NCJ Number
213162
Date Published
March 2000
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Intended for persons living or working in Native American communities, this monograph explains how to respond to a child who tells an adult that he/she has been sexually abused.
Abstract
The reactions of the adult who first receives the child's disclosure or initiates questions that lead to disclosure can influence the degree of stress and trauma a child victim experiences. This monograph offers 10 guidelines for how an adult should react to the disclosure and what he/she should do. First, believe the child. Although the disclosure may bring an instinctive shock and revulsion in an adult that may foster a tendency to deny the truth of what the child is saying, this reaction should be resisted. The adult should proceed in the conversation under the assumption that the disclosure is true. Do not question the child in a manner that suggests he/she is being tested for truthfulness. Second, stay calm; showing shock or revulsion may cause the child to resist further disclosure. Third, provide a private place for further conversation with the child, a place where the conversation cannot be heard by others. Fourth, let the child know he/she is not different from other children in having been abused; assure him/her that other children have had the same problem. Other guidelines are as follows: don't make promises that cannot be kept; don't judge the offender or the offense; report the abuse immediately to appropriate authorities; tell the child why and what is being done; don't conduct a personal investigation; and seek appropriate support for one's own feelings and concerns. In addition to these 10 guidelines, the monograph explains what is likely to happen after the disclosure. Topics addressed are the types of professionals likely to be involved in the case and what they will do.