Preventing sexual violence: Strategies focused on interpersonal relationships

Interpersonal relationships: Factors and prevention strategies

Examples of factors related to interpersonal relationships

Factors associated with an increased risk of sexual violence

  • Childhood abuse, including sexual violence during this period
  • Negative experiences within the family
  • Family problems
  • Negative peer influence, such as having peers who approve of sexual violence

Protective factors

  • Parental and peer support
  • Parental supervision
  • High-quality parent-child relationship
  • Positive relationships with significant adults

Examples of prevention strategies

Support for parenting and the development of parenting skills

Several initiatives aim to strengthen the development of parenting skills and secure, stable, and enriching relationships between children and their parents. These can take the form of parenting education programs or home visits, which are recommended by many international organizations to prevent child abuse 1–3.

Experiencing abuse or other adverse childhood experiences in the family, such as mental health problems, parental substance abuse, or social isolation, increases the risk of committing or experiencing sexual violence later in life4–12. Reducing the occurrence of these experiences through parenting support programs could therefore prevent sexual violence in the first place, even if these associations have yet to be documented1,13,14.

Several protective factors against sexual violence can also be supported by parenting programs, including parental support for children, parental supervision, and the development of a quality parent-child relationship15–17.

Parental involvement in sexual violence prevention programs

In addition to more general parenting support programs, other programs specifically targeting sexual violence experienced by children have a parenting component, some of which are exclusively for parents18. These programs are aimed at either the general population or more specific groups and are implemented in schools, homes, community centres, or online18,19.

Parental involvement in these programs mainly consists of improving their knowledge and skills so that they can talk to their children about sexual violence and better support them if necessary or if sexual violence is disclosed18–20. Parental support and supportive reactions following the disclosure of sexual violence are two factors that promote the recovery of child victims21,22.

Programs on online sexual violence improve parents’ knowledge of online safety and increase their intention and confidence to take action to protect their children (e.g., supervising, setting rules, discussing safety with their children). However, the effects are less conclusive when it comes to their knowledge and attitudes about sexual violence in general, as well as on their ability to identify the right time to act in response to a situation of online sexual violence, whether potential or actual18,20.

Training for professionals involved in responding to sexual violence

Training for various professionals involved in responding to sexual violence, whether with victims, perpetrators, or those at risk of becoming perpetrators, is a prevention strategy supported by various expert committees and international organizations13,23,24. These training programs can help prevent sexual violence or lessen its consequences. Some are intended for health and social services personnel (e.g., doctors, nurses, psychologists) and those working within the legal system (e.g., police officers, prosecutors, lawyers, judges). They may also be aimed at professionals who work with children and youth (e.g., psychosocial workers, education staff, sports staff) and people working in environments at higher risk of sexual violence (e.g., bar staff)13,23,24.

People who work with children and youth play an important role in their education, including sexuality education, by promoting respectful and equal relationships and behaviours, and by potentially reporting incidents of sexual violence20,25–27. Positive relationships between young people and adults in school or community settings may protect youth from the risk of sexual violence28. Overall, training and programs designed for these actors are successful in improving their knowledge of sexual violence, reducing their belief in myths about sexual violence, and increasing their confidence to take action when sexual violence is disclosed20,25–27. However, the effects of these training programs on reducing acts of sexual violence currently appear to be poorly documented20,25–27.

Training staff who sell alcohol in bars or at outdoor events, environments with an increased risk of sexual violence29–32, is another documented strategy for preventing sexual violence. This training is primarily aimed at ensuring the safety of people who frequent these places, especially women, who are the main victims of sexual violence in public places, by improving staff skills in responding to situations where there is a risk of sexual violence33,34. These training programs successfully reduce participants’ belief in myths about sexual violence and improve their sense of readiness and confidence to intervene in situations of sexual violence. However, the effect of these training programs on acts of sexual violence, both experienced and committed, has not been documented33.

Bystander intervention approach

The bystander intervention approach is used in several specific programs or interventions. It involves encouraging people who witness or are at risk of witnessing sexual violence to intervene to prevent it before it happens or to put a stop to it35. This approach aims to encourage individuals to promote nonviolent social norms and reduce collective tolerance of sexual violence, which is a factor associated with sexual violence36,37. The approach also emphasizes peer influence, which plays an important role in sexual violence, as it can be both a risk factor (e.g., peer approval of violence) and a protective factor against sexual violence (e.g., peer support)37,38. Programs that adopt the active bystander approach are mainly implemented and evaluated in schools and higher education settings, but also in sports teams and, more broadly, in the community39–41.

These programs are generally successful in improving knowledge about sexual violence and intervention strategies. They help reduce belief in myths about sexual violence and improve egalitarian and prosocial attitudes, as well as strengthen the willingness and intention to intervene as a witness, the ability to correctly identify a situation conducive to intervention, and encourage interventions by witnesses. These effects are mainly short-term and do not persist in the long term42–48. The effects on acts of sexual violence are more mixed, particularly because violent situations often occur in private, without witnesses. Some studies report a decrease in acts of sexual violence both experienced and committed, while others do not43,45,47.

References

  1. World Health Organization et United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (2013). Preventing violence: Evaluating outcomes of parenting programmes, [en ligne], Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization, <https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/85994&gt; (consulté le 27 février 2025).
  2. World Health Organization (2016). INSPIRE: Seven strategies for Ending Violence Against Children, [en ligne], Luxembourg, World Health Organization, <https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565356&gt; (consulté le 3 juin 2025).
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Author: Maude Lachapelle, Scientific Advisor, INSPQ
Contributor: Anne-Sophie Ponsot, Scientific Advisor, INSPQQ
External review: Larissa Ouedraogo, M.Sc., Planning, Programming and Research Agent, Regional Public Health Department, CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal
Geneviève Paquette, Ph. D., Full Professor, Department of Psychoeducation, Université de Sherbrooke
Jacinthe Dion, Ph. D., Professor, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

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