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Kusz, E. (2020). Profilaktyka wykorzystywania seksualnego w Kościele katolickim [The prevention of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church]. Dziecko Krzywdzone. Teoria, badania, praktyka, 2(19), 235–261.

Leclerc, B., Wortley, R., & Smallbone, S. (2011). Getting into the script of adult child sex offenders and mapping out situational prevention measures. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 2(48), 209–237.

McNeish, D., & Scott, S. (2018). Key messages from research on institutional child sexual abuse. Centre of Expertise in Child Sexual Abuse.

O’Leary, P., Koh, E., & Dare, A. (2017). Grooming and child sexual abuse in institutional contexts. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Quadara, A., Nagy, V., Higgins, D., & Siegel, N. (2015). Conceptualising the prevention of child sexual abuse: Final report. Research report no. 33. Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Sajkowska, M. (2018). Co wiemy o wykorzystywaniu seksualnym dzieci? Ustalenia terminologiczne, skala zjawiska, oblicza problemu społecznego [What do we know about child sexual abuse? Terminological findings, scale of the phenomenon, and forms of the social problem]. In A. Żak & E. Kusz (Eds.), Seksualne wykorzystywanie małoletnich w Kościele. Problem – Odpowiedź Kościoła – Doświadczenia Polskie [Sexual abuse of minors in the Church: The problem – the response of the Church – Polish experiences] (pp. 164–207). Wydawnictwo Naukowe Akademii Ignatianum w Krakowie.

Smellie, D., Pickles, J., Fletcher, S., & Breen, M. (2020). Child sexual abuse in schools: Lessons from history, guidance for the future. Independent School Council.

Staller, K. (2012). Missing pieces, repetitive practices: Child sexual exploitation and institutional settings. Cultural Studies, Critical Methodologies, 4(12), 274–278.

Stoltenborgh, M., van Ijzendoorn, M. H., Euser, E. M., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2011). A Global perspective on CSA: Meta-analysis of prevalence around the world. Child Maltreatment, 2, 79–101.

Sullivan, J., & Quayle, E. (2012). Manipulation styles of abusers who work with children. In M. Erooga (Ed.), Creating safer organisations: Practical steps to prevent the abuse of children by those working with them (pp. 85–98). Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Williams, A. (2015). Child sexual victimisation: Ethnographic stories of stranger and acquaintance grooming. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 1(21), 28–42.

World Health Organization. (1999). Report of the Consultation on Child Abuse Prevention. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/65900

Published
2021-12-27
How to Cite
Biel, K. (2021). Prevention of the Sexual Abuse of Children in the School Environment. Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education, 10(2 (20), 219-231. https://doi.org/10.35765/mjse.2021.1020.12