Mind the gap: strategies for child protection in communities and organizations

ABSTRACT

This study reports on the findings of a symposium co-sponsored by blinded information focused on how to address child sexual abuse in communities and organizations. The focus of this study was on the participants’ perspectives regarding how individuals, organizations, and communities can prevent child sexual abuse. All those who attended were invited to participate in the study by responding to an online survey that included open-ended questions focused on barriers and promoters for decreasing child sexual abuse in the global community. In total, 76 respondents completed the survey and of those, 39 were from the United States, with the majority of the participants were female (n=52, 68%; males n = 24, 32%), with an average age of 51 (range = 23–86; median = 52). The constant comparison method of qualitative data analysis was used to identify the three major themes for barriers and strategies that emerged: Views of Society, Education/Increasing Awareness, and Systematic/Structural Changes. Each major theme was comprised of subthemes that provide additional details of the responses. Recommendations for primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary levels of prevention are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual abuse
• sexual abuse prevention
• child protection
• social work organizations

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the organizers of the Symposium and the students who assisted with this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.