School sexual abuse prevention: unintended consequences and dilemmas

In view of the recent proliferation of school sexual abuse prevention programs and materials, this article critically examines current assumptions about the role of elementary school personnel in prevention and possible unintended consequences of such assumptions. These unintended consequences include emphasizing a simple solution to a complex social problem and contributing to victim blaming. Some dilemmas that arise for classroom teachers around predeveloped curricular materials and mandatory reporting are also explored. Teacher use of predeveloped materials may mean a diminishing of wider teaching skills and reduction of complex concepts to brief, noncontroversial interventions that may serve to mystify sexuality and unduly frighten students. Mandatory reporting, as it is frequently presented to teachers, can create further dilemmas by obscuring the ethical decisions inherent in the process, assuming consistently positive outcomes after reporting, and neglecting the context in which teachers work. The authors suggest that educators should be aware of these possible unintended consequences and dilemmas in order to maintain a broad perspective on child sexual abuse and to focus their efforts more effectively within a larger network addressing the problem.