ERIC Number: EJ1256568
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2535-5406
EISSN: N/A
Children's Rights and Teachers' Responsibilities: Reproducing or Transforming the Cultural Taboo on Child Sexual Abuse?
Goldschmidt-Gjerløw, Beate
Human Rights Education Review, v2 n1 p25-46 2019
Enhancing young learners' knowledge about appropriate and inappropriate sexual behaviour is crucial for the protection of children's rights. This article discusses teachers' understandings of their practices and approaches to the topic of child sexual abuse in Norwegian upper secondary schools, based on phone interviews with 64 social science teachers. Countering child sexual abuse is a political priority for the Norwegian government, and the Committee on the Rights of the Child acknowledges several state initiatives to counter child sexual abuse through education. Nevertheless, this study finds that teachers do not address this topic adequately, indicating that cultural taboos regarding talking about and thus preventing such abuse, including rape among young peers, still prevail in Norwegian classrooms. Furthermore, emotional obstacles, including concerns about re-traumatising and stigmatising learners, hinder some teachers from addressing this topic thoroughly. Additional explanatory factors include heavy teacher workloads, little preparation in teacher education programmes, insufficient information in textbooks, and an ambiguous national curriculum.
Descriptors: Childrens Rights, Cultural Influences, Sexual Abuse, Child Abuse, Teaching Methods, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Secondary School Teachers, Social Studies, Foreign Countries, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Child Safety, Educational Policy, Prevention, Teacher Attitudes, National Curriculum, Textbook Content, Social Influences, Rape, Sexual Harassment, Violence
University of South-Eastern Norway. Postboks 235, 3603 Kongsberg, Norway. Tel: +47-310-08000; e-mail: postmottak@usn.no; Web site: http://www.usn.no
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Norway
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A