New research shows problematic societal attitudes allow child sexual abuse to continue

Many Australians are victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.

Almost one in three have been sexually abused as children, usually more than once, and often with serious lifelong consequences.

The National Center on Child Sexual Abuse has released the results of a new study of more than 4,000 adults examining public attitudes toward, knowledge of, and responses to child sexual abuse.

The data shows some troubling findings: widespread and harmful social norms and attitudes that contribute to the continuation of child sexual abuse.

What are social norms?

Social norms are the “rules” shared by people in a particular society, community, or group, and they define what is considered “normal” and acceptable behavior within the group.

These rules are often unwritten and not openly discussed.

These norms influence what people do (and don’t do) in many aspects of life, including preventing and responding to child sexual abuse.

Why do they matter?

The norms and attitudes of some cultures limit the disclosure of abuse.

In our study, 62% were pretty sure they knew someone who had been sexually abused as a child.

However, only 9% of children directly reported child sexual abuse, and 35% of adults reported a history of child sexual abuse.

These low rates suggest that there are forces that limit conversations about child sexual abuse.

Some community members feel it is inappropriate to discuss child sexual abuse. In response to a hypothetical revelation from an adult friend, about one in ten thought it was very/extremely important to tell the friend that it would be better not to talk about it at all.

Some (5%) reported that they would try to avoid their friend.

What else did the study reveal?

There was also evidence that community members did not consider child sexual abuse to be an important issue or that it directly affected them.

About two in three adults believed that child sexual abuse did not directly affect them or were not sure that child sexual abuse affected them. More than half do not believe child sexual abuse has occurred where they live.

One in ten believe child sexual abuse is covered too much in the media.

Some norms and attitudes also limit interventions to stop child sexual abuse.

We found that of those who discovered or received information about sexual abuse from a child, less than half supported the child (about 40%) and/or reported to authorities such as the police or child protection authorities (about 30%).

In addition, almost one in three adults were “not at all” confident in how to talk to the parent/carer of a child they suspected had been sexually abused. More than a quarter (28%) felt “not at all unsure” about how to start a conversation with a child they suspected had been sexually abused.

Not having these conversations or not reporting them keeps child sexual abuse a secret. It can send a message to victims and survivors not to talk about it, or that nothing will be done to stop the violence.

While lack of intervention may be due to a lack of trust, we also found that adults held the view that children cannot always be trusted (22%) or that they are too unreliable to take adults’ word for it (18%).

This attitude means that many children will not be believed or protected if they speak out about sexual abuse.

Some norms and attitudes promote acceptance of child sexual abuse or blaming of victims, especially adolescents.

Alarmingly, 40% of respondents in the study believed that older children had a responsibility to actively resist adult sexual advances, and 12% believed that teenage girls wearing very revealing clothing were “asking” to be sexually assaulted.

In addition to this, 13% believed that children who act “seductively” are at least partly to blame if an adult reacts sexually, while 8% believed that compliant children are less likely to experience child sexual abuse, implying that “good” children will not be sexually abused. abused.

This harmful attitude falsely places blame for the abuse on the victim, making it unsafe for them to disclose information while making it acceptable for adults to remain silent.

Victim blaming maintains the status quo of unacceptably high rates of child sexual abuse and causes further harm.

Where to from here?

Ending child sexual abuse in Australia requires concerted and coordinated action at all levels of society.

Global initiatives offer some guidance on how changing entrenched and harmful attitudes and norms can change behavior.

At a minimum, we must challenge gender inequality and power imbalances, promote equal relationships and shared responsibility. Community-based mobilization programs and initiatives with specific populations holding harmful and problematic views also show promise in preventing child sexual abuse.

We now have benchmarks for public attitudes towards child sexual abuse and can measure the effectiveness of Australia’s efforts to change the situation.

Everyone has a responsibility to know the signs, listen, believe and act in response to child sexual abuse.