NCJ Number
105031
Date Published
1984
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The author, a psychiatrist, discusses his experience in treating child sexual abuse and incest in the United Kingdom. He concludes that cases of minor indecency with children should be treated less harshly because most children do not suffer any long-term damage.
Abstract
He observes that incest between father and daughter is the most common form of child sexual abuse and that, often the victim does not particularly object. Studies of incest victims indicate that the experience generally has few serious long-term effects. Further, a majority of incestuous fathers are not convicted of additional offenses. Nonincestuous sex offenses against children tend to involve older victims; and in about two-thirds of cases the victim cooperates freely with the abuser. The author notes that for both incest and other sexual abuse victims, the traumatic effects of sexual assault can be made worse by the reactions of parents and the criminal justice system. The overall effect of overreactions and criminal justice system processing of the case is to turn a minor incident into a major incident for the child.