Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Child Sexual Abuse:: Prevention, Identification and Action
Child Sexual Abuse:: Prevention, Identification and Action
Statutory Rape:
Sexual activity where the child is below the legal age of
consent.
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/08/sr/statelaws/summary.shtml
Sexual Trafficking
Child sex trafficking includes any child
involved in commercial sex (Polaris Project)
Florida, Illinois, Connecticut and Maryland
State regulations governing Social Services
Departments to provide services to victims of
Human Sex Trafficking
Check with your local jurisdictions about
mandated reporting.
CSA History
Exploded into awareness in the 1980s.
322% increase in reports (National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect, 1988).
Credibility of reports questioned.
Complaints of false allegations and brain-
washing.
Nationwide agencies develop methods and
protocols for investigating CSA allegations.
Dynamics of CSA
Unique crime with unique behaviors and
dynamics
Rarely third-party witness or medical
evidence
Only 4-5% of children who give a credible
history of sexual abuse have a specific finding
on medical exam.
94-95% of all children who give a history of
sexual abuse have a normal or nonspecific
medical exam.
Dynamics of CSA: Myths
Denials of the extent of CSA
Perpetrator stereotypes
Minimizations or exaggerations of the extent of
harm CSA poses on the child
Diffusions of perpetrator blame
Extent of CSA: How common is it?
High incidence and prevalence
1 in 4 girls
1 in 6 to 7 boys
…Will be sexually abused before the
age of 18.
Fact:
Inconsistent and scarce findings that race or
socioeconomic status are risks
Unlike physical abuse
Perpetrator Stereotypes
Myths
Stranger danger
Media focus
All CSA perpetrators are male
Dirty, perverted men
Men who sexual abuse boys are homosexual
Perpetrator Stereotypes
70-90% of alleged abusers are people the
child knows and trusts
90% of alleged offenders are male; however,
there are documented cases of female
perpetrators
Highly under-reported and not recognized
CSA alleged offenders tend to be married,
employed and heterosexual
How Children Experience Abuse
Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation
Syndrome (CSAAS)
Roland C. Summit, M.D. (1983)
Widely known theory for understanding
dynamics of child sexual victimization
However, merely a clinical opinion, not
scientific instrument
Anecdotal, not backed by research
Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation
Syndrome (CSAAS)
Five categories:
Secrecy
Helplessness
Entrapment and Accommodation
Delayed, unconvincing disclosure
Retraction and Recantation
Secrecy
Happens when child is alone with their
abuser.
“This is our secret.”
“Don’t tell anyone, or else.”
“Nobody will believe you.”
being abused.
Way the community views the abuser – good
citizen.
He didn’t mean it – It must have been an
accident.
Victim thinks he/she is weird for having a bad
reaction to what happened.
How Children Experience Abuse
This must be love
Grooming – abuse is concealed by love and
attention
Kids respond to loving attention. Like to have people
spend time with them, give them treats and make
them feel loved.
Some kids enjoy the physical closeness and physical
feelings that can happen in the abuse situation.
They seek out the abuser for attention.
How Children Experience Abuse
“It felt good to me and I wanted it.”
15y/o abused by older brother
“It was my mom’s boyfriend and he treated
me like his girlfriend – holding my hand when
we went to the mall, telling me I was so good-
looking. I felt special.”
14y/o abused by mother’s boyfriend
“I liked it in a way. I kind of felt loved. He’d
always be there for me.”
16y/o abused by biological father
How Children Experience Abuse
I deserve this.
Perpetrator tell you, “you seduced me.”
Adults are never do wrong.
How Children Experience Abuse:
Disclosure and Discovery
Accidental vs. Purposeful Disclosure
Majority of cases are accidental discovery
(74%)
More likely in pre-schoolers
Sexualized behavior or inappropriate statements
Exposure to an alleged suspect
Share with a friend who did not keep the secret
Child has Sexually Transmitted Infection
Child is pregnant
How Children Experience Abuse:
Disclosure and Discovery
Purposeful disclosure:
Educational awareness (school prevention
programs)
Influence of peers (predominantly young
teens)
Proximity to perpetrator
Departure of perpetrator or threat of return of
perpetrator
Timely disclosure
Anger (adolescent group)
How Children Experience Abuse:
Disclosure and Discovery
Disclosure is a process not and event.
Most on-going sexual abuse is never
disclosed (retrospective adult studies) or
there is a significant time lag between abuse
and disclosure.
Most adults delayed disclosure or failed to
disclose in childhood
55-69% of adults never told
Treated, reported or investigated cases are
the exception, not the norm.
How Children Experience Abuse:
Disclosure and Discovery
“Nobody would believe me.”
“I would never tell. This would kill my
mother.”
“Not a chance! They would put me in some
foster home or take me away from my family.”
“If I tell, I’d have to go to court and then
everyone would know about it.”
How Children Experience Abuse:
Disclosure and Discovery
116 confirmed cases (Sorenson & Snow, 1991)
Denial
3/4th of children denied having been sexually abused
Active Disclosure - Personal admission by the child
Only 7% that initially denied, then moved into active
disclosure.
Only 11% were able to provide a disclosure without denying
or demonstrating tentative features.
Tentative Disclosure - Partial, vague or vacillating
78% - common middle step from denial to active disclosure
“I forgot”
“It happened a long time ago”
“He tried to touch me, but I hit him and ran away”
How Children Experience Abuse:
Disclosure and Discovery
Delayed disclosure risks:
Some data indicate that males are more
reluctant to disclose than females
Younger children may not have linguistic or
cognitive abilities
Relationship to perpetrator: longer delays
among familial
Support from non-offending caregiver
(protective factor)
How Children Experience Abuse:
Disclosure and Discovery
Disclosure does not always mean safety for the child.
Majority of offenders have kinship and trusted
relationship; therefore, child is put on defensive for
attacking credibility of a trusted adult.
Risks of family separation.
Threats from the alleged offender for telling.
Disbelief from authorities and non-offending caregivers
Delinquent/acting-out child
Well-adjusted child
Child does well in school and all other social aspects – not
showing any kind of distress; how could the allegations be
true?
How Children Experience Abuse:
Recantation
Retraction of a previous allegation of abuse
that was formally made and maintained.
Pressure/threats from perpetrator
Pressure from family, coaching
Disbelief
Fragmentation of family (child bears
responsibility)
Negative personal consequences
Investigative process
How Children Experience Abuse:
Recantation
Percentage rates vary across studies from
high to low numbers:
23.1% recantation rate (Malloy, L.S., Lyon, T.D., & Quas, J.A; 2007)
Disclosure is a process.
False Allegations
“Why didn’t my child tell me sooner?”
If child was really being harmed, would have spoken
up.
When child is frozen in fear and does not fight back.
Viewed as consensual.
Child was angry for being punished.
Child has delinquency and/or mental health issues.
Promiscuous adolescent.
Diffusion of blame from perpetrator to child.
False Allegations
Majority of investigated accusations prove
valid.
Based on review of studies, only 4-8% of
allegations were fabricated.
Sloppy assessments could lead to false
positives or false negatives
Need researched-based investigative
protocols
Emotional Coping Techniques
Avoidance:
“As soon as”…
the abuse stops, I will be fine.
I go to college, everything will be different.
she finds a new husband, everything will be back to normal.
Minimizing:
“It’s not that bad”…
Lots of kids have it worse.
He didn’t mean it, he was drunk.
Denial:
“It happened, but I’m fine. No big deal.”
Forgetting:
Helps on surface, but deeper level impact.
Emotional Coping Techniques
Splitting/Dissociation:
Out of body experience
to pornography
Implications for juvenile justice and mental health.
Family-based interventions
Creating Healthy Sexual Environment
Children with sexual behavioral problems may need to be supervised while with
other children.
Should not sleep in same bed with other children or adults
Over-stimulating for child
Child who molests should not sleep in the same room with any other children.
Motion detectors
Should not be left to care for other children, even for a short time.
All bathroom activities should be done separately.
Children and adults should not walk around without clothes on.
Overwhelming memories or encourage unhealthy sexual behavior
Other children in the home should know about the sexual behavioral problems
for the child with a history of molesting. Child with sexual problems should be
made aware that, for everyone’s safety, it is important for everyone to know.
Family meeting
Clinician’s role
Work with molesting child
Ask other children, in private, on a regular basis if other child has tried to touch
them (older children only).
Sexual Abuse Offenders
Does not excuse the abuser. Abuser is fully
responsible for the abuse.
Fixated Offenders
Sexual attraction toward children (pedophilia)
Regressed Offenders
Abuses children within easy reach – stressors
Turns to child in misguided attempt to cope
Children give affection freely, idolize parents,
taught they cannot say no to a parent.
Sexual Abuse Offenders: Why do
they abuse?
Abused themselves as children
Lack abilities to relate to people, express love and affection,
express anger and disappointment.
Trying to feel loved and important
Feeling intimate with children makes them feel secure.
Looking for power and control
Not looking for love or sexual pleasure, but satisfaction of
being in control of another.
Think love and sex are synonymous
When child shows affection, think child is looking for sex. In
turn, they think they are showing affection by being sexual.
Acting out their rage
Take pleasure in seeing children hurt and in pain.
Was a victim, but instead of becoming a survivor, became
an abuser.
Cultural and Ethnic Considerations
No culture is defined solely by one value, nor
is any particular value held by one culture
exclusively.
Be culturally competent, but avoid
stereotyping.
Cultural background appear most associated
with psychological symptoms.
Cultural and Ethnic Considerations
Correlation between Sexual Scripts
acculturation level and Male-female interaction
reporting. Gender struggle model
Knowledge of legal systems
Immigration fears Virginity
Shame Less valuable brides
Predictor of post-abuse Loss of prestige for the
adjustment family or disgrace (Honor
Honor, respect and Killings)
patriarchy Virginity tests
Asian cultures Obligatory violence
Familism (family harmony and Retaliation by family
stoicism)
members (child may delay
Filial piety (honoring older male
relatives) disclosing to protect family)
Taboos and Modesty
Sexual discussion and education
taboos
Religious
Responding
Acceptance and validation are crucial to the
psychological survival of the victim.
Mothers typically react to allegations with disbelief
and protective denial.
How could I not have known?
Why didn’t my child tell me sooner?
How could my husband, who I’ve known for years, do
such a thing?
Without professional intervention, most parents are
not prepared to believe their child in the face of
convincing denials from a responsible and trusted
adult.
Responding
Children are at 8
risk of
experiencing
secondary
trauma in the
process of
discovery.
MINIMAL
FACTS
Reporting: Minimal Facts
Suspicion is sufficient for reporting!
List of basic information needed for reporting.
Name and DOB/age of child
Name of mother/caregiver
Where child resides/contact information
Where incident occurred (jurisdiction)
What happened?
Child stated that their private part was hurting
because Uncle Tony touched him there.
Reporting
Contact local Child Protective Services and/or
law enforcement (911)
Sexual Trafficking – FBI involvement
Check jurisdiction for mandated reporting to
protective services.
Even if you are not sure if CPS should be
involved (care/custody)
14y/o X went to a party with another 14y/o Y. They left
the party with the Y’s uncle and went to another
person’s home. Y’s uncle raped X. CPS took the case
because established that the uncle was in a position of
care and custody at the time of the incident.
Responding
Child Advocacy
Centers
One Stop
Family Focused
Reducing Trauma
Neutral
MDT
Forensic
Interviews
BCAC
How can we support the family
through the investigative process?
CPS safety plan (contact with alleged
suspect)
Encourage cooperation with law enforcement
and court processes.
Is there a victim/family advocate available at
the local CAC or court?
Court – Risks for Recantation
Can the case be prosecuted?
Child’s age – not a reliable witness
Prominence of alleged suspect in community
Inconsistencies in evidence
Must prove beyond a reasonable doubt