Resources

The CSA Prevention and awareness program was developed by Louise Aucamp, social worker in private practise [BA(MW) MSD(Play Therapy) PhD(Social work)]. Working with sexually abused children on a daily basis through forensic assessments into allegations of sexual abuse, the need and desire to become a role player in the effective prevention of sexual abuse was born.

Equipping herself with the necessary knowledge and skills, through attending international training on sexual abuse and forensic investigations and studying available literature and research the program was developed during 2006-2008. The first formal presentation of the program was during 2008, when the program was presented to a group of nursery school teachers.

Children are often taught how to keep themselves safe from sexual abuse. Various programmes are run in nursery and primary schools teaching our kids how to protect themselves from sexual abuse.

Since then the programme has undergone grown both in content and presentations across Pretoria. Based on research that formed part of Louise Aucamps Phd. studies various articles underlying different core aspects of the program has been published in scientific journals.

During 2014 a research study on the CSA Prevention and Awareness program was conducted by Mrs Suria Barnard, social worker in private practise, as part of her Master Degree in Forensic Practise. The outcomes of this research study proofs that the CSA Prevention and Awareness programme is effective in increasing significant adults knowledges about sexual abuse as well as their skills in facilitating a child’s disclosure.

DOWNLOAD FULL ARTICLE
GET INVOLVED
SCHOOLS PROGRAM

Vision:

To effectively prevent child sexual abuse by empowering significant adults in children’s lives.

Mission:

Raise awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse by educating significant adults about the steps they can take to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse.

This training is a first step towards educating significant adults in the child’s life, to understand, prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child abuse.

Children are often taught how to keep themselves safe from sexual abuse. Various programmes are run in nursery and primary schools teaching our kids how to protect themselves from sexual abuse.

Although these programs do have some value the problem with these programmes are two folded:

A) Prevention of sexual abuse is not a child’s responsibility
As adults we make sure our children wear seat belts. We walk them across busy roads. We put a fence around our pools and store toxic chemicals and household cleaners out of reach of children. Why then would we leave the job of protecting our children against sexual abuse sole up to them? Placing the responsibility of sexual abuse purely on our children’s shoulders can be described as irresponsible and show’s a lack of understanding of the dynamic’s of sexual abuse. If we, as parents and adults, understand the dynamics of sexual abuse then we will understand that a child is in no position to say no to his or her abuser.

B) Prevention programmes aimed at children leads to disclosure of abuse and is not as effective in the prevention of abuse Prevention programmes aimed at children does have its place in a holistic approach to the prevention of sexual abuse. It is important though not to mistake the value of these programmes as all sufficient as a preventive measure. Preventive programmes aimed at children often focuses on teaching children that their bodies are private and that no one is allowed to touch their private parts. All though this is important for them to learn – it cannot substitute adult responsibility to protect children. Where preventive programmes are presented to children it is of the utmost importance that these programmes flow from a sound knowledge of sexual abuse and the dynamics of abuse and grooming, thereby refraining from burdening children with guilt by teaching them to say no and run away.