1. Sexual Assault Prevention Program
Presented by:
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2. Sexual Assault Information
After the recent sexual assault at the local park, it has been determined that a Sexual Assault Prevention program is needed to help protect the children of the community along with giving information to parents that will help to dispel myths by providing facts on sexual abuse.
We know that child sexual abuse happens every day across the country, with little regard for social classes, racial or ethnic groups, religious affiliations, or sexual orientation. That means that adults and youth who have sexually abused a child live in the same neighborhoods, shop in the same stores, and use the same parks that we do. (“Prevent Child Sexual Abuse”, 2010, p. 3)
It may be believed by some parents that sexual assault will not happen in their town or to their children, but the possibility of sexual assault remains no matter where a person lives with their children.
The facts are that girls have a one in three chance of being sexually abused and boys have a one in seven chance, and experts believe that about 300,000 children are abused every year (“Prevent Child Sexual Abuse”, 2010). The reason why this number is only an estimate is that many children never come forward about the sexual abuse that happened to them as a child. This Sexual Assault Prevention program is to help educated children and parents about sexual assault, and help children that are a victim find their voice to come forward about what happened to them.

3. Sexual Assault Prevention Program
This program can be offered by a variety of organizations as the material will be tailored to different age ranges.
There are potential problems with having a seexual assault prevention program in place that will need to be addressed.
The Sexual Assault Prevention Program will be offered to parents and children at a variety of community organizations by having a person trained to teach the program and materials that can be used at any organization that requests the class. This program can be held at churches, schools, preschools, community centers, and any other organization that sees a need in offering a program to their members. The person trained to teach this course will be made familiar with the different teaching styles that are necessary to teach this program to young children at the preschool all the way up to high school students.
Some studies have found that sexual assault prevention programs can have the best of meanings by those that implement the program, but can have two weaknesses. The first is that it may have the unintended result of children not understanding the true difference between the bad touching that the program refers to and the caring touch of a family member. The second is that it may let adults and other individuals that come into contact with children that have been through this type of program to believe that they are able to let their guard down regarding the possibility of the child being sexually molested (Melton & Barry, 1994, p ). The program will need to touch on both of these issues by finding better ways to help young children differentiate between touches and to inform participants that the end of the program does not mean it is the end of diligence towards dealing with this issue.

4. Psycho-educational Approaches
Psycho-educational approaches can be used in the program to assist individuals that have been impacted by sexual assault and help to prevent sexual assault from occurring in the future. According to Rosalie Ambrosino, Heffernan, Shuttlesworth, and Robert Ambrosino (2011), “Individuals and their families receive education that helps them understand the problem their family member is experiencing, the roles that they have played in trying to cope with the problem, and possibly more effective ways of coping…” (p. 214). The education that is provided by the program can help the family understand the issue of sexual assault as a whole, and help prepare them to deal with the possibility of it occurring in their community.
Some of the topics that should be covered for the children in this Sexual Assault Prevention Program are learning about what constitutes an appropriate touch and what touches are considered inappropriate, how to say no to touches that are unwanted, how to get help when facing a situation with inappropriate touching, and safety tips to help prevent the child from putting themselves in risky situations. Depending on the age of the children involved with the program, there can also be some statistics to help them understand that there is a possibility of this occurring to them or a friend along with letting them know that if they have been abused, they are not alone. This information would also be important for parents to be introduced to in helping them to better understand sexual assault and how to prevent it. These topics can be taught by role playing, presentations, and using scripts.

5. Supportive Approaches
Supportive approaches should also be implemented as part of the Sexual Assault Prevention Program to help individuals that come forward as having been assaulted in the past, families of individuals that have been assaulted and the victims themselves will need to gain support to heal after this has occurred. This can include counseling sessions with therapists provided through a sexual assault center or other group and volunteer hotlines with individuals trained to offer advice and help. Children and other individuals are more likely to come forward with their experiences if they know that the whole community supports them. Having this support system in place will allow for individuals to understand that it is okay for them to come forward for help and support.

6. Gender, Diversity and Ethics
Some issues that can have some misleading information when it comes to sexual assault are the roles of gender and diversity. Some people may be mistaken in believing that only one gender is abused, and although there are differing percentages among the rates of boys and girls being sexually assaulted, both sexes are at risk for assault. There can also be the mistaken idea that only men sexually abuse children. Gender needs to be taken out of the equation when it comes to trying to determine who may be sexually assaulted and who may be sexually assaulting others. It can also be assumed by parents that their culture is beyond such a horrendous act as sexually assaulting a child, but this can occur in any culture, in any area, and in any country.
Ethics is another issue that needs to be addressed as some individuals may believe that even if they suspect that sexual abuse is occurring that they are overstepping their bounds by coming forward about it. It has been seen in the past by some that what occurs in the privacy of a person’s home should stay private, but this way of looking at things needs to come to an end. Child sexual assault can occur at the hands of family members, friends, neighbors and strangers, and everyone has a responsibility to speak up if they believe that there are problems occurring in a home.

7. References References
Ambrosino, R., Heffernan, J., Shuttlesworth, G., & Ambrosino, R. (2011). Social work and social welfare: an introduction (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Melton, G. B., & Barry, F. D. (1994). Protecting children from abuse and neglect: foundations for a new national strategy. New York: Guilford Press.
Prevent Child Sexual Abuse. (n.d.). Stop It Now!. Retrieved February 26, 2013, from Child-Abuse.pdf
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