Social Movement
I am adamant about the rights of children in respect to protecting them from sexual predators. This is why I chose a social change movement, involving protecting children from sexual abuse. According to the rape, abuse, and incest national network (RAINN; n.d.), one in nine girls and one in twenty boys under the age of eighteen experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult. The social change issue I have selected to analyze is the zero abuse project (ZAP) movement to end child sexual abuse and provide better support and education for survivors. This is an incredibly important issue that has detrimental mental health impacts on individuals, families, and society as a whole.
Social Theory
The social theory that applies to the evaluation of this issue is symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism provides an important lens into understanding how sexual predators think about children. It also has an impact on how children who have been abused, view their trauma and in turn, cope with their trauma. This micro-sociological theory examines how shared meanings, language, and interpersonal interactions influence human behavior (Aksan et al., 2009; Vejar, 2023).
Analysis of Symbolic Interactionism and Zero Abuse Project
In the context of child sexual abuse (CSA), we can analyze how mental health issues, stigma, shame, and societal beliefs surrounding sexual violence shape the interactions between perpetrators, survivors, and the society as a whole. These symbolic meanings profoundly impact the perpetrators ability to control their impulses as well as impacting the survivors’ willingness to report, access services, and begin the healing process (Vejar, 2023). Due to the lens that these victims now see the world through, they may not understand how to ask for help and even when they do, they may not feel completely supported by those they are entrusting (Back et al., 2011).
The ZAP works diligently to educate those that would serve to protect children from sexual abuse in how to do so (Zero Abuse Project, 2024). This project also offers children resources to find help they may need to cope and overcome their trauma. They also offer trainings for those that would prosecute the perpetrators and ensure that the victims get the justice they deserve.
Strengths and Limitations
Some strengths to symbolic interactionism are that if we can change the symbolic meaning of the experiences the children have we can help them to shape new symbols of strength and empowerment in place of the hopelessness they may have once felt (Ali et al., 2022). The limitations may be having access to appropriate treatments and coping mechanisms for these children. However, with the services provided by the zero abuse project, we should start to see these limitations lift. The importance of ending child sexual abuse will require transforming societal attitudes through education, improving institutional responses, and empowering survivors. Theories like symbolic interactionism provide a valuable lens for informing more effective prevention efforts, policies, and interventions to create meaningful positive social change.
References
Aksan, N., Kısac, B., Aydın, M., & Demirbuken, S. (2009). Symbolic interaction theory Download Symbolic interaction theory. Procedia Social and Behavioral Science, 1, 902–904.
Ali, T., Buergelt, P. T., Maypilama, E. L., Paton, D., Smith, J. A., & Jehan, N. (2022). Synergy of systems theory and symbolic interactionism: a passageway for non-Indigenous researchers that facilitates better understanding Indigenous worldviews and knowledges. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 25(2), 197–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2021.1876300
Back, C., Gustafsson, P. A., & Larsson, I. (2011). Managing the Legal Proceedings: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Sexually Abused Children’s Experience with the Legal Process. Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal, 35(1), 50–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2010.08.004
RAINN. (n.d.). Children and teens. https://www.rainn.org/statistics/children-and-teensLinks to an external site.
Vejar, C. (2023). Symbolic Interactionism. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
Zero Abuse Project. (2024). Strategic Plan. Retrieved from https://www.zeroabuseproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Strategic-Plan-2021-2023-Public.pdf