Childhood Sexual Abuse: ‘ Preparation and Response ’ Instead of ‘ Prevention ’

There is a basic need in our society to change the approach to how we prepare our children for possible sexual assault or abuse. It is wrong for us to teach “sexual assault prevention” to young children, perpetuating this awful suggestion that a small child has ANY capacity whatsoever to prevent his/her own abuse. Instead we need to teach healthy attitudes toward sexuality, and to prepare our children for interactions with “tricky people.” I grew up in the nineties, in the height of paranoia about “stranger danger,” and in-school presentations about allowing your parents to check your Halloween candy for razor blades. We were taught to be afraid of being snatched up off the sidewalk. We were given NOTHING in terms of preparation for abuse by family or acquaintances (or friends or teachers or school staff or parents’ friends…), even though we (“we” as a society, the informed adults) knew, even back then, that statistically acquaintances were much more likely than strangers to target kids. So much good has happened in the past 20 years. We even have the beginnings of teaching teenagers and college students about consent. But the issue of tricky people still remains. A therapist asked me once if I felt so much guilt about my own childhood abuse because I didn’t “fight him tooth and nail.” And that is spot-on. I didn’t fight him tooth and nail. I didn’t fight him at all. I had told him I didn’t want that…so when he did it anyway, I just looked a...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Borderline Personality Children and Teens Parenting Sexuality Trauma Child Abuse Child Development Child molestation Child Sex Abuse Childhood Trauma consent Healthy Boundaries Personal Boundaries Personal Space Sexual Abuse Source Type: blogs