‘This Pernicious Delusion’: Law, Medicine and Child Sexual Abuse1

2018 ◽  
pp. 30-50
Author(s):  
Roger Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Child Victims ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Legal Proceedings ◽  
Rescue Workers ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Impact

Chapter 3 examines child sexual abuse in early twentieth-century Scotland and the competing discourses surrounding its prosecution. At the heart of the study is a set of High Court cases of sexual assault upon children involving the aggravated offence of communicating VD, and the role played by the enduring superstition that ‘having connection with a virgin’ was a cure for the affliction. The chapter traces how this ‘pernicious delusion’ figured in medical testimony to legal proceedings and government enquiries throughout the period. It explores the impulses and constraints shaping the response of the law to ‘child outrage’. The impact of these cases on the campaign by feminists, rescue workers, and purity activists to amend the criminal law and the conduct of investigation and trial in respect to sexual offences against women is documented, as is the growing importance of forensic medicine in securing convictions. Continuing resistance is revealed within the medical profession and judiciary, as well as within the family and local community, to recognising child sexual abuse. The chapter illustrates the many layers of denial that operated to deny the child victims justice and the extent to which the legal process stigmatised them as sexual dangers to be institutionalised..

Right to Protection against Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asha Bajpai
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Commercial Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Child Victims ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Minor Children ◽  
Marriage Laws ◽  
Education Act ◽  
International Instruments

Child sexual abuse and exploitation covers the sexual maltreatment of both children and young people. Part A deals with child sexual abuse (CSA) in India, its magnitude, and child sexual abuse in institutions. It deals with the national legal regime relating to CSA including the constitutional provisions, Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO). Law reform relating to some provisions in POCSO, child marriage laws, Right to Education Act and, and child victims and witnesses is recommended. Part B deals with commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of minor children in the context of organized exploitation for commercial gain. The Indian laws dealing with commercial sexual exploitation and pornography are included. Important judgements and international instruments dealing with child sexual abuse and exploitation and the important role played by NGOs and government in dealing with cases of CSA and exploitation are included.

Preventing child sexual abuse and the use of child abuse images: the Prevention Project Dunkelfeld as an international perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus M. Beier
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Child Pornography ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
The Body ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sexual Offences

Paedophilia—a sexual preference for the body scheme of pre-pubescent children—is defined as a disorder within the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the World Health Organization as well as within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association. Contrary to popular belief, not all sex offenders who target children are paedophiles, and not all paedophiles commit sexual offences. But quite obviously paedophilia is an emotionally charged and controversial topic, which might be an explanation for putting it out of focus within the healthcare system. Mental health professionals are mainly (and worldwide) not well trained in terms of assessment methods and intervention techniques available to develop and implement effective policies and practices. This presents an obstacle for prevention, in that proactive strategies to protect children from child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation by online offences, such as the consumption or distribution of child abusive images (so-called child pornography), which emphasises the internationally relevant dimension of the issue. The article will address key concerns and questions in dealing with this clinically relevant population, offer insights into a primary prevention approach developed in Germany, and discuss the situation on a European level.

Jurors’ Gender and Their Fear of False Child Sexual Abuse Accusations Are Related to Their Belief in Child Victims’ Allegations

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Tayler M. Jones ◽  
Bette L. Bottoms ◽  
Kajal Sachdev ◽  
Jonathan Aniciete ◽  
Karis Gorak
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Victims

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.

Treatment Issues in Child Sexual Abuse

1991 ◽  
Vol 159 (6) ◽  
pp. 769-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danya Glaser
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Treatment Process ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Careful Planning ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Many

Child sexual abuse is a commonly encountered and often emotionally damaging experience, maintained by secrecy and followed by denial after disclosure. Treatment in this field involves both the child and the family in a variety of treatment settings and modalities, often proceeding in parallel. Child developmental considerations dictate that treatment often proceeds in phases. It aims to protect the child from further abuse and the consequences of disclosure, and address the trauma and context of the abuse. Careful planning and co-operation is required by the many professionals working in this stressful area in order to avoid confusion, conflicts, and splits which may mirror relationships in the family. The heterogeneity of the problem is reflected in the fact that treatment cannot be offered in a uniform programme. Legal issues may influence the treatment process. Evaluation of treatment modalities, the identification of protective factors and achieving long-term adjustment in the least detrimental manner offer challenges in this newly developing field.

Personality Disorders in Adult Female Child Sexual Abuse Survivors: Dimensions of Personality Pathology and Characteristics of Abuse

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052090313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Izdebska
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Personality Disorders ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Personality Pathology ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Abuse Survivors ◽  
Sexual Abuse Survivors ◽  
Personality Organization ◽  
The Impact

The relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and later personality disorders (PDs) has been established in numerous studies. However, there are still a number of uncertainties about the specifics of this association. This study further explored the child sexual abuse survivors’ (CSASs) vulnerability to PDs by introducing the variable of personality organization (PO) and dimensions of personality pathology as conceptualized by Kernberg, and by including additional variables of CSA characteristics. It was hypothesized that in the CSA group, the occurrence of borderline personality organization (BPO) would be significantly higher than in the non-CSA group and that characteristics of abuse associated with its higher severity would prevail in individuals with BPO. The study group consisted of 329 women who completed measures of PO and experiences of CSA. The results were consistent with formulated hypotheses. Significantly more CSASs than those who did not experience CSA were characterized by close to BPO (cBPO). Moreover, CSASs group differed from the group without the CSA experience with regard to all BPO dimensions. The biggest difference between the CSA and the control group concerned the dimension referring to the difficulties in creating close, intimate relationships. With regard to CSA features, women characterized by cBPO, in contrast to those characterized by neurotic personality organization (NPO), significantly more often reported having experienced CSA more than once, involving physical contact, from more than one offender and from the offender they previously known. The findings of the study support the idea that the optimal treatment approach for CSASs should address both the personality structure and the specificity of the impact of CSA along with its characteristics.

Speaking the Unspeakable: Exploring the Impact of Family Dynamics on Child Sexual Abuse Disclosures

2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramona Alaggia ◽  
Stacey Kirshenbaum
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Family Dynamics ◽  
Retrospective Data ◽  
Family Assessment ◽  
Indirect Communication ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Interview Method ◽  
The Impact

This qualitative study utilized the long interview method to identify a range of family dynamics that may affect a child's ability to disclose sexual abuse. It is estimated that 30% to 80% of victims do not purposefully disclose child sexual abuse (CSA) before adulthood. Retrospective data about disclosure processes were elicited through interviews with 20 male and female CSA survivors. Four major themes emerged suggesting that CSA disclosure can be significantly compromised when certain conditions exist: rigidly fixed, gender roles based on a patriarchy-based family structure; family violence; closed, indirect communication patterns; and social isolation. It is important to identify disclosure barriers in order to ameliorate them effectively, because when children are not able to disclose sexual abuse, the effects are potentially devastating. Results are discussed in relation to implications for practice with children and their families, including relevance of established models of family assessment.

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