NCJ Number
107620
Date Published
1986
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The widespread attention that the media has focused on child sexual abuse is partly responsible for the extensive efforts now being conducted in the areas of prevention, protection, and treatment.
Abstract
Television dramas have shown that sexual abuse can and often does occur in attractive, upper middle-class families. Television shows and home videotapes have also encouraged young viewers to resist advances and to tell a concerned adult if they are victimized. However, successful criminal prosecutions of abusers are rare, although they can occur when child protective services cooperate closely with law enforcement officers. In addition, child care professionals such as doctors and teachers often fail to abide by legal mandates to report abuse, either from confusion about the legal process or for reasons of confidentiality. The legal system's requirement of corroboration of a child's testimony is another barrier to the use of legal remedies. However, parent groups have organized to help monitor court proceedings and urge harsher laws and stiffer sentences. Other responses to the awareness of child sexual abuse include such crisis intervention services as crisis nurseries and hotlines, 14 projects authorized by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect to provide a wide range of family treatments, self-help groups like Parents United, and play therapy. Educational materials to train children how to protect themselves include a comic book using the superhero Spider-Man; a film and manual designed as participatory theater; and various books, pamphlets, and leaflets.