Child sexual abuse cases are something I have taken an interest in since the summer of 2020. Criminology is my second major, so this is a topic I have been introduced to before, so I knew I wanted my future job setting to incorporate it somehow as well since I took such an interest in it. Considering that, I had done a lot of research on why offenders offend, the outcomes of court cases that are pertaining to CSA, how to respond to disclosure from a victim of CSA, and why certain perpetrators target children. Coming into this project, I had a pretty good background on what I thought I already knew about this topic but there was so much more I did not know about. This project opened my eyes and enhanced my knowledge with facts, articles, and court proceedings I had no idea about. My understanding of child sexual abuse is far from where it was prior to beginning this project, but it has helped my understanding and even taught me quite a few new things I am excited to use in my future career.
My understanding of course content related to family violence was informed by my project by helping me understand why any type of family violence occurs. Sadly, family violence is common in many homes and relationships and is not anyone’s fault but the perpetrators. Family violence is a social problem that I was illy informed on prior to being enrolled in this class and completing this project. The more people that know of the warning signs of family violence, the better equipped they are spotting the signs in their own relationships or lending a hand to someone who may be in need.
An area of strength I had in this product would be the aesthetics or the overall design of the project. It is a short read and, in my opinion, very professional. I know that many people look at an infographic that is full of words and either skim or do not read it at all. The product I produced is concise as well as informative. Although, what could have been done differently to improve the overall project product would be formatting the infographic differently, possibly as a trifold. I would have made this change so I could include more information on CSA. There was so much more information I wanted to add, but with the design, I chose I wanted to keep the information pertinent to daycare workers and early childhood educators.
I believe I developed a lot of professional knowledge on the responsibilities of a mandated reporter, short and long-term effects of CSA, and prevention strategies from this project that will be useful in my immediate future. I have a summer internship on a victim/witness unit and will be learning how to advocate for children and adults so the information I learned from my project and about family violence, in general, will help and have prepared me tremendously