Use THRIVE to reduce sexual violence against children

A recent report released June 5 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that sexual violence against children is on the rise – particularly in seven countries. The United States was not among that list, but that does not mean our children are free from that type of violence.

In the report, the CDC found that in most countries more than 25% of females and more than 10% of males reported experiencing childhood sexual violence. In about half of the countries, more than 10% of women reported unwanted penetrative sexual encounters. Interestingly, many of those children who sought services (which were very few) did not receive them. What’s wrong with this picture?

The countries in the report were Cambodia, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. All of the abuse cases were reported between 2007 and 2013, thus, the data is very new. The biggest concern here is not only that the children were sexually abused, but that services were not provided to assist them at the time of the incident  – even when they were sought out.

In the United States, the statistics are very similar. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reported that more than 20% of all children are sexually abused before the age of 8 while 24.7% of girls and 16% of boys are sexually abused before age 18. In addition, 14% of those children were under age 6 at the time of the encounter; and about 40% of the time, the abuser was a family member.

While the CDC’s recent report doesn’t include the US statistics, the agency does recognize that children is just about every country are sexually abused.

As a result of the recent CDC report, a new strategy was developed to help countries such as those researched by the CDC reduce violence against children. The THRIVES strategy is a group of actions that reflects  evidence-based practices to help reduce and potentially eliminate violence against children. This strategy includes:

T = Training in parenting. This will assist parents in how to reduce violence in the home and to also recognize potential abuse in your child.

H = Household economic strengthening. This area provides economic security that will reduce various acts of violence prompted by economic pressures that may occur in the home.

R = Reduced violence through protective policies. Creating laws and regulations with accompanying strict punishments can assist with violence reduction.

I = Improved services. Offer services to all who need them, no one should be turned away.

V = Values and norms that protect children. The idea here is to change attitudes that promote violence against children. This includes a paradigm shift in attitudes, values and beliefs in particular as they relate to children.

E = Education and life skills. This includes family education as well as in-school academic knowledge that builds life skills and empowers children to prevent date violence and rape, particular against girls.

S = Surveillance and evaluation. To ensure other policies and procedures are in place and working effectively, it is important to monitor and evaluate them on a regular basis.

 

While the strategies were specifically developed for those aforementioned countries, they are certainly applicable for families in the United States. If you suspect abuse of a family member or neighbor, you should report it to the police.

 

Works used for this article:

National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2015). Sexual violence against children. Retrieved from http://www.nsvrc.org/projects/lifespan/sexual-violence-against-children

Prevalence of sexual violence against children and use of social services in seven countries – 2007-2013. (June 5, 2015). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, 64(21), 565-569. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6421a1.htm?s_cid=mm6421a1_w