Brockovich I-Village

With 1 in 4 children suffering sexual abuse worldwide, and nearly 50% being under 12 years of age, we desperately need to take action through awareness and education. It is our responsibility to arm our young children with the tools which will enable them to seek help should they, or someone they know, be experiencing domestic or family violence or sexual abuse.

With reports of abuse on the increase, we need to listen to our children and be their voice when they feel they cannot. Our own children, the children in our communities and our schools, the children in our neighborhood – they all look to us for leadership, example, education, safety and protection. It disgusts me to receive knowledge of formal care (schools, daycare centres) ‘covering up’ incidences of abuse due to fear of legal action as a result of their negligence. What happened to the rights of the child and “in the best interests of the child”, let alone the protocols of Duty of Care? Protecting our children must take precedence over a school’s reputation!

In addition to our individual responsibilities, our governments and education departments have a responsibility to ensure Early Childhood Protective Behaviour Programs (ECPBP) are compulsory in all formal care settings and encouraged in informal care (youth clubs, sporting clubs, etc). In addition, our judicial system need to deliver appropriate penalties for those who commit such sick acts – note that ‘appropriate’ does not mean a suspended sentence, nor allowing a convicted pedophile or violent perpetrator to have contact with (his/her) children, or any children whatsoever!

Childhood sexual abuse has a strong link with impaired adult psychological adjustment (depression, self esteem, self destructive behaviour, eating disorders, anxiety and phobias). In many cases, the victim may be sexually assaulted or abused again, or become a sexual predator themselves. When will our governments see the worth in investing in these education programs for future prevention and a decrease in the cost of mental and physical health issues on the economy?

From approximately 2 years onwards, children are most receptive to learning and retaining information. From 3 years onwards, children begin to explore their own physical being and take an interest in the physical form of those around them. So it is never too early to start learning!

Through early childhood protective behaviour programs, there will be a supported focus on establishing right from wrong and safe from unsafe behaviors before inappropriate or harmful behaviors are learned, experienced and/or displayed.

To introduce this necessary education in the preschool and early years will
also assist with teachers identifying children at risk, and enable a
smoother transition for young children into future sessions in their primary
school years. It will provide the foundations for the more extensive domestic, family and sexual violence educational aspects that are to follow as they progress through both their primary & secondary education.

These programs will also allow earlier detection of child abuse due to
information-sharing, practical activities and confidence building that will not only educate
these young students, but empower the parents, carers and teachers so they
can be alert for cues from the children in their care.

As parents, it can be uncomfortable to address sexuality and safety as we hope it never happens to our own, but the less anxious we are about our approach, and the more direction we receive from these Programs, the more we can talk openly with our children and the more likely they are to approach us for help and advice. As parents, we will find that the confidence we instill in our children will grow as they too become empowered with knowledge and practical safety tools.

Do you remember programs like "Stranger Danger"? The statistics reflect this is now outdated as up to 94% of children are being abused by someone they know. In saying that, children who receive ECPBP education can carry their new knowledge with them should they find themselves under the care of a ‘stranger’, for example, a new preschool teacher, new neighbor, a parent's new partner, or entering social arenas for the first time, such as Scouts, Sunday
School, parties or sleepovers, etc.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations in 1989. Ask yourself and your Government what your particular country or state has done to act on the Convention in the past 20 years? Have they signed up to it? Be sure to give special mention to Article 13, which states “they (children) have a right to receive and disseminate information.”

We need to rally our Education departments, Senators, Members of Parliament, Councilors and Governments to give our children education and a voice, along with the confidence to know they will be heard, believed and supported - by the adult they confide in, the services they engage with and the judicial system that revisits their trauma, yet has the power to hold accountable those that caused it.

Rachel Kayrooz
www.shoutspeakout.org