To teach children about abuse without bullying

Debate

This is a discussion post. The post is written by an external contributor and quality assured by BT’s discussion department. Opinions and analyzes are those of the author.

An anonymous mother writes in BT on October 2 about daughter who comes home from school after learning of sexual abuse with the animated series “My body is mine.” The daughter cried and thought that what she had learned was so disgusting that she did not want to talk about it.

We want to thank “anonymous mother” for an honest and important message. At the same time, we want to adjust the content description of the series, which has received national and international recognition precisely for explaining sexual abuse in a child-friendly way.

“My body I Own ”was first shown on NRK Super in connection with Abuse Themed Days in 2017. The aim of the series is to give children knowledge about what sexual abuse is, that it is never the fault of children and how they can get help.

Save the Children has partnered and produced an orientation booklet with teaching plans for use in the school.

Join the team We have also had a number of experts and organizations working with the sexual abuse of children. In developing the content, we have worked closely with the schools. The feedback we have received from teachers and students is that movies are a good tool for talking to children about a taboo subject.

The children have been particularly interested in learning how to help a friend.

“Anonymous mother” talks about how important it is to give children information about sexual abuse in a way that is not scary, and does not focus on the abuser going to prison. We fully agree with that.

The series explains with concrete examples how abuse can occur and what children can do to get help. It also describes how children may find it difficult to speak, for example, because they are happy with the bully.

The message is clear: Norwegian laws protect children, children have the right to help, and adults and young people who abuse children should be helped to quit smoking. The series is made with the goal of providing important information to children in a clear and child-friendly way, without being intimidating.

An important premise has been that we must tell the truth to children. That is why we also say that a person who commits abuse can go to prison. This is not given much weight, and we described in the teacher’s guide that being afraid of jail can be a reason not to tell. But it must be mentioned, because children must know that this is a reality, and they must be sure that it is correct to say no anyway.

“Anonymous mother” describe how you think it will be cruel for a child who has been abused to watch these videos. He fears that later it will be more difficult to know.

Fortunately, our experience suggests otherwise. We have received comments from people who have been abused, who say they wish they saw this movie as children. We hear from police and child welfare that many children report after watching movies. We have also had cases in the judiciary where children have counted after watching movies at school about sexual abuse.

Children react differently about the information they receive. Children may be afraid of learning about fires and traffic accidents, or that some adults will commit sexual abuse. However, this is the knowledge that children need to acquire and need to acquire soon.

We know that one in twenty children has suffered sexual abuse by an adult and one in five has suffered sexual abuse by a partner. Half of them have never told anyone.

To say this, they need to know what the abuse is, that it is not their fault, that they have a right to help, and who they can talk to. This prevents abuse and means vulnerable children get help sooner. Research shows that children who have received education or other information about violence and abuse understand better that what they are exposed to is wrong.

An important prerequisite For “My body to be mine” to break the silence and increase the knowledge of both children and adults, is that schools and parents have a good dialogue about this scheme. We agree with the encouragement of the “anonymous mother” to other parents: Watch “My body, I own it” on NRK TV and talk with the children about the content.