Yes, it feels easier to say, I don’t want to go there, I don’t want to talk about it. But we know sweeping tough issues under the carpet doesn’t make them disappear. In fact, it only increases the trauma. Children are hurting. Families are being torn apart. So, we’re going to be bold. We’re going to face this issue straight on. And we’re going to talk about pornography’s role in the rise of child-on-child sexual assault.
I’m so grateful to Heidi Olson, MSN, RN, CPN, SANE-P, for joining me on the show this week. She is an absolute superhero. There’s nothing easy about her job. Every single day she is dealing with children’s disclosure of sexual assault.
Heidi is Program Manager at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. There, she and her staff collect physical evidence of sexual trauma to be used in the criminal justice system. But their primary concern is to make sure that these kids are safe and healthy before leaving the hospital.
Rise of child-on-child sexual assault
Heidi noticed an alarming trend and started to collect and study the data. What she found was that violent sexual acts are being committed by kids who have no underlying risk factors (ie, no prior sexual trauma) other than unsupervised access to screens and pornography. As disturbing as this information may be, it also means that these assaults are preventable!
In this episode:
- Children don’t lie about sexual assault. They simply don’t have the information and vocabulary to do so. Children should be believed even when physical evidence is difficult to determine.
- Young offenders are common. The most consistent age of perpetrators (or children demonstrating problematic sexual behavior) is between 11 to 15 years old. This is a global trend.
- Access to pornography. Children and teens are committing violent sexual acts against other children with no history of victimization themselves, other than access to screen and pornography.
- Awareness builds hope. When children receive help, support, and appropriate therapy early, both the victim and the offender have a high chance of healing and recovery.
Episode challenge
Today’s challenge is designed to help increase empathy towards families confronted with this kind of trauma.
Heidi asks that we sit with this information for a period of time and imagine ourselves (as difficult as it is) having to deal with the consequences of our own child acting out sexually towards another child. Consider, how would you want someone to respond? What kind of support would you need? No one wants this for any child. But the reality is that it does happen. Preparing our thoughts now will put us in a better position to help should the need arise.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the show, please leave a positive review or tell a friend!
Download our FREE guide
Teaching children the basics of body safety can help them identify high-risk situations and safeguard them from sexual exploitation. Start this valuable conversation today with our 5 Body Safety Tips for Kids guide. Download your FREE pdf here.
More about today’s guest
Heidi Olson is the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program Manager at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. Heidi has a wide range of experience in pediatric and forensic nursing and her role includes performing forensic exams on children who have been victims of sexual assault, communicating with law enforcement and child protective services, and serving as an expert witness in criminal trials. Heidi has performed or reviewed around 1,500 child sexual abuse exams in the last 4 years and has presented over 200 times internationally about recognizing human trafficking, child-on-child sexual assault and pornography, exploitation, and sexual assault. Heidi leads the human trafficking workgroup at Children’s Mercy, is on the planning committee for the Big Search KC, presents with the Anti Internet Child Exploitation Team (a Canadian non-profit), and organized Empower KC, a community event to raise awareness about sexual exploitation in Kansas City. In her free time, Heidi loves being outside, listening to true crime podcasts, travelling and learning.
Links/Resources
Heidi Olson, RN, BSN, CPN, SANE-P Interview || Truth About Porn https://vimeo.com/285022319
HB 2094 PROPONENT TESTIMONY OF HEIDI OLSON
Ep. #2-19, 4 Essential Steps to Protect Kids from Pornography
Ep. #2-29, Dear Savvy: When should I start talking to my kids about porn?
Ep. #2-42, How to Teach Kids Body Safety from an Early Age with Holly-ann Martin
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