Young People’s Experiences of Attending a Theater-in-Education Program on Child Sexual Exploitation

Abstract

Child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) has grave implications for the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. It has been linked to a wide range of difficulties which may extend into adulthood. School-based prevention programs that aim to raise awareness (and thereby have the potential to prevent CSEA) are popular, however, have historically lacked robust and consistent evaluation. The purpose of the present study was therefore to explore young people’s experiences of attending a school-based theater-in-education program, and the impact this had on their awareness and understanding of CSEA. Four focus groups of between four to six participants each were conducted with young people from two co-educational State schools in the United Kingdom. The approach of Template Analysis was used to analyze the data, and revealed a number of themes related to the superordinate themes of “Information and Detail Delivered” and “Format and Timing.” The results suggest that participants gained new awareness and understanding of aspects related to CSEA, including other forms of (criminal) exploitation, as well as how to avoid harm and what to do “if bad things happen.” Participants further reported that the theater performance/live element of the program was particularly impactful, feeling that this was delivered to them at the right time, but suggesting that younger people would also benefit from the important messages. In addition, areas for improvement were identified in terms of the delivery of the program, and the issue of victim blaming. Findings are discussed with a view to practical implications and directions for future research.

A discursive analysis of compliance, resistance and escalation to threats in sexually exploitative interactions between offenders and male children

“…According to Whittle et al (2014), young people in their study reported engaging in safer online behaviours and Internet use post-abusive experiences, finding safety education helpful and necessary. This was further supported by May, Kloess, Davies, and Hamilton-Giachritsis (2020); however, the authors argue that prevention should not be made the sole responsibility of children and young people. The move to situate preventative measures and strategies within SSAPPs has been criticized by some for the inherent assumption that children and young people have the ability and power to avoid being exploited and abused (Williams, 2019).…”

The Impact of Theatre-Based Interventions for Sexual Health Education to Adolescents: A Systematic Review

“…including STIs [13,25,[28][29][30] mental health [31], increased sexual health self-efficacy [25,32], and behavior change concerning contraception devise [29,32].…”

Adolescent risk-taking and decision making: a qualitative investigation of a virtual reality experience of gangs and violence

“…A body of research including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews indicates effectiveness of TiE interventions on topics including child sexual abuse and mental health, demonstrating increases in risk perception and knowledge gain for adolescents (Fryda and Hulme, 2015;Krahe and Knappert, 2009;Rousseau et al, 2014). Moreover, recent studies reported positive findings following a school-based TiE programme focusing on two similarly complex topics, specifically child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) and child criminal exploitation (CCE; May et al, 2021;Swancott et al, 2023). This prior TiE programme included a live theatre performance by actors followed by an interactive workshop.…”

“…This prior TiE programme included a live theatre performance by actors followed by an interactive workshop. Adolescent participants reported that the performance was impactful for them, and that they felt more aware of exploitation and had an increased understanding of the topic as a result of attending the programme (May et al, 2021). As such, the TiE approach has documented potential for actively engaging young people on potentially difficult, challenging topics.…”