CPTCSA's biggest project is the development of age appropriate material for each grade level focusing on Finklehor's fourth preconditions, overcoming the resistance of the child.
These materials, referred to as Personal Safety Lessons (PSL), aim to give information, develop skills, and build self esteem in children to increase their ability to resist sexual offenders.
CPTCSA helps prevent child sexual abuse and provide early intervention by reaching out to children in schools, and their parents. The project has four short and long term goals:
For…
• Low risk children
The project gives children the permission and ability to say NO to unwanted touch, regardless of the intent of the giver.
• High risk children or children who have already received unwanted sexual touch.
The project gives them the permission and access to tell and get help.
• The majority of children who will never tell
The project gives them the information that the touching was not their fault, that the fault always remains only with the giver of the unwanted touch, thus hoping to minimize feelings of guilt and shame that are often the core of long term negative effects of abuse.
To…
… work towards a safe world, we teach our children today what is appropriate touch, teach empathy, and teach what are the boundaries for touch and sex, in order to help our children today better understand their sexuality and respectful relationships so they will not become offenders of tomorrow.
CPTCSA is working with the Department of Education (DepEd) for the mandate to include PSL in all grade levels, all schools around the country.
If your school doesn't implement PSL, talk to your PTA and principal to encourage them to contact CPTCSA. The PSL project includes training teachers (go to training schedule), provision of materials and networking with local Multi-Disciplinary Support Team.
For a sample of personal safety information, go to Children's page
Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs)
In each area where PSL is implemented, a Multi-Disciplinary team (MDT) aims to support the schools in case of abuse. MDTs are composed of representatives from the Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine National Police (PNP) and other related organizations/institutions and are trained by CPTCSA in order to ably handle child sexual abuse disclosures in schools.
The MDT experience gives insight to the challenges that the local institutions (schools, local governments, DSWD, and PNP) face in order for them to work closely to help solve child sexual abuse in their area.
CPTCSA provides technical knowledge and skills but ultimately successful management of each child sexual abuse case lies in the hands of local authority.
PSL accomplishments
CPTCSA's goal is to work with DepEd to mandate PSL for the protection of all Filipino children. Since our inception CPTCSA has implemented PSL in more than 100 schools, has trained more than 800 teachers, 80 school counselors and has reached more than 30.000 students from grade 1 through high school IV.
In the schools where CPTCSA provided direct PSL (rather than conducted by teachers), an average of 12% of the students requested help for some kind of touching problems.
Continuing the challenge
A positive response from students, teachers and parents to the PSL encourages CPTCSA to spread the Lessons to as many schools as possible. Indeed, there is much work to be done that requires partnership with all stakeholders and duty bearers to meet the dream of a safe world for children.
Sample of a PSL teachers' guide
How PSL can help a child
Nene (not her real name) was sexually molested by her biological father when she was 6 years old; luckily her mother supported her plight and put the perpetrator in prison. Nene is eight years old now, a grade 2 student and receiving personal safety lessons, which aids Nene to help her friend/ playmate Rina (also not her real name) from physical abuse.
Rina is about Nene's age and lives close to Nene's house, thus Nene witnessed how Rina's parents maltreated her verbally and physically. One day while the parents of Rina were out of the house Nene invited Rina to their house and shared to Rina her notes on personal safety lessons. Nene read with Rina all her notes from unit one to unit three. Nene even encouraged Rina to say "NO" whenever her parents harm her. Afterwards, Rina ran back home for fear that her parents might come home before her, which is actually what happened. As expected, poor Rina was beaten by her mother. Nene could not stand what she saw so she went to Rina's house and pleaded to Rina's mother to stop, and told Rina to run to their house. Nene kept Rina for safety inside their house until Nene's mother came. Nene's mother then talked to Rina's mother and explained the possible consequence of their action, which is imprisonment.
The beatings have now lessened and the two girls can play more freely at Nene's house.
So never underestimate the capacity of children. The next time you want to harm a child, think about it ten times. Think about what is right and wrong and the power of the child to hold you accountable for your actions.
Finkelhor's third precondition focuses on those who are supposed to protect children, such as parents, teachers, police and neighbors. CPTCSA has developed PSL because the third precondition has failed to protect children.
Family Advocacy Sessions is an attempt to strengthen the capability of family and community to fulfill their role as child protectors. The sessions inform parents and other members of the family about child sexual abuse and give skills to protect their child and how to handle if the child tells s/he has been abused. These are 3 hour sessions.
CPTCSA can conduct these sessions for you (contact us), or our “Family Advocacy Manual” can guide you as you conduct your own session in your community (Go to materials).
Some sessions result to disclosures by parents of the abuse of their children. The parents who have such incidents in the family are encouraged to join the parents support group being supplied by CPTCSA in order to provide mutual support and psycho-education awareness.
(Refer to Treatment)