5/31/24, 6:27 PM Teachers Can Help Prevent Child Sexual Abuse

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S H A R E T H I S B LO G O N :
Teachers Can Help Prevent Child …  

Teachers
Can Help
Prevent
Child Sexual
Abuse

While a parent may have the biggest influence on a child’s life

when it comes to educating about healthy sexual development
and reducing the risk of sexual abuse, many adults also play an
impactful role—especially teachers. They have the potential
to be an important safety net for kids who are at high risk for
sexual abuse at home.

In the United States, each state has laws that require certain
professionals (like teachers) to report suspicions of child
abuse. Learn the laws in your state and see what your
responsibility is, legally speaking. These, in addition to your
school’s policies, will give you a good baseline on what to do
when you have concerns that a child is being abused.

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But what else can you do? Are their ways that you can
recognize sexual abuse? Can you create a classroom
environment that reduces the risk? How do you know what to
say or when to say it in order to help a child? Below are seven
ways that you can help reduce the risk of sexual abuse for your
students:

01
K N O W T H E FA C T S
There are a lot of myths about child sexual abuse, so
it’s important that you know the facts. The majority of
children and teens are most likely to be sexually
abused by someone they know and trust. Too often
the abuse happens within their own family. This means
that school may be one of the only safe places for
them, whether you realize it or not. Sexual abuse
affects kids of all races, religions, socioeconomic
levels, and ages. If you don’t think it’s happening to
children who attend your school, you’re wrong. It’s also
important for you to know the signs, including looking
for the possibility that a child is engaging in harmful
sexual behavior and may be at risk for becoming a
perpetrator of sexual abuse.

Simply arming yourself with accurate information can

make a big difference in your classroom and school.
When you encounter misinformation, you can step in
and correct the inaccuracy. This will also help you
reduce the stigma surrounding this topic and make it
an appropriate topic to address with your colleagues.

02
L E A R N A B O U T A G E - A P P R O P R I AT E S E X U A L
D EV E LO P M E N T

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Depending on the age and maturity of a child, you can

be sensitive to patterns of healthy sexual
development and what’s typical for students within the
age you teach. This may help you recognize sexual
abuse, since exhibiting unhealthy or harmful sexual
behaviors is a sign the child may have been sexually
abused. You can also reduce the risk of a child acting
on harmful sexual behaviors if you can recognize the
signs. Keep in mind that not all children will develop at
the same pace and things like maturity, mental or
physical disabilities, and the environment where
they’re being raised may impact their development as
well.

When you are armed with the knowledge of what’s

age-appropriate for your students, it will make it all the
easier to spot when someone is not at the same level.
This in and of itself is not a sign of sexual abuse, but
when it’s combined with other factors it may lead you
to ask questions, report, or advocate for a child who is
in need of your help.

03
E N C O U R A G E E M O T I O N A L R E G U L AT I O N
There are certain risk factors that raise the possibility
of a child being sexually abused. Several of these
factors may be combatted if a child learns emotional
regulation. Emotional regulation is the ability to
respond to the emotions felt in any given situation
in a healthy and socially acceptable way. As adults
we practice this skill often, but it’s something that
children need to practice in order to develop.
Responses such as tantrums, shouting, or meltdowns
are signals that a child is having difficulty regulating
their emotions. Depending on the age of your students
you can implement policies in your class to help them

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have the time and space to work through

overwhelming feelings.

Some ideas are giving them “alone time” to think about

what they’re feeling and how they can deal with those
emotions in an appropriate way for the classroom
(make sure this doesn’t feel like a punishment or it
could exacerbate the problem). You could utilize our
Wheel of Emotions and help them identify their
feelings so they can talk about them, or you can ask
them to write down what they’re feeling as an essay or
a story, depending on their age.

Giving kids a safe way to experience and resolve their

emotional responses is not only an important life skill,
but research has also shown that it will help prevent
them from being sexually abused or sexually abusing
someone else.

04
ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT SCHOOL
POLICIES
Most schools have policies in place for things like
sexual harassment between students as well as
policies dictating interactions between teachers and
students. Encourage open discussion and
understanding of these policies so that everyone
(both students and staff) knows and understands both
their rights and ways to respect the rights of others. If
your school doesn’t have these types of policies in
place, see what you can do about getting them
implemented.

Many places require teachers to go through training or

receive additional education about sexual abuse.
These can often be emotionally overwhelming and
leave you feeling hopeless about being able to ever
make a difference. One way you can supplement this
training with more hopeful and actionable information
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is by utilizing our classes designed for community

members.

05
E N C O U R A G E PA R E N T S T O E D U C AT E T H E I R
CHILDREN
Whether or not your school has a comprehensive
sexual education program, at Saprea we believe that
parents are the most important source of information
for their children. Many parents may not be discussing
healthy sexual development with their children simply
because they don’t realize what an impact it can have.
You can encourage them to have little talks about
sexual development with their kids.

Letting them know the importance of teaching their

child assertive communication could be a good place
to start. Or the importance of modeling healthy
relationships. You could even start with talking to them
about raising their child’s self-esteem. Whenever
possible, encourage them to talk to their children
openly and honestly about healthy sexual
development, which may make all the difference in
reducing the risk that the child will be sexually abused
or will sexually abuse others.

06
T R U S T YO U R I N T U I T I O N A N D R E P O R T
PROBLEMS
Like the adage you hear when you’re waiting for a flight
in the airport, “If you see something, say something.” If
you see a coworker or student exhibiting behaviors
that cause you to worry, speak up about it. This may
be letting a fellow teacher know that their relationship
with a student seems to be veering into dangerous
territory or pulling a student aside to ask them if
everything is okay. Your school may have policies in

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place of who you should report to and how; make sure

you know what the protocol is when you see
something.

If you know that sexual abuse is occurring, don’t

hesitate to report it. There are many survivors of child
sexual abuse who have a teacher to thank for stopping
the abuse they were experiencing. If your intuition tells
you that something is “off ” with a situation or
someone, the chances are it is and you should
investigate further.

07
B E A T R U S T E D A D U LT
There may be kids in your classroom who don’t feel
safe at home. No matter what their family looks like, no
matter how much (or how little) money their parents
make or how nice their neighborhood is, a child may
be experiencing sexual abuse. You can create an
atmosphere of safety in your classroom and be
someone they trust. Let them know that if there are
problems in their lives, they can talk to you about
them. Stress to them that secrets won’t keep them
safe.

Whether a student is being sexually abused or not,

having an adult they feel safe with is important.
Allowing them a space where they can be themselves
and where they are encouraged to work through their
emotions in a healthy way can make all the difference
in their lives.

Together We're Better

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