Delivering education about sexual violence: reflections on the experience of teaching a sensitive topic in the social and health sciences

Abstract

Sexual violence is a serious and prevalent violation that is experienced by as many as one in three people worldwide. Professionals working in areas of health, social work, law, policy-development and other fields engage with survivors of sexual violence. Their knowledge of this issue is an important determinant in how they react towards survivors and the quality of care they provide. It is essential that third-level students in the health and social sciences receive education on this topic; however, in Irish third-level education, instruction about sexual violence is often absent or minimal within these curricula. In this article the authors advocate for the inclusion of education about sexual violence within undergraduate and postgraduate social and health science programmes. They draw from their experience teaching about sexual violence in Irish third-level education to highlight the challenges and barriers in providing such instruction and provide practical pedagogical approaches and examples of how risks for students and lecturers can be mitigated and barriers reduced.

Keywords:

• third level
• education
• sexual violence
• sensitive topics
• distress
• student–lecturer relationship

Notes on contributors

Dr Stacey Scriver is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Centre for Global Women's Studies and lectures in the Schools of Political Science and Sociology and Nursing and Midwifery at National University of Ireland Galway. Her research work focuses on issues of gender and health, particularly sexual and gender based violence, and she has worked with multiple organisations including the UK Department for International Development, UN Women, Trocaire, and Rape Crisis Network Ireland. She is co-author of Rape and Justice in Ireland (2009) and has published multiple reports and peer reviewed journal articles, including in the Journal of Adult Protection, Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society, and Organisation.

Dr Kieran M. Kennedy is a medical doctor working in General Practice in Galway City. He has a special interest in the care of patients who disclose sexual violence. He is contracted by the Health Service Executive to provide specialised forensic medical evaluations to child and adult patients who report sexual violence. He has been a Forensic Medical Examiner at the Galway Sexual Assault Treatment Unit since its inception in 2009. He has published a number of international peer reviewed papers pertaining to sexual violence forensic examination and co-authored the Irish National Guideline on responding to rape and sexual assault (e-book available from http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/5/sexhealth/satu/satuguidelines/). He is a Lecturer in Clinical Methods and Clinical Practice at the National University of Ireland Galway. He introduced teaching on sexual violence to the undergraduate medical curriculum at the University. He is centrally involved in the postgraduate training of doctors who wish to work in the field of forensic medical examination and teaches on the only Irish postgraduate training programme at University College Dublin.

Notes

1 Rape myths refer to ‘prejudicial, stereotyped or false beliefs about rape, rape victims and rapists’ (Burt 1980, 217).

2 The classes discussed are subject to routine student evaluation where they have been positively evaluated. In addition, the second example, given below, is drawn from a course which has been subject to an external evaluation which noted the students’ enthusiasm for the topic.

3 Abusive behaviour may include name-calling, physical violence, threats, aggression and so forth. Such behaviour merits referral to the local institutions Code of Conduct and/or disciplinary board.

4 Department of Children and Youth Affairs (2011).