We can ensure safety: Pilot project for child abuse prevention program launched in Tauranga

The children, some as young as three years old, sitting together on the mat at Elm Tree were unaware that they were taking part in a sexual violence prevention programme because of the professionalism behind it, says Helen Nijssen, a senior child protection specialist at Tautoko Mai.

The children participated eagerly and without shame with trained Tautoko Mai contractor and teacher Tiffany Matthews.

For the first module, she dressed up as a farmer and asked the children what they do when they are outside and get dirty. To do this, she carried out a bathing scenario.

She kept the children busy by asking them to name their male and female cardboard dolls as part of the exercise.

The group called the girl “Donna” and the boy “Son.”

“My mommy has a vagina!” some children shouted when it was time to list their private body parts.

“My father has a penis!” they said when it came to their son’s private parts.

“And are we allowed to touch other people’s private parts?”

“No!” they all shouted.

As the main initiator of the launch of the pilot program in Tauranga, Nijssen praised the knowledge behind the presentation. She acknowledged the 30 years of experience of the program in Auckland and the improvements it has undergone with demonstrable results for the children.

“There is a wealth of research behind this program that shows that when children use anatomically correct names, they develop greater body awareness and autonomy and can recognize 'yes feelings' and 'no feelings.'

“We know that when children use the anatomically correct names, such as penis and testicles and vulva and vagina, they are better able to tell us when they feel uncomfortable or sick or sore, or when they may have been touched inappropriately.

“Children who use this language are less likely to be targeted by attacks – this is scientifically proven,” said Nijssen.

Nicola Brown, an early childhood education specialist and facility manager at Elm Tree in Tauranga's CBD, said this was the first time in her 19 years as an early childhood education teacher she had seen such a prevention program in the Bay of Plenty.

Brown, who specialises in child protection, said she had worked with children displaying worrying behaviour in early childhood education settings in the past and had referred the cases to Oranga Tamariki.

In her experience, children need to feel safe before telling others that they have been touched inappropriately.

“It's about doing what's right for the child. They don't usually tell you directly, so it may come out in other ways, like role play and art, or their behavior may change.”

In 2019, Tautoko Mai undertook an internal strategy change under the leadership of staff who regularly work with victims of sexual assault.

Sach said staff have held numerous meetings to implement this approach, explaining they no longer want to “serve as an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.”

According to Nijssen, the programme is an ideal way to address this difficult topic and to move beyond old ideas of modesty, which she believes are one reason why children are ignored when looking for someone they can trust.

“In the past, we sometimes used pet names or cute names for our genitals. And when children told them, they weren't heard or the adults around them couldn't understand what they were saying – so these children didn't get an answer.

“They lack the knowledge that children gain – there are many reasons why we want children to have really good knowledge of their body parts and their body awareness,” Nijssen said.

She said once children have been harmed, they are vulnerable to further sexual assault.

“Unfortunately, we see that children may be harmed, sexually assaulted and abused up to three times by the time they turn 16, by three different people in their lives. They become vulnerable in this environment,” said Nijssen.

She was proud that Tautoko Mai was the first service to bring the program to the Bay of Plenty.

So far, most parents have welcomed the program, with only a few expressing concerns that it might introduce new ideas they didn't have before. Nijssen wanted to gain more local support for the We Can Keep Safe program and said funding was a barrier.

Last year, the ACC cut funding for the program, which was “regrettable,” Nijssen said.

She believed that government agencies should support We Can Keep Safe and that Tautoko Mai would continue to seek support from the Bay of Plenty philanthropic community.

Nijssen said she was grateful for the $36,400 provided by Tauranga City Council to run a six-session pilot program in 10 Tauranga preschools.

The children attend five 40-minute sessions and receive a book to give home to their parents as a record of what they have learned.

Paula Naude, Tauranga City Council's Community Development and Emergency Management Manager, said the We Can Keep Safe program was in line with the Safer Communities Action and Investment Plan 2023-2033 and she supported it.

“We support organizations whose goal is to improve personal safety and prevent harm to families.”

Naude said the program is valuable to the city because it teaches parents how to support their children so they are less likely to become victims of abuse and gives them tools to show them what to do if they suspect abuse or a child reports abuse.

“Part of our vision for Tauranga is a city where we support and develop our communities and stand by the vulnerable.

“We all have to do our part to create a safe city,” said Naude.

The funds came from community-run development funds, Naude said.

Bay of Plenty Senior Sergeant Detective John Wilson said local police had a long-standing relationship with Tautoko Mai and were proud of the work the service did.

“We have been working closely together for years to ensure the safety of the people in our community.

“The ‘We Can Keep Safe’ program run by Tautoko Mai will provide valuable training to the young people of our community and their families,” Wilson said.

In the year to July, Oranga Tamariki recorded almost 200 open cases of child sexual assault in the Bay of Plenty. The Rotorua area had the highest number of open cases, at 45.

Police data shows that Bay of Plenty police received 691 reports of sexual assault and related crimes during the same period. Of that number, 373 victims were aged 19 or younger.

In 13 cases, the perpetrators were strangers, in eight cases they were family members of the victims, ten crimes were committed by a parent and in four cases the investigations involved siblings of a victim.

163 cases were investigated, nine of which involved victims aged nine and under.

Data from the Ministry of Justice from 2023 show that of the victims of sexual violence reported in 2021, 56% were under 18 years old at the time of the assault.

Oranga Tamariki's data did not include cases where a report was made but social workers “could not substantiate it with sufficient certainty to make a determination”.

Sach said the prevention approach would take time, but the organization was willing to invest in children because it would reduce child sexual abuse statistics in the future.

She said that while resources were available to help parents of children who had been sexually assaulted or abused, resources for the children themselves were scarce.

“A large part of our work has been working with our teenagers and young people. Now we can offer this to younger children by introducing child-friendly play therapy.”

Prevention is her priority. She said her employees at Mahi have one goal: to make themselves unemployed.

“We want to prevent something like this from happening in the first place, that’s why we are not needed,” said Sach.