NCJ Number
162219
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 23 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1996) Pages: 260-268
Date Published
1996
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Professionals worldwide face many common problems in their attempts to combat child abuse, including the need to deal judiciously with child abuse allegations, but cross-cultural differences exist in the relative emphasis societies place on the problem of child abuse and differences in legal systems constrain solutions to social problems in important ways.
Abstract
Many cultures throughout the world have been influenced by the British legal system. Nevertheless, each society has added its own local procedures to protect children from abuse and possible stress during legal proceedings. Some countries have established mandatory reporting laws to ensure social intervention in child abuse cases, and some countries have dropped laws requiring corroboration of child sexual abuse as a prerequisite for prosecution and have relaxed child competence laws. Innovations to ease child testimony have also been implemented, particularly the use of closed circuit television. In addition, psychological research on child witnesses and child abuse reflects the issues raised and the values represented in each country. The status of international child witness research is examined, along with legal innovations currently used to accommodate child witnesses in the courtroom and research investigating the effectiveness and implications of such innovations. 4 references