Time to Address Child Sexual Abuse a
by Rep. Jay Reedy
Child Sexual Abuse is a difficult subject to discuss, however, it is time. One teacher
organization, Professional Educators of Tennessee, spoke out on child sexual abuse
after the disappearance of a 15-year-old student and her 50-year-old teacher. This
issue is something that should concern all of us in the Tennessee General Assembly,
in our communities and in our schools. The Comptroller’s Office of Research and
Education Accountability has recently completed a review and analysis on this
important topic with recommendations for the Tennessee State Board of Education
and the Department of Education.
Most research indicates that child sexual abuse is almost always a continuing
process, and not limited to a single event. Child abuse is best described
when someone deliberately harms a minor physically, psychologically,
sexually, or by acts of neglect. Child sexual abuse is a type of child abuse
that involves sexual activity with a minor. It is important to note that a child
cannot consent to any manner of sexual activity at all. The frequency of
child sexual abuse is problematic to determine because it is often not
reported. It is understood by most experts who agree that the prevalence
is far greater than what is reported to our authorities. In early 2016, USA
Today published the results of a national investigation. Only seven states
received an A; Tennessee received an F. We must do better in our
state.
The National Center for Victims of Crime released a few statistics
on the Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse:
• Of the children victimized in 2011,
thirteen percent had at least one
victimization known to police while
46% had one known to school, police,
or medical authorities.
• 42% of school officials knew about
victimization episodes compared to the
13% known to police and 2% known to
medical professionals.
• Most commonly, authorities knew
about more serious victimizations such
as sexual assault by a known adult
(69%) or unspecified adult (76%).
• The Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Programs found that
authorities were least likely to know
about victimizations that peers were
most likely to commit such as being