Safeguarding Children and Youth from Sexual Abuse: The Role of Organizations

This review focuses on organizational roles in the prevention of sexual abuse in young people ages 6 to 17 due to the increased interaction of this age group with adults and others in relative positions of power. The brief begins with definitions of sexual abuse before discussing risk and protective factors, common targets for its primary prevention, implementation of prevention programs, and existing research that tests the success of existing programs. This review focuses exclusively on primary prevention (i.e. preventing the act of sexual abuse, rather than preventing the development of problems after victimization has occurred). Primary prevention is vital because it requires shifting societal norms, beliefs, and structures to stop allowing such abuse to occur.