KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE OF STUDENTS AT TAM THANH SECONDARY SCHOOL, VU BAN, NINH BÌNH PROVINCE

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the knowledge of child sexual abuse among students aged 12–15 at Tam Thanh Secondary School, Vu Ban commune, Ninh Binh province. A cross-sectional descriptive method was applied to a sample of 326students, conducted from March 2022 to June 2022.The results showed that knowledge of child sexual abuse behaviors ranged from 39.3% to 96.7%, with the behavior “inserting a penis, finger, or object into a child’s vagina, anus, or mouth for sexual purposes” being the most recognized by students (96.7%). Approximately 83.4% of students believed that perpetrators of child sexual abuse were mostly strangers or newly acquainted individuals. A majority (91.7%) agreed that the primary victims of sexual abuse were girls. Students’ knowledge of how to respond to sexual abuse was relatively high, with at least 52% answering correctly.Research indicates the need to strengthen comprehensive sex education for children, as only 54.2% of the study participants were aware of indirect sexual abuse behaviors, and just 31.3% recognized that all children are at risk of being abused. These findings serve as a basis for schools to develop content addressing the risks and preventive measures against child sexual abuse.