‘Never mind the mechanics, what about the (sexual) ethics?’ Sex, sexuality and social work education in sexual violence prevention

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the efficacy of sexual violence prevention education (SVPE) in the USA and Australasia: areas, which have some of the worst rates for sexual violence prevalence, globally. Paradoxically, they are also at the forefront of innovations in sexual violence prevention, compared to some European countries where SVPE is virtually non-existent or at the embryonic stage, such as the UK. Drawing upon the Authors’ previous research on the delivery of SVPE in New Zealand secondary schools, and literature reviews into these innovations, the authors argue that social work education is ideally placed to develop SVPE, due to the ways that some of these innovations, coalesce with social work theory, critical andragogy, and social work values. These synergies have the potential for transnational application through the ways that they can inform SVPE in those countries where it is delivered by social workers in schools, and via the ways it can enhance the social work curriculum to improve post-qualifying practice in addressing sexual violence (SV).

KEYWORDS:

• SVPE
• sexual violence
• primary prevention
• sexual ethics
• rapport à soi
• social work education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Please note there were no grants awarded and no financial interest or benefit arising from the production of this article.

Notes on contributors

Eileen Barbara Oak

Dr Eileen Barbara Oak is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Work, Education & Community Well-Being, Northumbria University, Newcastle, (UK) with over thirty years practice experiencing in Safeguarding in the context of domestic and sexual violence. For the past five years she has been researching into the impact of sexual violence on women and girls and the feasibility of developing sexual violence prevention education in schools.

Shirley Jülich

Dr Shirley Jülich is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Health & Social Services, Massey University, Auckland(NZ). Her PhD investigated the complex relationship between the criminal justice system, restorative justice and child sexual abuse, from the perspective of adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Dr Julich is a co-founder member of Project Restore, a programme that aims to address sexual violence  by using a restorative justice process.

Sarah Morton

Dr Sarah Morton is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Community Partnership Drugs Programme, in the School of Social Policy, Social Work & Social Justice, at University College Dublin, (ROI), and has extensive experience in policy, practice and outcome, evaluation in relation to addressing complex issues, including domestic and sexual violence  and alcohol use. As  Service Development Manager for 'Safe Ireland' for ten years she has taken the lead in identifying and responding to issues affecting women and children's lives in relation to violence and substance abuse. For the last five years her research has focused on the interplay of domestic violence and substance in families, as well as in creating and participatory research methods.