Complaints of Child Sexual Abuse: Too Easy to Make or Too Difficult to Prove?

2001 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Cossins
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Female Child ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Historical Legacy ◽  
Child Sexual Assault ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sex Offences

This article analyses the social context in which the corroboration warning became entrenched in the child sexual assault trial, its historical legacy in terms of present day practice and the theoretical implications of this history and practice in terms of the sexed and gendered constructions of the female child complainant. In light of this analysis, the article discusses the implications for law reform of the child sexual assault trial, in particular the need to address the unique problems associated with prosecuting child sex offences.

The Abusive Society: A Review Essay

2002 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Review Essay ◽  
Recent Book ◽  
Abuse Case ◽  
The Social ◽  
English Speaking

This essay reviews a recent book on a New Zealand child abuse case which has become well-known in that country. It uses the review to explore broader issues associated with the differing and controversial forms of child sexual abuse that have come into focus in some English speaking societies over the last 20 years and the social context which has made their emergence possible.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Corinne May-Chahal ◽  
Emma Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Stranger

This introductory chapter provides an overview of online child sexual abuse, which is a concern for many parents, practitioners, and policy makers. One dominant fear is that of the stranger approaching children online, lurking in chatrooms masquerading as a child in order to lure victims for abusive ends. Yet child sexual abuse can also begin offline and become online through filming or photography, or it can be virtual, such as in the distribution of child abuse images. Indeed, distinctions between online- and offline-facilitated child sexual abuse are increasingly blurred. This book focuses on online child sexual victimisation. Victims are made both by the acts perpetrated on them (by perpetrators) and by the social context in which these acts take place and the consequences that are felt. The book examines online-facilitated child sexual abuse research through the lens of this social context, which contains multiple definitions of what is childhood, sex, and abuse as it connects to the Internet.

Online Child Sexual Victimisation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinne May-Chahal ◽  
Emma Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Rigorous Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Type Of Abuse ◽  
Sexual Abuse Victims ◽  
Measurement Practices

Focusing on online-facilitated sexual abuse, this book takes a rigorous approach to existing literature to address some of the most pressing public and policy questions on this type of abuse. The book examines which children are most vulnerable, how their vulnerability is made, what they are vulnerable to and how we can foster resilience. It begins with an overview of online child sexual abuse. Victims are made both by the acts perpetrated on them and by the social context in which these acts take place and the consequences that are felt. The book examines online-facilitated child sexual abuse research through the lens of this social context, which contains multiple definitions of what is childhood, sex, and abuse as it connects to the Internet. The book calls for greater clarity and agreement on definitions and measurement practices concerning online child sexual victimisation. In conclusion, it recommends that guardianship responsibility is extended to children themselves and considers some of the technical tools that might assist their participation.

Child Sexual Abuse and Medical Expertise in Nineteenth-Century France

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-421
Author(s):  
E. Claire Cage
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Working Class ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Medical Expertise ◽  
Child Sexual Assault ◽  
Nineteenth Century France ◽  
Negative Findings

Abstract Child sexual abuse was a prevalent problem that appeared before the courts with dramatically increasing frequency in nineteenth-century France. During this period medical experts played a much more influential role in the courts; however, those summoned to intervene in child sexual assault cases not only bolstered but also undermined efforts to bring offenders to justice. Many doctors who could not detect physical traces of sexual abuse concluded that the assault had not occurred and that the child's accusation was false. Furthermore, doctors routinely cast moral judgments on those identified as victims of sexual abuse. The understandings of childhood innocence that engendered new efforts to combat child sexual abuse were called into question by the simultaneous rise of medicolegal experts, whose frequent negative findings led many to discount accusations of abuse and to maintain that children, particularly girls and working-class children, were not as innocent as they seemed. Dans la France du dix-neuvième siècle, l'abus sexuel des enfants était un problème courant qui a de plus en plus préoccupé les tribunaux, où les experts médicaux jouaient un rôle grandissant. Cependant, les médecins appelés à intervenir dans les cas d'agression sexuelle d'enfants ont non seulement soutenu mais ont aussi miné les efforts de punir les coupables. De nombreux médecins qui ne pouvaient pas discerner de traces physiques d'abus sexuel ont conclu que l'agression sexuelle n'avait jamais eu lieu et que l'accusation de l'enfant n'était pas fondée. En outre, les médecins portaient régulièrement des jugements moraux sur les enfants identifiés comme victimes. L'idée de l'innocence de l'enfance, qui a suscité de nouveaux efforts pour lutter contre l'abus sexuel, a été remise en question par le respect croissant pour l'expertise médico-légale. Les conclusions souvent négatives des experts ont encouragé le public à ignorer les accusations d'abus et à maintenir que les enfants, en particulier les filles et les enfants de la classe ouvrière, n'étaient pas aussi innocents qu'ils en avaient l'air.

Father-perpetrators of child sexual abuse who commit suicide

1990 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Walford ◽  
Marie-Therese Kennedy ◽  
Morna K. C Manwell ◽  
Noel McCune
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Recent Letter ◽  
The Family ◽  
Sex Offences ◽  
The Guardian ◽  
The Impact

Two cases of fathers who committed suicide following the revelation that they had sexually abused their own or other children, are described. The importance of being alert to the possibility of suicide and suicidal acts by family members following a disclosure, is emphasised. Improved liaison and co-ordination between agencies working with these families may enable vulnerable cases to be more readily identified and consequently offered appropriate support and treatment.The revelation that the father in a family has sexually abused his own or other children often precipitates a crisis within the family. The distress suffered by the children themselves and by their mothers is well documented. (Browne and Finkelhor, Hildebrand and Forbes). Goodwin reported suicide attempts in 11 of 201 families, in which sexual abuse had been confirmed. Eight of the attempts were made by daughter-victims. In three of the five cases of mothers who attempted suicide, the abuse was intrafamilial. The impact on father perpetrators, previously a less well researched field, has been receiving more attention of late. Maisch, in a sample of 63 fathers convicted of incest reported that two fathers subsequently committed suicide. Wild has reported on six cases of suicide and three of attempted suicide by perpetrators following disclosure of child sexual abuse. The Cleveland Inquiry Report mentions one father, charged with several sex offences, who committed suicide while awaiting trial. A recent letter to The Guardian newspaper (18th February 1989) by 11 local paediatricians in that area suggests that there are now two such cases of suicide committed by alleged perpetrators.

Y-STR DNA analysis of 154 female child sexual assault cases in the Philippines

2010 ◽  
Vol 125 (6) ◽  
pp. 817-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheena Marie B. Maiquilla ◽  
Jazelyn M. Salvador ◽  
Gayvelline C. Calacal ◽  
Minerva S. Sagum ◽  
Miriam Ruth M. Dalet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Female Child ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Child Sexual Assault

scholarly journals Competing meanings of childhood and the social construction of child sexual abuse in the Caribbean

Childhood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Pasura ◽  
Adele D Jones ◽  
James AH Hafner ◽  
Priya E Maharaj ◽  
Karene Nathaniel-DeCaires ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Caribbean

The ‘Anatomy’ of Female Child Sexual Abuse: Who does what to Young Girls?

1996 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Romans ◽  
Judy L. Martin ◽  
Jessie C. Anderson ◽  
Martine L. O'shea ◽  
Paul E. Mullen
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Female Child ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Sexually Abusive ◽  
Female Children ◽  
Stranger Danger

Objective: This paper aims to describe the characteristics of sexually abusive acts experienced by female children in order to identify those perpetrators who inflict intrusive and repeated child sexual abuse (CSA). Method: Data were collected from a random New Zealand sample of women aged 18 to 65 years who reported CSA, and a similar number of non-abused comparison women. Information on the perpetrator, the type of CSA, and perpetrator strategies were cross-tabulated. Results: The perpetrators were usually young men, well known to the victim or her family. Greater CSA intrusiveness was statistically associated with greater CSA frequency. Father/stepfather abusers were most likely to perpetrate intrusive and frequent CSA. However, family associates and non-paternal relatives were numerically more often reported as perpetrators than fathers/stepfathers. Stranger-perpetrators featured infrequently. Conclusion: We conclude that the most frequent and invasive CSA comes from someone well known to the child, particularly a family member or trusted friend. A focus by the courts or health professionals on either incest only (i.e. CSA between biological relatives) or ‘stranger danger’ will overlook the large categories of CSA perpetrated by secondary relative and family friend abusers.

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