Sexual Abuse Prevention in Schools

Georgia’s Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Technical Assistance Resource Guide (TARG- 2024 update) assists Georgia schools and youth serving organizations in identifying a sexual abuse and human trafficking prevention curriculum that meets the state’s education mandates as well as the needs of children, families, and educators. It also outlines how communities and schools can utilize sexual abuse prevention strategies and programs to improve the health and well-being of their youth population.

The TARG is a comprehensive guide that provides information on:

• Prevention curriculum that meets Georgia’s law and health education standards
• Best practices on prevention program implementation
• The principles of prevention
• ACEs, child sexual abuse, and human trafficking one-pagers
• State and national resources in victim support and prevention

The Georgia legislative mandates requiring sexual abuse prevention education in grades K-9 and education on human trafficking in grades 6-12, apply to every school system, both public and private. Recognizing that each school community is unique, the TARG can be used as a guide for implementation to best meet the needs of each school and youth-serving organization.

• Erin’s Law – Applies to Kindergarten through 9th grade
  • Annual age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention (Code Section 20-2-143)
  • Professional learning on sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention (Code Section 20-2-200)
  • Training for professional personnel that will be providing instruction prevention education (Code Section 20-2-200)

• Human Trafficking Law- Applies to 6th through 12th grade
  • HB 287, GA Code Section 20-2-142 and GA DOE Rule 160-4-2-.12 relating to Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Program Plan
  • Each local board of education which operates a school with grades 6 through 12 shall provide instruction in human trafficking awareness on an annual basis at each grade level.

TARG Development:

The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy (GCCA) provided leadership in developing and creating this updated TARG, while the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services provided funding and staff expertise. Additional partners in the process included: PCA Georgia, The Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia, the Georgia Department of Education, Issues Consulting, and several individual volunteers with professional experience in the field of child abuse prevention.

This update builds upon the previous version, utilizing a similar review process, and the collective expertise of the review committee, who are recognized state and national leaders in the prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation and human trafficking. This edition focuses specifically on curricula that have been evaluated and successfully implemented in schools and youth serving organizations. The original TARG was a product of the Georgia’s Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force, led by the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, released the TARG in early 2017 after two years of review and development by the Task Force’s Work Group 2:  Youth Safe and Aware.

For more information, contact:

Tiffany Sawyer
Director of Prevention Services
Georgia Center for Child Advocacy
[email protected]