PREVENTION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

Summary of the DAFHNE project "JHA/98/DAE/249"

Child sexual abuse fits within the more general scope of mistreatment of minors. Clearly an atavistic culture of abuse exists. This form of power and control that adults exert over children has always existed and our society which pretends to give a listening ear to youth has, in fact, just transformed this relationship with children into a permanent, unavoidable, oneway pedagogy, thus bearing witness, whether we like it or not, to a strong adultocentric trend.

The other paradox is that there is an excessive number of laws and declarations for the protection of children (1998 New York Convention, Strasbourg Convention, Noto Charter), even though these texts, circulated worldwide, are not sufficient to prevent damage and coexist with increasing violations of children's rights. Finally, excessive theoretical protection and abusive behaviour appear to be two faces of the same coin.

The probable side effect of the social mandate for childhood protection entrusted to institutional collectivities is that individuals become irresponsible.

In view of this situation, the DAPHNE programme, approved by the European Community, has as its main objective the optimisation of the role of parents and of teachers in the fight against this problem; this stems from the fact that in the adult population they are significant rolemodels for children. These adults are at the forefront and can therefore better understand and intervene efficaciously in prevention.

Numerous National and Local Italian Societies and Institutes have contributed to the DAPHNE programme initially set up by the Istituto di Sessuologia Clinica of Rome in collaboration with the European Federation of Sexology (Marseilles) and the Spanish Association of Cognitive Psychotherapy (Barcelona). This fruitful collaboration has shed light on the fact that abuse is not a univocal situation with linear causality but rather a problem with multiple interrelated causes, and with organised systems of causal conditions . Moreover, any action undertaken to prevent sexual abuse must begin with a careful understanding of the phenomenon on site and an interactive formation of parents and teachers as favourite contacts with children.

Objectives

The general objective was to improve the competence of those who are at the forefront in contact with children with regards to the subject of abuse and protection of minors, by developing their potential to optimise this information in order to increase their ability to manage the main problems raised by sexual abuse on children.

Consequently, it has been decided that the course should not focus exclusively on abuse but should also cover the problematic context within which the abuse often takes place and which concerns the adults' relational ignorance and incompetence concerning:

knowledge and competence of minors;

dysfunctional and ambivalent relationships between adults and children;

difficulties faced when approaching and discussing a sexual topic.

With this objective in mind, the authors considered that, in addition to the specific themes related to abuse, the training programme also had to include a first part dealing in depth with children's anatomy, physiology, psychology up to puberty, family dynamics, identification of disorders in children, and communication modes on sexuality

Consequently, the following specific objectives were selected:

•extending the knowledge of the various communication modes by making them explicit and by trying to develop more efficient techniques;

•providing the tools necessary for identifying and placing the emphasis on the distress of a minor; providing information on the legislation in force governing child sexual abuse;

  • providing information on the various types of abuse and on the characteristics of the abusers;
  • improving the knowledge of the consequences of the abuse for the victim and of the best

strategies to tackle associated problems;

  • promoting the comparison between newly acquired knowledge and personal experience, the

individual's own family and professional reality;

  • providing the cognitive tools which, correctly integrated, will enable sexuality to be understood

in its life dimension;I

  • establishing a coherence in one's own habits and behaviour by integrating the acquired

knowledge,

  • optimising the communication abilities of the participants;
  • creating a positive relational "climate" in order to facilitate the advent of a collaboration network

between the various structures (families, school, institutions, etc.)

Description of the sample

In cooperation with those responsible for prevention projects in the 1V Constituency and X111 School District of Rome, we contacted groups of parents and teachers of 5 primary schools and 6 lower secondary schools of the area in order to recruit course participants. We then organised meetings to present the Dapline project, explain the guidelines and general aims of the initiative, and to illustrate the objectives of the course we were offering. In these meetings we thought it useful to select 12 representatives for each school who would then later inform their colleagues on course content and be willing to pass on to others in their specific context the skills acquired and the materials received. In this light, we encouraged the people in the meetings to "select" their own representatives (those who would then actually take part in the course) according to their commitments, but especially to their motivation, communication and relational skills and to their school role in order to guarantee effective adult peereducation later on.

In this way we managed to obtain a sample of 21 parents and 34 teachers, all of the female sex. In effect, there are a lot more women in the teaching profession and among parent representatives in schools. Moreover, in our experience, it appears that women are more inclined to take part in training and discussion groups on sexuality and prevention themes, perhaps because of their greater tendency at a sociocultural level to "care for themselves", towards support and relational aspects in general.

Ages in the parents' group ranged between 32 and 45 years (with a mean age of 38) while ages ranged between 29 and 61 years (mean age of 43) in the teachers' group.

Of the 21 parents, 8 had an upper secondary school diploma while the rest had a university degree. Most of the teachers had a university degree only 7 worked as teachers with an upper secondary certificate in primary school teaching (obtained at a Magistrale school). The groups were therefore of a middletohigh sociocultural and education level.

Methodology

The group of parents and the group of teachers followed separate courses.

The methodology had to be both educational and informative. Thus, each of the 10 sessions of the programme had been structured to include one hour of theoretical course and two hours of group discussion on the key aspects of the presentations, with a break needed to shift from the cognitive part of the course to the more experiential part.

During the first hour the facilitators introduced the subject to be discussed and provided all the information required. This was the framework within which experts could intervene.

Copies of the slides and transparencies were available to the trainees.

The time dedicated to group work varied according to the requirements of the programme or to the needs of the participants.

The techniques used during group work comprised namely:

  • problem solving (definition of the problem; analysis of solution; list of possible solutions; choice of the most feasible solutions; implementation and verification.);
  • brain storming;
  • circle time (method that facilitates the interpersonal relationship between the participants; free circle group discussion; ambience that fosters creativity; facilitating role of the trainer; work group on a specific task;
  • role playing;
  • empowerment strategy.

A given amount of flexibility made it possible to take into account the suggestions of the participants.

Assessment

The assessment process called on three categories of processes:

1. Suitable questionnaires

2. Feedback from the participants

3. Feedback from external observers asked to supervise the progress of each group

1) Three distinct questionnaires were distributed at different stages of the programme.

The first questionnaire given at the beginning of the courses concerned:

•the participants' expectations concerning the experience in progress;

•their attitude with respect to sexual education (concerning not only its content but also their personal convictions).

•their position on aspects that should be included in education projects for health in a school environment;

•their collaboration ability with others on topics concerning sexuality.

The second questionnaire given at the 7th meeting assessed the participants' concepts of violence towards minors (the trainees had to express their agreement or disagreement with the 37 assertions on this topic).

The third questionnaire given at the end of the programme aimed to assess the efficacy of the course; it included certain initial questions but also asked for an appreciation of programmeprogress, of the themes proposed and of the ambience within the group.

Moreover, suggestions were asked on course methodology or content.

2) The feedback of the participants was collected after each group session by means of a questionnaire that asked for the positive or negative aspects of the sessions and the new content provided. This provided the facilitator with constant feedback on the efficacy of the courses, the interest of the topics discussed, the pedagogical shortages or the dark zones.

3) The feedback of the observers provided a more objective view on the progress of each session (content, methodology, group dynamics), that enabled the facilitators to adjust their action during the subsequent sessions. The 8 observers (2 per session) worked in rotation so as to change.

A matrix was set up to facilitate and homogenise the reports from the observers.

Observers' Matrix

  • Is group work finalised or confused? :
  • Is motivation high or low?
  • Are the ideas expressed respected and listened to or criticised?
  • Are the trainees able to express themselves without being interrupted?
  • Is participation homogenous or are there people who speak too much and others who do not speak at all?
  • Is the atmosphere fliendly or cold?
  • Was silence expressing a lack of interest or attentive reflection?
  • Is there room for exchange or is the dialogue closed and passive?
  • Is there any feeling of embarrassment?
  • Is the result productive or unproductive?
  • Other significant elements.

Results

The analysis of the data provided was essentially qualitative and descriptive since many of the questions were "open" and there was no standardised questionnaire; hence this data was only indicative and nondefinitive.

Initial questionnaire

Main results

The majority of the participants regretted the lack of suitable sexual information at the proper time.

The parents regretted the lack of projects which involved them directly.

The teachers insisted on the usefulness of dialogue and indepth discussions on sexuality.

Parents' expectations:

more information.

a wish to reinforce their communication ability with their children on sexuality (especially when this implies moral or ethical positions or personal experiences).

Teachers' expectations:

improvement of communication and group facilitation techniques

learning new programmes to carry out school actions with efficient impact and suitable evaluation.

Both groups parents and teachers considered that health education in schools must be performed by the family and the teachers, not by the Biology Teacher as is usually the case, but rather by the teacher who feels more able to do it and in collaboration with the family (the experts were called upon only for dialogue meetings.)

The general view was that primary school is the best period to start health education classes in the broad meaning of the word.

Questionnaire on sexual abuse on children

There was no significant difference between the results from the parents' group and the teachers' group.

Definition of interfamilial sexual abuse

All parents defined this as a form of violence that implies a power relationship between adults and children, without any form of affective and relational aspect, unable to consider that this behaviour could indicate a dysfunctional family system.

Most participants saw no difference between an incestuous parent and a paedophile.

The participants saw the abusing adult as a subject suffering from severe psychopathology, easily identifiable by his/her mental disorders and violent behaviours. This seems to indicate a defensive attitude intended to reassure the subject by means of images as remote as possible fi7om "normality".

Attitude with regard to the abuse itself here amb, participants there was, on the one hand, a feeling that the abuser should be exposed, but also a certain amount of reticence, on the other, due to the drawbacks of such denunciation.

As for the victim figure, the participants saw the minor as absolutely passive in the incestuous relationship, incapable of imagining that s/he could be "available" to any degree and even less that s/he "participate" in response to proposals which can be heavily loaded with affection.

As for the effects of the abuse and the most suitable therapeutic approach, half the participants considered that there were not always psychopathological aftereffects when the child was very young and therefore more able to forget.

The majority of participants confirm this as they consider that the time of medicopsychological examination is not appropriate for the early elaboration of the traumatic experience. Participants were also divided on the following question: is it better to take the minor away from his/her family after the revelation (solution favoured by the majority of trainers), or is this action more harmful than the abuse itself (solution favoured by the parents' group).

Course Assessment Questionnaire

This questionnaire reveals certain evaluation aspects common to the two groups and other

aspects, related to the objectives, which are different.

Aspects common to both groups

Parents and teachers said that they had improved their ability to listen, to accept and

understand, and their ability to communicate. They also increased their knowledge of the abusing

context, of indicators, of normativity and of the local social services.

The methods were considered relevant and the atmosphere of the course warm and friendly.

Aspects specific to the parents'group

The results are grouped into 4 categories.

1. Increased knowledge of the content of sexual education which sheds light on a need for further information. The course enabled a better awareness to be acquired on the influence of the personal values in messages intended for children.

2. Making the parentschildren problems less alarming through the awareness of their common character. The parents expressed their wish for better knowledge of the changes taking place during adolescence, interpersonal relationship management, communication techniques on sexuality, and family dynamics.

3. The satisfaction to share a group experience and the awareness of the difficulty to express emotions.

4. The description of the cases of abuse was a very painful experience fuelling feelings of rage, of disarray and of powerlessness.

Aspects specific to the group of teachers

The aspects specific to the group of teachers concerned mainly 3 domains.

  1. The comparison with colleagues from different schools was highly appreciated and enabled a better knowledge of common problems and of individuals' specificities to be acquired. Moreover, the teachers wished for new meetings to discuss indepth the topics of sexual education and of interventions in schools. Concerning the absence of readymade solutions and of "tumkey" programmes, the group was divided into those in favour of the information aspect (who felt something was missing), and those who favoured group discussion (who experienced the programme as a foundation course for an active participation to subsequent interventions).
  1. Some participants declared that they had a problem with the abundant content of the course which proposed several pathways to be explored.
  1. The teachers considered that the topic of sexual abuse on children had been covered extensively, but they also expressed their frustration caused by the lack of formal indicators of abuse, by the lack of efficacy of certain social signals, and by the problems to which the teacher is exposed and which signal a risk situation.

As foreseen by the project, the results of the training modules where presented in a Conference held in Rome the day 2627 June 1999. Experts and representatives of different organisations actives in the fight against child sexual abuse took the floor so the Conference was also an occasion to exchanize experiences and develop link of cooperation and synergy.

Conclusion

The DAPHNE project, which we designed and structured as a set of experimental courses and meetings for parents and teachers, has made it possible to clear up some significant points which

ould be used for subsequent actions for the prevention of sexual abuse on minors.

This course is a training module, an awarenessraising tool and a means to study mind sets. Thus it enables a true analysis to be carried out and the proximity figures of the child to be mobilised. This module, whose programme can be adapted to different socio cultural contexts, could thus be exported and used in other countries.

This work has also shed light on the obvious lack of institutional references to which one can refer to for information or consultation, the lack of trust in public services, and the problems of dialogues between parents and teachers which could be solved by means of mixed groups in the future.

This experience shows that the programming of preventive actions must be negotiated between the persons who are most in contact with the child, going beyond the traditional approach according to which there are "providers" of knowledge on one side of the fence , and "consumers" on the other.

In this regard, we could reflect on whether our approachis still too "adultocentric"' and whether more attention should be given to children's opinion through "peer education". This will be the subject of our future reflection.

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