Children’s rights and teachers’ responsibilities: reproducing or transforming the cultural taboo on child sexual abuse?

Abstract

Enhancing young learners’ knowledge about appropriate and inappropriate sexual behaviour is crucial for the protection of children’s rights. This article discusses teachers’ understandings of their practices and approaches to the topic of child sexual abuse in Norwegian upper secondary schools, based on phone interviews with 64 social science teachers. Countering child sexual abuse is a political priority for the Norwegian government, and the Committee on the Rights of the Child acknowledges several state initiatives to counter child sexual abuse through education. Nevertheless, this study finds that teachers do not address this topic adequately, indicating that cultural taboos regarding talking about and thus preventing such abuse, including rape among young peers, still prevail in Norwegian classrooms. Furthermore, emotional obstacles, including concerns about re-traumatising and stigmatising learners, hinder some teachers from addressing this topic thoroughly. Additional explanatory factors include heavy teacher workloads, little preparation in teacher education programmes, insufficient information in textbooks, and an ambiguous national curriculum.

Teachers’ responses to harmful sexual behaviour in primary school – findings from a digital survey among primary school teachers

“…The report stresses the need for systematic teaching of sexual health on all levels of the education system as a measure to prevent sexual abuse and HSB among children (Askeland et al, 2017). Such recommendations concur with the broader international debate on teachers' and schools' role in prevention of sexual abuse (Carmody, 2009;Flood et al, 2009;Goldschmidt-Gjerløw, 2019;Letourneau et al, 2017;McKibbin et al, 2016;Sprott et al, 2005).…”

A Gap Between Children’s Rights and Curricular Content in Health, Social Care, and Teacher Education Programs: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study

“…Teaching practices pertaining to various forms of child maltreatment are most likely influenced by factors such as cultural taboos and the personal characteristics of individual teachers. 45 , 46 As such, there appears to be too much room for individual interpretation in the field of, for example, sexual abuse. 46 …”

Exploring Variation in Norwegian Social Science Teachers’ Practice Concerning Sexuality Education: Who Teachers Are Matters and So Does School Culture

“…There appears to prevail a cultural taboo regarding teaching about sexual violence, especially when it targets children and adolescents. In my own study (Goldschmidt-Gjerløw, 2019), I have found that child sexual abuse and rape among young peers are the least addressed topics related to sexual violence in upper secondary school. Still, there is not enough knowledge regarding why some teachers bring these matters into upper secondary classrooms, whereas others do not or do so to a little extent.…”

“…Sexuality education has gained attention in Norway and worldwide over the last decade (Hind, 2016;Røthing & Bang Svendsen, 2009;Støle-Nilsen, 2017;Stubberud et al, 2017;Goldschmidt-Gjerløw, 2019;United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2018). Research in the field of Norwegian sexuality education focuses on teachers' understandings and perceptions of practice in either secondary school from 8th to 10th grade (Røthing & Bang Svendsen, 2009;Støle-Nilsen, 2017) or from 1st to 10th grade (Hind, 2016;Stubberud et al, 2017), whereas less research has been done in upper-secondary schools (Goldschmidt-Gjerløw, 2019). In 2008, Røthing & Bang Svendsen conducted a survey among 11 school leaders, 10 school nurses and 24 teachers in secondary schools in Mid-Norway (N = 45) (Røthing & Bang Svendsen, 2008, author's translation).…”