Boys and CSA Prevention: Issues Surrounding Gender and Approaches for Prevention

Abstract

Abstract: Freda Briggs (2007) a leader in the field of child protection in Australia continues to raise concerns about the vulnerability and victimisation of boys, which she believes is substantially under-recognised. She argues that boys have not been well supported by child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programs with child protection curriculum not yet having been developed to meet the special needs of boys. She advocates for school-based child protection programs that address issues relevant to boys (Briggs, 2007). This paper responds to these concerns and explores some of the complexities inherent in issues associated with boys and CSA, including boys’ perceptions of abuse, their tendency to under-report the incidence of CSA and their perception that prevention programs are not relevant. The paper also considers some of the barriers to engaging boys in prevention programs effectively and proposes games-based CSA prevention as a contemporary means of delivering key messages that address the needs of both boys and girls.; ;