"The attention of my teacher helped me to survive” – School as a place of resilience

Several “abuse scandals” in schools and boarding schools in different countries encouraged victims of abuse to disclose their experiences. The dark field of sexual abuse in population based representative samples is high all over Europe. More than 10% of the population report any form of sexual abuse. Contact points for children and adolescents that are open to talk about sexual abuse as well as reliable contact persons for victims are indispensable. This paper aims to discuss the importance of school as a place of facilitation, participation and resilience. A representative German sample was surveyed regarding questions whether child sexual abuse needs more discussion in society and institutions of children and adolescents. Data of the help line of the Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues revealed statements of victims as well as of professionals regarding experiences with support in school. Results show that parents consider institutions of children and adolescents to be appropriate places to discuss sexual abuse. However, victims report that sexual abuse was rarely discussed in school and their distress and needs were often not seen; concurrently, victims would have wished for ongoing interest of the teachers. Statements of victims and professionals reveal that professionals working in school context are often overstrained and insecure about the reaction to sexual abuse. More training for teachers and other educational professionals is needed. In a time of general digitalization, E-learning courses are a cost-effective, low-threshold and in-depth approach in professional training.