NCJ Number
172416
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1998) Pages: 47-60
Date Published
1998
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The repeat victimization of abused children is discussed, with emphasis on the advantages of a victimological approach to this problem in assisting child protection agencies in directing their resources to the children who are most in need.
Abstract
Many children experience multiple incidents of abuse, involving either the same perpetrator or different perpetrators. However, neither the literature on child abuse nor the literature on repeat victimization has considered why some abused or neglected children are more vulnerable to further abuse than others. Victimology has highlighted the interaction between the victim and the offender. It places the full responsibility for the incident on the perpetrator. However, it also recognizes that offenders naturally select the child most vulnerable to their advances, the child who is unlikely to expose the event, and the child who is perhaps lonely and neglected enough to regard the abuse as attention and affection. Examining victim differences that shape the risks of repeat victimization is one aspect of efforts to reduce a child's vulnerability to subsequent victimization. Suggested glossary of terms, checklists, and 77 references (Author abstract modified)