BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - OPERATION FUTURE, the Federation's non-profit organisation which is geared towards the positive growth and development of youths, would be focusing on bringing awareness of sexual abuse to school children.
The group has embarked on an initiative to shed some light on sexual abuse and equip children with the knowledge to identify and respond to the offence.
This morning (Jan. 28), Operation Future's Constable Lauston Percival visited the Irish Town Primary School, the first stop on the organisation's annual visit to all schools.
The students of Grades Four, Five and Six were engaged in a very interactive session where they were thoroughly schooled on the various aspects of sexual abuse.
The children learned the definition of the offence and the myths versus the reality of it. Percival taught the children that boys and men too could be sexually assaulted or raped and that the notion of rape victims "asked for it" is false.
He told the students that girls and women should not be held accountable for being sexually abused despite the manner in which they dress, but warned the female students to dress respectably.
"If someone violates your body, you are the one who will be left with the emotional scar," he said.
He also warned them that an abuser needs not be a stranger, adding that most often it is done by someone they know and are close to, including family members.
"Do not let anybody force you to do anything you do not want to do," the police officer emphasised.
He also warned that being offered something free of charge does not mean it is actually free.
Giving an example, Percival told the students that a shopkeeper could approach and tell them that they could have anything in his store for free if he could touch them.
"Trust your instincts," he advised.
The children were also taught the dangers of drugs and alcohol and how it could easily impair their judgment and cause them to make bad decisions.
When the topic of Internet was introduced, Percival was shocked to learn of how many students have profiles on the social network Facebook, and how many friends were added to their pages.
One little girl announced that she had over 300 friends on Facebook page.
Warning the children about the dangers of Facebook, Percival said: "At your age, you do not need a Facebook page."
He cautioned that predators lurk around on the social networks for their preys, adding that some even pose as children to lure their victims into traps.
He went on to tell the students that the only concern they should have when logging on to the Internet should be school related, adding that browsing the Internet could lead to dangerous finds such as pornography.
Giving an example, Percival said that at a previous lecture he was shocked to learn that an eight-year-old boy knew what website he could log on to find pornography.
He said that some children actually log on to the Internet to view pornography which would only lead to harmful results.
"You are not ready for that! When you see it, you will want to try it and that is when people will take advantage of you," he advised the students.
The police officer ended the session with a "What If" game, where the students were asked a number of questions and they responded accordingly, which brought to light that they knew what to do in possibly sexually harmful situations.
Questions posed included: "What if a stranger were to offer you a ride in their car?" "What if you went to the bathroom and saw that someone was trying to peek at you?" "What if someone tried to put their hands under your clothes?"
The students eagerly responded, most giving acceptable answers, and Percival carefully explained what should be done in those situations, emphasising that they should "always remember that it is your body...you control who touches it".
Following the session, Percival explained to SKNVibes that it is the first in a series which targets all schools in the Federation.
He said that Operation Future usually lectures at the schools and that this year the focus is on sexual abuse.
He said that the sessions would be done with both primary and high schools, but the main target are the former as they are more susceptible to the offence.
Percival explained that he found the session very informative and was pleased with the interaction of the children.
"The session was well received and the students responded very well, which was expected because of the nature of the topic. It was humorous to them but I think, based on some of their answers, that they also understand the seriousness of it," he said.
He said that all schools would be visited more than once because the topic is one that requires follow-ups due to the nature of it.
Percival encouraged the children to be a part of Operation Future.
He said that they offer homework assistance for all age groups Monday to Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and they also meet every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Village Community Centre.
