|
Protecting
God's Children for Adults
A Real-World
Perspective on Some Myths and Facts About Child Sexual Abuse
One of the goals
of the Protecting God’s Children® program is to dispel any
preconceived notions that adults have about who commits child sexual
abuse and how it happens. The media attention to this problem, and
our own very human need to find something to blame for this crime,
often results in the formation of preconceived notions or beliefs
about child sexual abuse that have no basis in fact. And these issues
often distract our attention away from the areas where we can,
indeed, make a difference.
Dispelling these
myths is one way to refocus our attention on the real problem—the
grooming process and the behavioral warning signs of people who are
a potential risk of harm to children. However, it is sometimes
difficult for adults to let go of these false beliefs, or myths.
In a recent study
funded by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), Dr. Charol
Shakeshaft examined the issue of educator sexual abuse.That research
shed some additional light on the issue of myths, unfounded beliefs,
and preconceived notions about child sexual abuse. In today’s
training bulletin, we will review some of the myths that are
challenged by the Protecting God’s Children program, and we will
share what was learned about these issues in the Shakeshaft (DOE) study.
There are four
specific myths that are challenged in the Protecting God’s
Children program. The DOE study results are included along with the
Protecting God’s Children response to each myth.
Myth: Strangers
are responsible for most child sexual abuse.
Protecting
God’s Children position: Most sex abusers are people who are
known and trusted by both the children and their parents.
DOE Study:
“Sexual abuse of students occurs within the context of the
schools, where students are taught to trust teachers. Schools are
also a place where teachers are more often believed than are students
and in which there is a power and status differential that privileges
teachers and other educators (Shakeshaft and Cohen, 1994).”
“In
elementary schools, the abuser is often one of the people that
students most like and that parents most trust. &ldots;It is common
to find that educators who have been sexually abusing children are
also the same educators who display on their walls a community
‘Excellence in Teaching’ award or a ‘Teacher of the
Year’ certificate. This popularity confounds district officials
and community members and prompts them to ignore allegations on the
belief that ‘outstanding teachers’ cannot be abusers.”
Myth: Children lie
about sexual abuse.
Protecting
God’s Children position: Most children are not lying when they
say that they were abused. Less than 5 percent of all allegations are
intentionally false. It is more likely that children will refuse to
tell about abuse than to lie about abuse.
DOE Study:
“Several studies estimate that only about 6 percent of all
children report sexual abuse by an adult to someone who can do
something about it. The other 94 percent do not tell anyone or talk
only to a friend. (And they swear their friend to secrecy)
(Finkelhor, Hotaling and Kerti Yllo, 1988)”
“There are no
systematic studies of false accusations of educators, but studies of
child sexual abuse in general indicate that false allegations are not
common. In a 1991 review of false or mistaken accusations of sexual
abuse, Yates concludes that the majority of false accusations occur
in custody cases and that in other circumstances, the incidence of
false accusations appears rare.
Unfounded belief:
Child sexual abuse rarely happens.
Protecting
God’s Children position: In surveys of adults, one out of five
women and one out of 10 men reported that they were sexually molested
before they were 18 years old. This means that an estimated 40
million adult survivors of child sexual abuse are living in the
United States today.
DOE Study: An
estimated 9.6 percent of all school children will be molested by an
educator or an employee of a school between kindergarten and 12th grade.
Between 13 and 34
percent of all females will be victims of sexual assault before the
age of 18 and 7 to 16 percent of all males will also be victimized
before they are 18.
Unfounded belief:
Only low income, minority, or low socio-economic level children are
at risk for sexual abuse.
Protecting
God’s Children position: All children are at risk of sexual
abuse and sexual abusers come from all races, ethnic, and socio-economic
backgrounds. Some socially deprived or isolated children are at an
elevated risk that make them more vulnerable to specific grooming techniques.
DOE Study:
Fifty-two percent of the children victimized by educators were
Caucasian. However, among those who are overrepresented as targets of
educator sexual misconduct in relation to their proportion of the
population are females of color. “Students of color account for
44 percent of the targets of 33.2 percent of the sample.”
“Whether
premeditated or opportunistic, selection is influenced by the
compliance of the student and the likelihood of secrecy. Because most
educator abusers seek to conceal their sexual contact with students,
offenders often target students that they can control.”
Unfounded belief:
For the most part, only men abuse children.
Protecting
God’s Children position: Estimates are that approximately 60
percent of abusers are men, 15 to 20 percent are women, and 20 to 40
percent are men and women acting together. So, while men are indeed
the major of sexual abusers, it is dangerous to underestimate the
risk that female sexual abusers also pose to children.
DOE Study: Among
educators, 57.2 percent of abusers are male and 42.4 percent of
abusers are female.
Conclusion:
There are many
preconceived notions and unfounded beliefs about child sexual abuse
that are challenged by both the Protecting God’s Children
material and the DOE study. Adults in the community, including
teachers, must take responsibility for creating safe environments for
all of God’s children by learning how to recognize the signs of
someone who is a risk of harm and by reporting suspected abuse to the
proper authorities.
By avoiding the
distraction of myths and unfounded beliefs, we can work together to
focus on the warning signs of abuse and abusers, and on taking
positive steps to prevent abuse from happening—primarily by
preventing anyone from having unsupervised access to our children.
Our children are
depending on us—not just in the Church, but also in our schools,
our homes, our neighborhoods, and our communities. Now is the time to
put a stop to this crime and to protect our children from those who
would prey on them. |
