why we need to include a recommended sexual assault course at school

by Jaycee McLaughlin 5 min read

While that's valuable knowledge, comprehensive and LGBTQ-inclusive sex ed actually has the power to positively influence the way young people see themselves and their sexuality. It may also help prevent sexual violence when it teaches students how to value their own bodily autonomy, ask for consent, and identify unhealthy relationship behavior.

Full Answer

What do Professions need to know about sexual assault?

This course includes an explanation for when and why informed supervision is required, the school’s responsibility, the qualifications of informed supervisors, and how to create a safety plan. After completing this course, you will be able to: The responsibilities of schools when a student has sexually offended.

How can we prevent sexual violence in schools?

Mar 03, 2015 · If we can manage to have nearly every state pass an anti-bullying law and mandate education on the topic, we surely can gather up the same kind of support to end sexual assault and raise awareness ...

How do we respond to sexual assault?

Jul 10, 2018 · To provide an adequate, timely and holistic response to sexual assault, it is essential that we learn about victim advocacy and incorporate some critical elements of this training into our counseling work when appropriate.

What are the benefits of sex ed in high school?

experience sexual assault. In a 2007 study, it was noted that more than 6% of men experienced attempted or completed sexual assault in college (Krebs, et al., 2007). In a more recent study of 9 colleges, Krebs et al. found the prevalence rate for completed sexual assault (as defined above) experienced by undergraduate women was 10.3%, and the ...

Why sexual assault should be taught in schools?

Sex education teaches students to build healthy self-esteem and body confidence, normalizes the full spectrum of gender identity and sexual orientation, encourages mutually respectful and equitable relationships based on empathy and open communication, teaches personal safety, including how to respond to bullying and ...May 29, 2020

How can we stop sexual assault on campuses?

If you have experienced sexual assault, there are steps you can take to feel safer.Make use of on-campus resources. ... Request a schedule or housing change. ... Access off-campus support services. ... Seek a civil protection order (CPO). ... Create a safety plan.

How do you improve sexual assault training?

5 Tips to Improve Sexual Harassment TrainingInvolve Every Employee. Sexual harassment training should be a mandatory course for everyone in the company. ... Create Harassment Policies. ... Build a No Tolerance Environment. ... Offer Ongoing Training. ... Tailor Training Courses to the Company's Unique Situation.Apr 11, 2019

What defines sexual assault?

The term “sexual assault” means any nonconsensual sexual act proscribed by Federal, tribal, or State law, including when the victim lacks capacity to consent.

What is the most common method of sexual assault on college campuses?

We found that estimates of completed forcible rape, incapacitated rape, unwanted sexual contact and sexual coercion on college campuses in the U.S. vary widely. Unwanted sexual contact and sexual coercion appear to be most prevalent, followed by incapacitated rape and attempted or completed forcible rape.

When disclosure of a sexual assault is made by a student or supervisee, it is crucial to be trained in

When disclosure of a sexual assault is made by a student or supervisee, it is crucial to be trained in your institution’s Title IX regulations and requirements to respond adequately . The response will also depend on whether the individual is considered under the age of consent in your state.

What is forensic exam?

Forensic exams. It is important to clarify the role of the forensic examiner (or the sexual assault nurse examiner) to sexual assault survivors. These medical professionals are very different from the nurses one might associate with a hospital emergency room.

Why is independent advocacy important?

For all these reasons and more, independent advocacy is crucial for sexual assault survivors during the exam and throughout the entire process.

What is the MeToo movement?

The overwhelming number of women who have participated in the #MeToo movement has drawn renewed attention to issues of sexual violence, which remains pervasive in our culture. This newly risen wave has created a refreshed platform for addressing gaps in counselor training for sexual assault response.

Do you report sexual assault to law enforcement?

No report to law enforcement. Counselors working with sexual assault survivors may assume that the best direction for survivors to take is to immediately report the crime. There are many reasons why survivors may not want to report to law enforcement, however.

Who is Hasmik Chakaryan?

Hasmik Chakaryan is an assistant professor and director of clinical programs in the Department of Professional Counseling at Webster University . In addition, she is a licensed professional counselor, a clinical supervisor, a victim advocate and a trauma specialist. Her research also focuses on internationalizing the profession of counseling. Contact her at [email protected].

What is sexual violence?

Sexual violence includes a continuum of behaviors such as attempted or completed rape, sexual coercion, unwanted contact, and non-contact unwanted experiences like harassment. Preventing sexual violence of all types requires a shift in culture and climate.

How does the CDC address sexual violence?

CDC addresses sexual violence by focusing on primary prevention, or preventing violence before it occurs, with emphasis on reducing rates of sexual violence at the population level rather than solely focusing on the health or safety of the individual (CDC, 2014).

Does culture change happen overnight?

Primary prevention, preventing violence before it occurs, is difficult work and change takes time. Culture change doesn’t happen overnight, but culture change does happen. Studies show that one in five women experience attempted or completed sexual assault during her . college years.

What is sexual assault?

In recent college studies by Krebs and colleagues, sexual assault is defined to include “unwanted sexual contact that could include touching of a sexual nature, oral sex, sexual intercourse, anal sex, or sexual penetration with a finger or object” (Krebs, et al., 2009, p. 641).

How does data help in public health?

Use data to make decisions: Public health uses data-informed decision making to plan,implement, and evaluate prevention strategies. Data also help make the case for the needfor staff positions and policies. Using data and research findings about sexual violenceon campus, such as demographics, needs assessments, prevalence, reporting data, orclimate surveys, can be used to tailor activities to specific communities on campus to bemore impactful. Climate surveys, for example, can tell campuses about their students’ perceptions of safety, knowledge of services and resources, and attitudes about prevention.Understanding the climate can help prevention staff tailor prevention efforts to specificcommunities on campus.

What are the components of CDC Think Tank?

These components represent a framework (Figure 1) for CDC’s approach to campus sexual violence prevention efforts. The integration of all five components offers an opportunity to implement prevention efforts to have greater impact on the reduction and prevention of sexual violence on campus.

What is infrastructure in college?

Infrastructure refers to the basic organizational systems and structures needed to effectively . implement sexual violence prevention strategies on a college or university campus. This includes staffing, office space, and the existence of policies on a college campus that enable and enhance prevention work.

Why is sex education important?

Giving students a foundation in relationship-building and centering the notion of care for others can enhance wellbeing and pave the way for healthy intimacy in the future , experts say. It can prevent or counter gender stereotyping and bias. And it could minimize instances of sexual ...

Who is Nicole Daley?

Nicole Daley works with OneLove, a nonprofit focused on teen violence prevention. She previously worked extensively with Boston Public Schools on violence prevention. She echoes Lamb and Weissbourd: A focus on relationships is key to keeping students safe.

What is a parent's guide for teen pregnancy?

RELATED: Teenage Pregnancy: A Parent's Guide. "Young people are going to learn about sex somehow. It's unavoidable. Rather than have them learn from the media or their uninformed peers, a quality sexuality education curriculum can prepare them for real life," says Smith.

How many hours of health and family life education are required in Delaware?

In the state of Delaware, schools must teach 30 hours of health and family life education in every grade from Kindergarten to fourth grade. This increases to 35 hours in 5th and 6th grade. In Kindergarten programs this includes self-esteem lessons progressing towards instruction in healthy relationship dynamics by 6th grade.

Does New Jersey have stress abstinence?

Although New Jersey requires all students to learn about same-sex relationships including units on tolerance and acceptance by the end of the 8th grade, they also have a "stress abstinence" law where schools are required to present abstinence as the only completely reliable method of birth control.

How many credits do you need to get into high school in Delaware?

In Delaware, High school students must receive a 1/2 credit in health education and each grade also has minimum hour requirements for drug and alcohol education.

What do you learn in Montana in 8th grade?

In Montana by the end of 8th-grade students are expected to have learned about the reproductive system but there are no specific teaching guidelines. By 4th Grade, they are expected to have learned about HIV/AIDS which is a difficult concept to grasp without proper anatomy and sexual health classes beforehand.

Who is Jill Whitney?

Because standards differ so much across the country, Jill Whitney, a licensed marriage and family therapist from Old Lyme, Connecticut believes it's important for parents to do their due diligence. "Few schools offer comprehensive, fact-based programs, which is the gold standard.

Does abstinence only work?

Research also shows that abstinence-only programs do not work at preventing young people from experimenting sexually and can lead to unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections and diseases. A 2006 report by the Guttmacher Institute found that the states with the highest rates of teen moms aged 15-19 were also those states ...

Example Programs

Below are some examples of programs described in the STOP SV technical package.

Applying the Principles of Effective Prevention to Sexual Violence

Program planners can use evidenced-based strategies and existing prevention principles to strengthen their approaches and evaluate the effectiveness of new or existing programs.

Why are trigger warnings important?

Considered from this perspective, trigger warnings give students increased autonomy over their learning, and are an affirmation that the instructor cares about their wellbeing. However, not everyone agrees that trigger warnings are necessary or helpful. For example, some fear that trigger warnings unnecessarily insulate students from ...

What is trigger warning?

A trigger warning is a statement made prior to sharing potentially disturbing content. That content might include graphic references to topics such as sexual abuse, self-harm, violence, eating disorders, and so on, and can take the form of an image, video clip, audio clip, or piece of text. In an academic context, the instructor delivers these ...

Do trigger warnings mean students can't complete coursework?

Trigger warnings do not mean that students can exempt themselves from completing parts of the coursework. Ideally, a student who is genuinely concerned about being re-traumatized by forthcoming course content would privately inform the instructor of this concern.

How to start a history unit on the Holocaust?

Instead, begin by explaining the historical context, then verbally describe the conditions within the concentration camps, and then introduce the photographic record as needed.

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