A Framework for Child Sexual Health Improvement in England: Changing Community Understanding Of Sexual Violence

Introduction

Sexual violence and abuse as devastating impacts both on the victims, their families and society as a whole. Therefore addressing such crimes is both a public health issue and government obligation as crime rates need to be reduced, offenders brought to justice, gender equality to be upheld and vulnerable groups of children and adults safeguarded. In England, the Cross Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse of April 2007 brings measures that are key to delivering sexual violence prevention objectives. The principal goals of the action plan are to maximise prevention of sexual violence, improve the criminal justice system for sexual abuse cases and increase access to support mechanisms for victims of sexual violence and abuse (HM Government 2007:4). The model reflects different methods on intervention and prevention of sexual violence depending on the risk factors. This essay analyses the policy on utilising the power of delivery agencies and local partners in the prevention of sexual violence and abuse through education work such as raising public awareness.

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This research analyses the local, national and global implications of awareness campaigns. Under the politics and public involvement in awareness campaigns the processes guiding information transition within the society, notions guiding policy-making and advocacy for punitive action in England are analysed. Common sense understanding of the daily experiences of people through implicit theory is also identified to have a considerable impact in helping the society to conceptualise and effectively communicate research-based knowledge on treatment efficacy, offender typologies and community management techniques regarding child sexual abuse. Finally, the impact of awareness campaigns as a treatment and preventive measure of child sexual abuse is analysed. I have an interest in both private and public awareness campaigns as they are crucial to preventing the recurrence of sexual offences in society. If the drives are tailored to address the specific variations regarding education, cultural perspectives, religion and beliefs in the community then the message can be both applicable and effective in preventing child sex offences.

Discussion

Local, National and Global implications of Awareness Campaigns

Child sex abuse is a concept that is built on a multitude of various voices. Victims/survivors, Professionals (policymakers, practitioners, charities/NGOs and media representatives) and the general public partake it its construction. The perspectives of these individuals play a critical role in influencing the attitudes towards sex offenders and offending trends at both local, national and international scales. Awareness campaigns are therefore key to bringing together important groups aimed at protecting children and vulnerable groups against sexual violence. Such groups entails the local community groups, Minister of State for Crime Government departments, experts such as the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Rape Crisis England, and key partners such as the police, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP), National Crime Agency's (NCA), the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.

The Health Belief Model analysed by Model (Glanz, Rimer and Viswanath 2008:30) establishes the modifying factors which may prevent individual perceptions from turning into actions. For example, the role played by the cognitive schema against which the information is received and processed determines whether an individual thinks they are at risk; how their cost-benefit analysis can be altered; and their ability to efficiently take specific actions (Thirlaway and Hegg 2005:112). Public awareness campaigns on child sexual abuse are faced with similar results with potential victims and parents or guardians impacting that they not likely to be targeted thus affecting their reception o key advice during awareness campaigns (Cornelius, Sullivan and Wyngarden 2009:1072-1073). When such perceptions are institutionalised within the criminal justice system less impact by professional and public campaigns arises (Mann and Beech 2003:8). Therefore, the programs that hold a strong cognitive schema and value in local communities are likely to be preferred and supported. Despite the different cognitive schemas in the society, the general belief is that the people subjected to sexual violence require support that is necessary only through awareness. Child victims of sexual violence require support for the various physical, mental and social needs. Awareness programs provide sufficient knowledge at the grassroots (family level) which ensures such needs are met over an extended period. Additionally, the families that do not choose to go to the criminal justice or implement other dominant schemas in their local society are given a viable option that helps them in understanding sex offender characteristics and trends thus preventing possibilities of future occurrences.

Due to the increasing use of technology and the internet, awareness campaigns have a greater possibility of serving more than the selected interest groups. The majority of the global population has limited knowledge regarding the identification and prevention of child sexual abuse. For example, child sexual abuse is more prevalence in Africa (23.9%) and Asia (10.1%) than in Europe (9.2%) (Singh, Parsekar and Nair 2014:432).

Figure 1: Child sexual violence comparison between Europe Africa and Asia from Singh, Parsekar and Nair (2014:432)

Cases, where child abuse rates are rampant, depicts the possibilities of some cases going unnoticed or unreported. Due to the lack of efficiency in expertise regarding child sexual violence awareness campaigns through online platforms that highlight relevant and relatable stories can create a common momentum towards prevention of such offences. Awareness campaigns can also be evaluated using mixed methods of assessment to determine their reach; the impact on knowledge and attitudes regarding child sexual violence, the readiness to make decisions by parents and guardians after determining the potential or after the occurrence of a sexual offence. Such studies can be conducted at local, national and global scales and their impact depends on the goals and objectives of the campaigns.

Politics and Public Involvement in Awareness Campaigns

Politicians and policymakers are poorly informed about sex offenders and offending behaviour, that is why they implement broad and segregating policies such as Part 2 of the 2003 Act which requires the notification to the police by the offender before travelling abroad (Home Office 2018:18). Such policies are also informed by the "stranger danger" notion and myths of extremely high recidivism rates which paints all offenders to be posing similar threats. As much as the restrictive policies are practical, they fail to capture a wide range of sexual offences and the risks of reoffending thus not offering maximum protection to the society. Such strict one-size fits policies limit the effectiveness of public awareness of sexual offenders, public disclosure schemes and the possibility of successful reintegration as the stability of offenders is diminished.

Public awareness campaigns tend to underestimate the impact of intervening factors between the receiver and the message. Social actors actively interpret information and mitigate against simple "hypodermic" approach of receiving and giving information (Hughes, Kitzinger and Murdoch 2006:260). Therefore, the local community forms their opinions and discussions through their social context of interaction. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have created both a local, national and international platforms with which discussions, decision-making and perspectives that mediate and reinforce social constructs regarding child sexual abuse are created (Bennett, Kendall and McDougall 2011). There is also immense public resistance to the message regarding sexual violence due to the consideration of the topic to be "emotionally aversive". The latter results to public awareness events no fully attended such as in the "Educate 2 Protect" public awareness campaigns by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation (Collins 2009:8-11). Kemshall, McKenzie, and Wood evaluation of the "Stop It Now!" campaign resonates with Collins findings (2009:8-11). Kemshall, McKenzie, and Wood established that a targeted approach of contact with the locals is better than public held campaigns (2004, p. 12). The lack of a rational perspective in public awareness campaigns creates room for distortion or messages by outlets such as the media.

The society also portrays sexual offenders as monsters through high profile cases such as the deaths of Holly Wells, Sarah Payne, and Jessica Chapman in the UK. Additionally, the focus on prominent celebrities such as sexually abusive behaviours of Savile brought attention and new advocacy on the issue of sexual abuse in a manner that impacts public attitudes and perceptions. Such high profile cases have resulted in greater social visibility and policy reactions toward child sexual abuse. For example, the focus on high profile cases has resulted in broader accountability beyond the offender. Thus including institutions and individuals in positions of responsibility to inspire and implement more education and training to attain prevention (McAlinden 2012: 43).

Due to the consideration of the child sexual abuse as emotionally aversive and all offenders as monsters, the public in England supports a punitive approach which results in incarceration (McCartan, Hudson and Kemshall 2012:8-9). Such discourse is partially different from that of professionals but in a way in line with the perspective painted by the media. For example, policymakers gather most of the information from the press which depicts sex offenders as monsters who have no room for change nor remorse (Sample & Kadleck 2008:21). Such perceptions nurture the recognition that the return of sex offenders in the society after contact with the criminal justice system is a guarantee for an unsafe environment for children. The public, therefore, ends up questioning the effectiveness of awareness as a preventive method (McCartan, 2013:234).

Understanding Child Sexual Violence and Policy Transition into Practice

Research suggests that although the public perceives child sexual abuse as an issue that requires maximum attention, their actual understanding sexual offender behaviour, aetiology, reintegration and treatment is limited (Kleban and Jeglic 2012:10). In summation, the public believes that child sex offenders are dangerous and evil, and treatment measures should be replaced with punitive action focused on isolation to limit their chances of offending or reoffending (Willis, Yates, Gannon and Ward 2013:77). However, the public needs to realise that sex offenders do not exist in isolation or are "monsters" to ensure implementation of strategies that can help children, families and communities safe.

Sexual Violence based on Social Constructionist

According to Burr, (1995) social constructionist position is formed on four basic principles.

1. Knowledge is developed through experience
2. Everything in the society is historically and culturally specific
3. Social processes sustain current knowledge
4. Reality is constructed through complex processes and interaction

According to Burr, (1995:21) the personality of people is an idea that is built by society. Context, language and communication are critical to social construction, and all social...