NCJ Number
122667
Date Published
1990
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The CBS news show, "48 Hours," aired on January 4, 1990, focused on the sexual abuse of children by their fathers.
Abstract
The program points out that parents go underground as the result of child sexual abuse by spouses, running from courts they feel have let them down, and determined to build a new life with a new identity. Almost all of them charge that their children were sexually abused by the other parent; such accusations are becoming more common in battles over custody. One mother, along with a child psychologist, emphasizes the view that children should be taken seriously in their claims of sexual abuse. The mother realizes she is violating the law by keeping her son hidden, but she is willing to take whatever steps are necessary to insure her son's well-being. Another parent discusses her decision to rely on the judicial system to sort out the truth and not go underground with her daughter. The comments of both parents and children indicate the emotional trauma caused by sexual abuse and the difficulties in going underground. The comments also indicate that child sexual abuse can happen at every socioeconomic level and that legal difficulties such as the use of child witnesses complicate the prosecution of child sexual abuse cases.