Children's Knowledge and Skills Related to Self-Protection from Sexual Abuse in Central Java Indonesia

The research aimed at assessing Muhammadiyah Elementary Schools' children's knowledge and skill in protecting themselves from CSA by analyzing them based on gender. It applied a quantitative method with descriptive statistical and inferential analysis designs. The samples amounted to 301 fifth-grade students from 10 Muhammadiyah Elementary Schools in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. They were asked to complete the questionnaires of the "What If" Situation Test (WIST-III), adapted to an Indonesian context. When testing comprehension of touching situations, it was found that less than half of the respondents could identify appropriate touching situations (42%, M = 1.99, SD = ±1.04). There was a significant difference in the appropriate touching situation between males (M = 2.26, SD = ±1.9) and females (M = 1.76, SD = ±1.09). However, the ability to tell someone about the sexual abuse incident was very low, and a significant difference was found between females (p = .029, M = 1.7, SD = ± 2.3) and males (p = .029, M = 1.55, SD = ± 2.11). Only two per cent of the children achieved the maximum skills score. A CSA preventive program must be focused on building and developing children with regards to the skills to protect themselves from CSA by referring to cultural and Islamic values.