Prevention of sexual abuse through educational programs directed toward children
Date
2007
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Publisher
Pediatrics
Abstract
Description
A Catholic Medical Association (CMA) Task Force issued a report in October 2006 on the sexual abuse of children and its prevention in response to initiatives by Catholic dioceses across the country, which were reeling from abuse scandals and have been seeking to improve their sexual abuse-prevention efforts. This report argued strongly against what it called 'child-empowerment programs' aimed at preventing sexual abuse. It argued that these programs were 'ineffective at preventing sexual abuse' and 'inconsistent with the science of emotional, cognitive, neurobiological and moral development of the child.' This report reiterated a number of arguments that have been raised over 2 decades against classroom-based prevention education by various critics. However, the research evidence and the available meta-analytic reviews do not give much support to these criticisms, and the reappearance of these arguments in a high-profile public policy context merit discussion and rebuttal.
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Keywords
Abuse-sexual, Prevention, policy