Child Sexual Abuse In Elementary Schools

Education on Child Sexual Abuse in Elementary Schools Every day, a child is sexually abused by someone, likely someone they trust, and many of them are unaware that what is happening to them is even considered wrong. Every day, a child will participate in sexual acts because they do not know that they are being manipulated. Every day, a child that is being sexually abused realizes that what is being done to them is wrong, but does not speak up because they feel they have no one to help them. A feeling of hopelessness or lack of self-worth can result from such abuse; many other negative effects can arise as well. Requiring education of sexual abuse in elementary schools could help children recognize and report sexual abuse, increase awareness

However, even parents who think they are doing the absolute best to keep their child safe, can have children who will be subjected to sexual abuse. One of the major reasons for this is that three out of four victims are sexually abused by someone they know well, or who has some sort of repetitive connection with them such as a family friend or even a relative (National Center for Victims of Crime, 2012). Many perpetrators of child sexual abuse will chose their victims according to how trusting a child is, and so when this sense of trust is established and the child is subjected to this abuse, the child may be confused and uneasy as to what they should do- that is, if they even realize that something is wrong. This makes children exceptionally more vulnerable to sexual abuse, and if children do not realize that situations like these can be stopped, they will let themselves suffer for as long as the abuse

For example, in the case of Victoria Martens, a 10-year-old girl who was injected with methamphetamines, raped, strangled to death, stabbed, dismembered, and then put into a bathtub and lit on fire, autopsies showed that young Martens had been sexually abused in the past before her death through arrangements made by her mother, and had even contracted the HPV virus from it; although, the child’s daycare teacher claimed that he never, at any point in time, saw any signs of physical or sexual abuse, and when the home had been investigated by officials several months before her death, they found no signs of abuse either (Lafin & Swanson, 2017). Considering that after the case officials were attempting to have statewide sexual abuse programs put into place, it is likely that Martens was unaware she was being put through abuse because the odds are, if her mother had been the one arranging the assaults, then her mother never educated her about sexual abuse. The fact that the child seemed completely normal and her teacher and child protective officials had no suspicions about abuse, is a fine example that if children do not know what sexual abuse is, it is possible that they might not exhibit any signs that could be a potential cry for