The Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Abstract

David Finkelhor examines initiatives to prevent child sexual abuse, which have focused on two primary strategies-offender management and school-based educational programs. Recent major offender managment initiatives have included registering sex offenders, notifying communities about their presence, conducting background employment checks, controlling where offenders can live, and imposing longer prison sentences. Although these initiatives win approval from both the public and policy makers, little evidence exists that they are effective in preventing sexual abuse. Moreover, these initiatives, cautions Finkelhor, are based on an overly stereotyped characterization of sexual abusers as pedophiles, guileful strangers who prey on children in public and other easy-access environments and who are at high risk to re-offend once caught. In reality the population is much more diverse. Most sexual abusers are not strangers or pedophiles; many (about a third) are themselves juveniles. Many have relatively low risks for re-offending once caught. Perhaps the most serious shortcoming to offender management as a prevention strategy, Finkelhor argues, is that only a small percentage of new offenders have a prior sex offense record that would have involved them in the management system. He recommends using law enforcement resources to catch more undetected offenders and concentrating intensive management efforts on those at highest risk to re-offend.Finkelhor explains that school-based educational programs teach children such skills as how to identify dangerous situations, refuse an abuser's approach, break off an interaction, and summon help. The programs also aim to promote disclosure, reduce self-blame, and mobilize bystanders. Considerable evaluation research exists about these programs, suggesting that they achieve certain of their goals. Research shows, for example, that young people can and do acquire the concepts. The programs may promote disclosure and help children not to blame themselves. But studies are inconclusive about whether education programs reduce victimization. Finkelhor urges further research and development of this approach, in particular efforts to integrate it into comprehensive health and safety promotion curricula.Finkelhor also points to evidence that supports counseling strategies both for offenders, particularly juveniles, to reduce re-offending, and for victims, to prevent negative mental health and life course outcomes associated with abuse.

Evaluation of Brazilian Children’s Picture Books on Sexual Abuse Prevention according to Literature Criteria

“…Ideally, empirical studies measuring the impact of exposure to a particular book on children would be the fi nal indicator of the utility of a CPBP. Lastly, it should be stressed that the use of books are just auxiliary instruments in child sexual abuse prevention programs, and results are maximized in these interventions if a combination of several strate-gies are employed, such as integrating the use of fi lm, music, games with the book of choice (Finkelhor, 2009;Wolfe, 2006). Additionally, it would appear that all books should be followed by learning strategies that meet the literature criteria not yet contemplated its assessment.…”

Police Charging Decisions in Child Maltreatment Investigations: Findings from the 2008 Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect

“…For sexual abuse in particular, it has been found that in about one-quarter of cases a family member maltreats the child, and someone the child knows in his or her social network maltreats the child in 60% of cases. Only in 14% of cases are children abused by someone who is unfamiliar to them (Finkelhor, 2009). Thus, the perpetrator of abuse is most 470 commonly not the caregiver but is still familiar to the child.…”

To What Extent can Adolescent Suicide Attempts be Attributed to Violence Exposure? A Population-Based Study from Western Canada

“…Nurse home visiting programs and other public health strategies can help prevent family violence and physical abuse (Jack, 2010). Although the evidence for effective primary prevention strategies for sexual abuse is limited (Finkelhor, 2009) there are some initiatives that appear to offer promise, such as child and youth education around healthy relationships and abuse, bystander awareness and education programs, and situational prevention policies developed in youth-serving organizations. A wider effort to problematize pervasive forms of violence, and raise awareness about violence as a key social determinant of health for adolescents may help change Canadian culture enough that we do not continue to tolerate harmful levels of violence in the daily lives of Canadian youth (WHO, 2010).…”