The role of educational institutions in reducing the phenomenon of sexual harassment among children with special needs

January 2026 , Pages 1119-1134

Authors

Dr. Zahraa Abdel Wahd Wadaah Wadaah 1 ; Asst. Lecturer Sarah Sami Abbas Al-Wardi Al-Wardi 2

1 Al-Mustansiriya University, College of Education

2 University of Baghdad, College of Arts

DOI logo 10.17656/11852

Keywords

Abstract

Society has recently witnessed the spread of the phenomenon of sexual harassment among children with special needs, and sexual harassment refers to this category of children. Using a child to satisfy the sexual desires of another person using force and control over him, and the types of sexual harassment may be (touching, kissing, showing pornographic images, attempted rape). This phenomenon has various causes that go back to many parties, including the family, society, the perpetrator, educational institutions, Working with children.What is meant by children with special needs is a group of children who differ significantly from ordinary children, whether the difference is due to mental, hereditary, or physical diseases. Therefore, educating families and children in general against the danger of harassment has become a necessity, and sufficient awareness does not mean ensuring their protection from harm. They are victims of sexual harassers, but adequate awareness may be given The child has the ability to stop the matter if he is able to do so, or in the worst case scenario, to report what happened to him without fear of the family and society. However, there are some families who may not discover the matter due to the lack of awareness and knowledge of this group of children, or they may deal with the situation with concealment. Instead of actively participating in confronting it, working to treat it, and educating society to overcome it. And with the development of science With its progress and the increasing observation of sexual harassment in society, it has become the duty of educational institutions responsible for educating and caring for this category of children to work to limit the spread of this phenomenon, by directing continuous efforts by specialists towards enhancing cultural and social awareness about the phenomenon of sexual harassment. Within educational institutions . This is done by training educational personnel on how to deal with this category of children (who are capable of learning) and how to train them to reduce their sexual exploitation, by involving them in training courses and workshops, and in addition to that, providing integrated knowledge to the families of children about the phenomenon of sexual harassment.

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  • First online31 January 2026
  • Published at31 January 2026

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