handling disclosures

Nancyline Pinalba Agaid

Senior Trainer
Stairway Foundation Inc.


objectives
Gain awareness of personal readiness
to deal with the issue of child sexual
abuse (CSA)
Review Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, and
Ethics with regards to working with
victims of child sexual abuse
Learn basic communication skills and
strategies in dealing with CSA
survivors

Agree vs. Disagree


Children are most often abused by strangers

It is only considered abuse if it is violent

Children who are sexually abused enjoy it, otherwise they
would tell or find ways to stop the abuse

If a boy has erection or a girl did not complain during the
sexual act, then it is not considered to be sexual abuse

Children ask for these actions by being seductive or by
consenting to the sexual acts

Effects of Sexual Abuse

1 They are afraid others wont believe them.

2 . They are afraid of getting into trouble
themselves. They feel it is their fault and/or
they caused the abuse to occur.

3 . They might fear threats made by the offender
(e.g. break-up of the family, Dad might have to go to
jail, fear of rejection by offender and/or
family, fear of retaliation).


4. Children may not know how to tell.
4. They may not know that sexual activity is
wrong or even that it is something anyone
would want to know about.

5. It was sexual abuse involving an adult and
child of the same sex, they might fear being
labeled as homosexual.

6. Some older children dont know whom to
tell.


7. Children may not feel there was an appropriate time
or opportunity to tell.

8.They have been told that nice girls/boys dont use
those words that refer to body parts or sexual
behavior.






1.The molestation escalates in frequency or type
of behavior and alarms the child.

2. The child receives some sexual abuse
prevention information and realizes that what
happened o him/her is wrong and should be
reported.




4. The victims younger brother or sister is now at the age
when the victim was first sexually abused, and the victim
does not want him or her to be abused as well.

5. The child reaches adolescence and fears pregnancy;
resents the offenders efforts to control his or her dating
life, etc.

6. The child encounters a caring adult he or she can trust,
with whom she feels confident in disclosing to.

7. The child has a urinary infection or any other physical
problem that causes him or her to seek medical care.


disclosure
a child tells about being sexually
abused
daughter
a story of incest
kinds of disclosures
intentional
discovery
accidental
intentional
child purposefully discloses about
the abuse
discovery
childs disclosure about physical
or behavioral symptoms that lead
to suspicion of abuse
accidental
child tells someone (not an adult)
about the abuse, and the secret
spills out to others















While fellow nine-year-olds were learning the
Three Rs in school, Krista (not her real name)
was conceiving a child somewhere in
Mindanao. According to social workers, the baby
of Krista, the youngest mother in Philippine
history, is the product of one or two years of
sexual abuse from the girls own father.

(Yahoo News July 24, 2013)
















The community at 'yung father (and even
'yung mother at one point) naniniwala na
supernatural ang pregnancy, hindi sa
father. Kasi may nuno sa punso na
tumutubo nang tumutubo sa bahay nila,
the director explained. So ang paniniwala
ng nanay, nanuno at hindi pregnancy.
( Cenimalaya NuwebeYahoo News July 24, 2013)


goals of intervention
healing (community workers,
professional helpers)

child protection (social workers,
family services)

legal response (police, court)
knowledge / skills needed
during disclosure
win childs trust
encourage the child to talk
avoid leading questions

guidelines for dealing with
disclosure
listen
believe the child
stay calm
provide a safe, private place to talk
let the child know she is not alone



dont make promises
dont judge the offender
let the child know whats going to
happen
dont investigate the childs story
report immediately
Judge
You are a very bad
child for having sex
with your father!
Blame the victim
You were raped
because you wore
mini-skirts. Its your
fault!
Warn
You will regret it if
you do it.
What do you think?
Deny feelings
Dont feel that
way. Hes your
father.
or change
the subject.
Forget what happened
to you, its in the past.
Would you like to play
with me?
Art activities
The use of painting, drawing,
sculpture and other forms of
art as therapy
non-threatening
expresses feelings difficult to
put into words
issues at the time of disclosure
childs fears, shame, guilt,
damaged goods, etc.
childs family
abuser
abusers family
community
the worker



DepEd Child Protection Policy
Referral and Monitoring System
DepEd Order no. 40 Series of 2012
annex D
Complaint
School
head/Principal
Child Protection
Committee
Intake
Sheet
Referral System
(coordination of
immediate response)
Monitoring System
For possible
filing of
criminal action
PNP
(women and
childrens
protection
desk)
LSWDO
DSWD Regional
Office
(Crisis Intervention Unit)
*Assessment
*Pyscho-social intervention
*protective measures
*Other assistance
NGO and other
govt. agencies
Division Office
Regional Office
Central Office
Consolidate reports on
incidents and cases of
all schools and submit
a Division Report
(Annex A) to the
Regional Office
Consolidate reports on incidents
and cases of the Division offices
within the region and submit a
Regional Report (Annex A) to the
Undersecretary for Legal Affairs
Central Repository of
Regional Reports
*This system does not apply to administrative cases