What we have included
Offender recordings - Here you can access recordings of offenders talking about their grooming behaviours. They have been voiced by actors and although they do not contain any descriptions of child sexual abuse, some listeners may find them disturbing.
Survivor clips - We have also included short clips from Safe To Say from survivors talking about the impact that the abuse had and still has on them.
Scenarios - We have also included a variety of written scenarios that describe some situations which led to the sexual abuse of children. These can be also be used to generate discussion about the warning signs and actions that could have been taken to prevent the sexual abuse of children.
Impact on Survivors
We have included three small clips from survivors of sexual abuse, discussing how it had and still is impacting their lives.
We would like to thank Safe To Say and all involved for their inclusion on Upstream
Alec - How I was groomed.
Liz - On becoming a bully
Ross - Nobody Noticed
The above videos can be used to generate discussion with a group in relation to child sexual abuse prevention.
Useful questions might include:
· What are some of the signs and indicators of sexual abuse that protective adults might have picked up at the time? What other kinds of signs of indicators might there be that are not referenced in these videos?
· What are some of the kinds of impact described by survivors in these videos? What other kinds of impact can children experience at the time of their abuse or later in life?
· The abusers described by these survivors have different roles in the respective children’s lives. What are those roles? What other kinds of roles do abusers have in relation to the children they abuse? What does this mean for the prevention of child sexual abuse?
· What would trauma informed responses to these three survivors have looked like at the time of their abuse?
Offender audio clips
The recordings of offenders talking about their grooming behaviours (voiced by actors) do not include descriptions of child sexual abuse.
You should be aware that although the recordings are voiced by actors, some listeners may find them to be disturbing.
The trainer can ask the group to listen to the audio clip and identify opportunities for prevention.
The first clip is an offender talking about how he groomed young boys in a community sporting setting.
The second clip is an offender talking about how he groomed a young girl within his own family.
The third clip is an offender talking about how he offended online
It is a good idea to embed the audio clips on the appropriate PowerPoint slides which saves the presenter from coming out of the presentation to play the clip.
Scenarios for discussion
The following scenarios can be used to generate discussion about the actions that could have been taken to prevent the sexual abuse of children taking place.
It is hoped that these can lead to discussion between people so that they can identify practical and achievable things that could be used in these circumstances that would have helped to prevent abuse from taking place.
Some or all of the scenarios can be used depending on the number of participants and time available.
Suggested issues or actions for consideration are given below each scenario for you to use in helping to guide the discussion.
There is a downloadable version of the scenarios.
Scenario 1 - Richard
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Richard was sexually abused by a worker in the nursery he attended at age 3 years. The worker left her previous nursery job after concerns about her inappropriate boundaries with children. |
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Discussion Topics :- - Reference checks by employing nursery - PVG Scheme - What checks should have been made by the nursery before employing the worker. |
Scenario 2 - Stella
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14 year old Stella’s parents were contacted by the school when it was noticed that a topless image of her was circulating around her year group. Six months later she was sexually abused online by a man she met on a social networking site, who asked her to perform sexual acts via webcam from her bedroom |
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Discussion topics :- - Internet Safety Programme within the school - Did the school take appropriate action at the time? What else might they have done as well as contacting Stella’s parents? - Were child protection procedures used effectively in the first instance? - Unsupervised bedroom access to computer – particularly when original problem had been identified. - Stella’s access to and use of other devices such as mobile phones etc. - Are there programmes or information sources for parents in respect of online safety for young people? - Was action taken with the social networking site? - Was the matter reported and investigated and the perpetrator identified? |
Scenario 3 - Alex
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Alex, aged 10, is being sexually abused on a weekly basis by the 21 year old neighbour who babysits every Friday |
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Discussion Topics :- - What action could the parents have taken to discern if the babysitter was safe before allowing him - to look after Alex? - Were there any behaviours or factors in relation to either the child or the abuser that could have alerted the parents? - Communication between Alex and his parents – have the parents helped Alex to understand risk and what to do if he feels at risk? What can parents use to help with this? |
Scenario 4 - Rachel
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Rachel aged 12, was sexually abused (penetrative sexual acts) by her stepfather who was in the habit of regularly walking in on her in her bedroom or even the bathroom. Her mother is not aware of the abuse but thinks that Rachel is making a fuss about nothing – we shouldn’t be ashamed of our bodies. |
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Discussion topics :- - What action could the mother have taken to prevent the abuse taking place? - Privacy issues and boundaries within the home. - Practical management – locks on bathroom doors - Are there any behaviours in either the child or the abuser that could have alerted the mother? - Possible grooming of the mother by the perpetrator. |
Scenario 5 - Marina
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Marina, age 14, was sexually abused in a hotel by a middle aged man she met on the internet and who she became very attached to as he seemed to understand her when her parents didn’t. She used to talk to her school friends about him and they knew of the meeting in the hotel. |
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Discussion topics :-
- What action could the parents have taken to prevent the abuse taking place? - Could Marina’s behaviour have alerted the parents? - What could Marina’s friends have done to prevent the situation developing? - If the friends told their parents, what could they have done about this? - What difference would it make if the man who abused Marina was a registered sex offender with previous convictions for possessing indecent images of children and online grooming? (Management of |
Scenario 6 - David
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David, aged 14, is routinely sexually abused on his fortnightly Visits to his aunt’s house. He shares a bedroom with his 18 year old cousin, who shows him pornography on his laptop and asks to perform the acts that they’ve watched, including oral sex and anal penetration. His cousin has told him that others will think that he is gay if he says anything. |
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Discussion topics :- - What action could the parents or his aunt have taken to prevent the - Would it be automatically undesirable for a 14 year old boy to share a room with/spend time with his 18 year old male cousin? - Are there any behaviours in either David or the abuser that could have alerted the parents? - Possible developmental issues for David and his understanding of sex and sexuality. - Are there possible sexual orientation issues here for either David or his cousin? If so, how should these be dealt with? |
Scenario 7 - Alison
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After a couple of violent relationships, Alison met Zac. “the best thing since sliced bread” through a dating agency. Following a whirlwind romance, where he helped her cope with the demands of her two young children and financial troubles. Zac moved in to save money on rent. He started sexually abusing the children soon after, and although Alison is concerned about his boundaries, she can’t believe anything serious is going on. |
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Discussion topics :- - What action could Alison have taken to prevent the abuse taking place? - Could she have used the Keeping Children Safe scheme? - Are there any behaviours in the abuser that could have alerted Alison? - Social issues for Alison - Alison’s own history growing up (previous experience of abuse might have made her more vulnerable or susceptible to grooming etc.)
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Scenario 8 - Robert
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Robert is in his mid twenties and lives with his parents. He has never had a serious sexual relationship but was aware of his attraction to girls on the cusp of puberty since his teenage years. He has avoided illegal online material, but does masturbate to thoughts of girls he sees in his neighbourhood. He feels guilty afterwards and wishes that he wasn’t like this. Friends of his parents visit one Sunday with their nine year old granddaughter. Robert is asked to occupy her while the adults talk, so whilst playing computer games in his bedroom he sexually abuses the child. |
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Discussion topics :- - What could Robert have done to address his attraction to young girls? - Stop it Now! Scotland help - What action could the parents or his parents friends have taken to prevent the abuse taking place? - Are there any behaviours in either the child or Robert that could have alerted the parents?
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Did you know?
Stop it Now! Scotland can assist you with advice if you are planning a presentation or event in relation to the prevention of child sexual abuse.
Source - Stop it Now! Scotland
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