NCJ Number
161948
Date Published
1995
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article is an edited version of a lecture presented at a hearing on the sexual abuse of children in institutions, a hearing organized by the Norwegian Ombudsman for Children in Oslo in November 1994.
Abstract
The hearing took place in the aftermath of the notorious Bjugn case. Although it led to the withdrawal of all charges against the suspects and the accused, the case caused widespread concern in Norway about the sexual abuse of kindergarten children. Topics discussed in the hearing lecture included the frequency of sexual abuse at the kindergarten level and the possible origin of the fear of rampant abuse in day care facilities following an "epidemic" of nursery crimes in the United States. The lecture also addressed the reliability of child witnesses, the contamination of children's evidence in sexual abuse cases, the possibility of making valid diagnoses of child sexual abuse based solely on psychological or physical symptoms, and moral panic surrounding the male "sexaholic." The author concludes that, although sexual abuse of children in day care facilities appears to be uncommon, all rational measures to prevent such abuse should be taken and irrational measures that may lead to panic and undue suspicion should be avoided. 32 references and 2 notes