Publisher
Child Abuse & Neglect
Abstract

This systematic review identifies types of child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention initiatives being implemented in developing countries and their effectiveness. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, the authors searched six databases and identified eight peer-reviewed published studies to analyse; all the studies reviewed used quasi-experimental or experimental designs. Most empirically evaluated interventions in developing countries have focused on preschool and primary school-aged children, and the Body Safety Training programme was the most used intervention in the review. Most have focused on interventions delivered in educational settings, with a lack of focus on large-scale government-led interventions. Those who are out of school, which disproportionately are girls from low socio-economic backgrounds, are often unable to access current interventions. Furthermore, there is a lack of comparative analysis of two or more programmes. Researchers have used outcomes measuring knowledge or skills for young people in self-protection and help-seeking, noting statistically significant increases in abuse prevention knowledge. However, deployment of those skills was not measured, and there is a lack of evidence that awareness leads to an actual reduction in prevalence of CSA and/or improvements in conditions of safety in organisational contexts. 

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