At First Step Cambodia (FSC) we work with boys who are survivors of sexual abuse and children who display problematic and harmful sexual behaviour. Our goal is to ensure that every child is supported and able to reach their full potential.
We first started working on the issue of problematic and harmful sexual behaviour when we noticed that around 30 per cent of our cases of sexual abuse involved children who had been abused by other children.
In 2014 we carried out research to improve our understanding of what was driving these children to act in this way. We worked with 20 children and learned that many of them had experienced violence, abuse and neglect, which was impacting their behaviour. Many were also impacted by a lack of sex education and access to pornography.
Our model of supporting these children involves working with the child, their family, school, community, the local authorities and other NGOs.
- Our social workers provide 1:1 therapy with the child, drawing on a range of creative approaches.
- We work with parents to help them understand why their child is displaying this behaviour and how they can better support their child.
- We train staff working with children in residential homes on how to identify and respond to harmful sexual behaviours.
- We raise awareness of the issue with the local authorities and other NGOs and accept referrals from across the country.
There are many challenges in carrying out this work, not least the cutural attitudes and shame that surrounds sex and sexuality in Cambodia. Despite this, at First Step Cambodia we are committed to raising awareness and to improving the support that is provided for these children.
"Trust yourself. If you are inspired to work on this issue, go with it and allow enough time for research and preparation before beginning the work."
On average, 70 per cent of the children we work with change their behaviour and stop displaying harmful sexual practices. Our work has received national recognition and is now included as part of the Cambodia National Institute for Social Affairs' training curriculum.
To learn more about our model and how its implemented, download the Practitioner Guidance Paper below. We also have a range of resources on our website, including a video about our work on problematic and harmful sexual behaviours, which you can find here.
Do you have any comments to share relating to our work, or learnings about how your organisation has approached the issue of problematic and harmful sexual baheviours in children? Please share, or post any follow-up questions for us at First Step Cambodia below - we'd love to hear from you.
The attached resources are part of the How We Care series, an innovative space for those working with children and families to share practice. By practitioners, for practitioners. Learnings from 2 other Family for Every Child members, on this theme, have been shared here.
