A booklet warning teenagers about how they could be sexually abused by friends and family, and encouraging them to report attacks was published recently. Hands Off magazine, published by the NSPCC gets straight to the point but its direct approach in trying to address this difficult issue could lead to criticism.
| It must be very hard to try and design this sort of thing without offending someone. |
The NSPCC magazine, which is aimed at 11-16 year-olds, tells children that people they know may "groom" them with attention, treats and presents before starting to abuse. It uses comic strips and multiple choice quizzes to show how teenagers could be targeted by relatives, family friends or older children.
But mixing graphic language with a cartoon style design is potentially risky according to fifteen-year-old Michael Leathem. "I think the NSPCC have to be careful because, I mean, if young people were reading it they might not know the real meaning, but just see the word sex and laugh and think it's a big joke," he said.
NSPCC decided to publish the magazine following a survey on child maltreatment, the most authoritative and comprehensive investigation into child abuse and neglect ever undertaken in this country.
The study interviewed almost 3,000 young adults and found that one in three young people experiencing unwelcome sexual acts from an older person had stayed silent and told no-one.
"It's a good magazine. It helps people who have been abused, to realise what has happened to them isn't normal. If they pick this book up and realise what is happening then they can phone the numbers at the back", says Andrew, 12.
The study was pulled together by various experts who help young people subjected to abuse, Lisa (17) worries that it's availability might have an unwelcome knock-on effect for young people who have not been victims of abuse.
"When young people are reading it, they might get ideas into their head and think differently about certain things, that could make them change a lot and start to ask their parents really, really weird questions." she said.
Andrew (12) offers an alternative, "Maybe the NSPCC could have made it smaller to fit into people's pockets, I think that anything to make it more subtle and not as blunt as it is now could really help," he said.
The NSPCC plan release of limited numbers of Hands Off to youth organisations, schools and charities and sports bodies in Northern Ireland. After this initial distribution organisations will have the opportunity to order further copies but Lisa recognises that the NSPCC face an uphill task.
"I don't envy the NSPCC, it must be very hard to try and design this sort of thing without offending someone. It's probably shocking to me because I've never thought about it before but to someone who has been abused it'd be totally different," she said.
About the team
This article was produced by Michael Leathem, 15 Lisa Skinner, 17 Andrew Bailie, 13 and Amanda McAteer, 14. It was published in Scope magazine.
