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Sexual abuse in primary and secondary schools issexual abuse, oftenchild sexual abuse, occurring in educational institutions fromkindergarten throughsecondary education. Often the victims areminors belowage of consent.[1]
A 1993 study performed by theAmerican Association of University Women examined seventy-ninestate schools in the United States and found that 9.6% of students reported sexual abuse by teachers in the school setting.[2]
The victims of school sexual abuse are often "vulnerable or marginal students".[3]
In April 2015, education officialNajat Vallaud-Belkacem admitted that "16 teachers were allowed to work in schools last year despite holding previous convictions for paedophilia."[4] An international NGO claimed that "Thousands of children in French schools have been sexually abused by paedophile teachers".[4] In the same year, twenty-seven staff members in primary and secondary schools were fired for sexual abuse.[5]
In March 2000, across-sectional study of students in the 11th grade of eight higher secondary schools inGoa found that "Coercive sex had been experienced by approximately 6% of adolescents."[6] The pupils affected by this experienced higher rates of substance abuse, poorer academic performance, as well as poor mental and physical health.[6]
InThe New York Times, Stephen Castle documented:[7]
The very nature of boarding schools — closed environments in which teachers can wield enormous power — can make them attractive to child abusers. But in previous decades, parents were often reluctant to challenge teachers' authority, said Alan Collins, principal lawyer at Slater & Gordon, which represented the former Aldwickbury student. He has 30 to 40 more cases pending against schools across the country.[7]
Since 2012, "425 people have been accused of carrying out sexual attacks at UK boarding schools".[8]
In the United States, "roughly 290,000 students experienced some sort of physical sexual abuse by a public school employee from 1991 to 2000—a single decade."[1]
A federal report estimated that in the state ofCalifornia, "422,000 California public-school students would be victims before graduation".[9]
TheUnited States Department of Education withheld US$4 million fromChicago Public Schools "for what federal officials say is a failure to protect students from sexual abuse."[10]
InZimbabwe, a 2001 study found that 70% of the time, Sexual intercourse through physical abuse was present by teacher perpetrators in primary schools, with 98% of the victims being females.[11]
This study investigated the prevalence of child sexual abuse among day secondary school pupils in Gweru, Zimbabwe. The sample comprised 268 secondary pupils (50% female; mean age=15.42, standard deviation=1.376). Data were collected by administering the Child Abuse Screening Tool Children's Version (ICAST-C). The study found an overall prevalence rate of 56.3%, with no significant gender differences. Both non-contact and contact forms of sexual abuse were prevalent.
In May 2020, a cross sectional study was carried out among male students in secondary schools across Ibadan, Nigeria. It was reported in the study that about 18.9% of the lot was forced to watch pornographic contents, 8.1% were touched or mishandled sexually and about 54.1% were raped.[12]
The Federal Capital Territory Administration in July 2019, dismissed 2 male teachers of a secondary school for allegedly molesting some visually impaired female students at Jabi, Abuja.[13] It was reported that they would drug the students and lure them to hotels and carry out such deeds.[14]
The Nigeria Journal of pediatrics also recorded that, of 1558 students that were examined, the proportion of females and males that were sexually assaulted in a secondary school in Obio/ Akpor LGA at Rivers state were 47.4% and 24.9% respectively.[15]
Primary prevention has been identified as a priority in challenging sexual violence, but there is a lack of understanding around what primary prevention is and is not. Although increasing knowledge or awareness of sexual assault may be a feature of primary prevention, it is not a sufficient outcome. Primary prevention must also change behaviours. Some work has been done on identifying the elements required for effective primary prevention. These include comprehensiveness, community engagement, theory-driven programming, contextualised programming, and evaluation.[16]
By 1988, prevention programs and materials with regard to school sexual abuse came into vogue.[17] Problems associated with these, however, include "emphasizing a simple solution to a complex social problem and contributing tovictim blaming."[17]
Despite the prevalence of these prevention programs and materials, multiple studies have demonstrated that "teachers use programs spasmodically and selectively, omitting the essential concepts relating to children's rights".[18]
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