Creating Awareness of Sexual Abuse in Children with Special Education Needs: Depending on the Opinions of Teachers of the Mentally Handicapped

Çağla Girgin Büyükbayraktar,Şahin Kesici,Rukiye Konuk Er

doi:10.11114/jets.v6i1.2841

Çağla Girgin Büyükbayraktar, Şahin Kesici + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v6i1.2841

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Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine what students and families should do in order to prevent sexual abuse in students who need special education, depending on the opinions of teachers of mentally handicapped students. The qualitative research technique was used in this research. The study population of the research consisted of the teachers of mentally handicapped individuals working in Turkey/Konya province. The study population included 35 teachers. Semi-structure interview method was used as data collection method in collecting data in the research. According to the results, it is evident that individuals ought to be taught about their private parts, private parts in their bodies, and they ought to be made conscious about the fact that no one can touch these private parts in order to raise awareness about sexual abuse in individuals with special education needs. In order to stop sexual abuse by raising awareness in families of individuals with special education needs, it is necessary for families to acquire skills in terms of knowing their children, determining their needs and consulting an expert periodically. In order to raise awareness in the community about the sexual abuse in individuals with special education needs, the teachers express that all families should be trained, seminars should be organized on the issue and media ought to do its part to create awareness.

Highlights

Sexual abuse towards a child is an action which is done for sexual satisfaction or for a sexual purpose and in which a child is used or it is attempted to use a child (Fowler, 2008; Walsh, Zwi, Woolfenden & Shlonsky, 2015; WHO, 1999)
There is a need for developing a more successful, integrated approach in order to prevent sexual abuse. Such an approach must consider individual needs of children, a balance between a healthy sexual development and protection from sexual abuse (Krohn, 2014). From this point of view, the purpose of this study is to determine what students and their families must do in order to prevent sexual abuse that students with special education needs are exposed to, depending on the opinions of teachers of the mentally handicapped
Obtaining extensive and detailed information about what sexual problems people with special education needs experience and how sexual education for these students must be provided depending on the opinions of teachers of mentally handicapped individuals is the reason why this sampling method is preferred (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2005)

Summary

Introduction

Sexual abuse towards a child is an action which is done for sexual satisfaction or for a sexual purpose and in which a child is used or it is attempted to use a child (Fowler, 2008; Walsh, Zwi, Woolfenden & Shlonsky, 2015; WHO, 1999). When a child feels that s/he is sexually abused, it is a sexual abuse, even if s/he cannot identify whether the behavior is sexual abuse it because of lack of understanding and his/her age. Misuse might happen once or it might be a continual sexual abuse which extends over a long period (Fowler, 2008:17). Children do not have the maturity to give permission sexual activity. Children might be manipulated or forced into sexual behaviors by stronger, more skillful or more knowledgeable adults (Kinnear, 2007:3). Emerging adulthood’s period is not appear these children (Özteke-Kozan & Hamarta, 2017)

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