Sh-h-h-h : Representations of perpetrators of sexual child abuse in picturebooks

Children’s picturebooks dealing with the topic of child sexual abuse first appeared in the early 1980s with the aim of addressing the need for age-appropriate texts to teach sexual abuse prevention concepts and to provide support for young children who may be at risk of or have already experienced sexual abuse. Despite the apparent potential of children’s picturebooks to convey child sexual abuse prevention concepts, very few studies have addressed the topic of child sexual abuse in children’s literature. Based on a larger study of 60 picturebooks about sexual child abuse published over the past 25 years, this paper critically examines eight picturebook representations of the perpetrators of sexual child abuse as a way to understand how potentially dangerous adults are explained to the young readers of these texts

An age of consent : press representations of endemic sexual abuse of young girls by Pitcairn Island men : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Women's Studies at Massey University

This thesis is an analysis of press representations of Pitcairn Island women's complaints of child sexual abuse by the island's men. Press constructions of the case provide an opportunity to analyse how western society represents the alleged endemic sexual abuse of young Pitcairn girls by family and family friends. A database of 93 press reports draws on British, New Zealand and Australian newspapers and includes reports from the first mention of criminal charges in March 2001 until most of the charges had been laid against offenders in July 2003. A dual research method combines a chronological content analysis of the whole database with a detailed discourse analysis of two reports to examine how discursive strategies categorised, minimised and normalised the Pitcairn crimes. Representations of familial/familiar sexual abuse in the Pitcairn case do not fit with stereotypical constructions of child sexual abuse as 'psychopathic' violence and 'paedophilic' stranger-danger. This thesis shows that the press diffused the issue as one of cultural, rather than sexual, consent in order not to have to explain the contradiction-in-terms that is endemic familial/familiar sexual abuse of young girls in a respectable community. Cultural relativism undermines the credibility of the women complainants. The thesis argument is that the press finds the issue of familial/familiar sexual abuse of girls younger than 12 years of age. which is the most prevalent category of sexual abuse in society, difficult to represent

Using court reports to enhance knowledge of sexual abuse in sport

Sexual abuse in sport is a relatively recent addition to the research agenda but has risen to prominence as a result of a number of highly-publicised cases. For scientists it is difficult to gain access to data on sexual abuse in sport through conventional survey or interview methods, or to verify media reports of such cases. One potential alternative source of data is court reports. The study reported here used a small number of court reports to examine a range of issues confronting those researching sexual abuse in sport. The following two questions were investigated: What characterised the perpetrators who were sentenced for sexual abuse in sport? How useful is content analysis of court reports for acquiring more knowledge about sexual abuse cases in sport? Altogether 15 sport-based cases were revealed from the Norwegian Lovdata (Lawdata) website. Some perpetrator-related patterns of risk and harm arising within and across the cases were examined: the findings confirm many of those of previous studies in relation to the characteristics of perpetrators and the absence of any perpetrator stereotype. The article concludes that court reports provide one valuable, yet still incomplete, source of information against which to test our understanding of sexual abuse in sport

CHILDHOOD SEXUALABUSE: THE BOTSWANA PERSPECTIVES

The African Child, particularly the female child is in constant threat of sexual abuse for many reasons. Some of the reasons are neglect by parents, exploitation by older males, family poverty and a variety of situations which include crime rate, war or oppression. In some African countries, underage female children have been forced into marriage, resulting in physical and emotional damage, and sometimes res ul ting in HIY and other sexually transmitted diseases. Botswana, like any other African country has its own incidence of childhood sexual abuse, which has now become a global phenomenon. This paper explores the magnitude of childhood sexual abuse in Botswana through cases reported to the Botswana Police, and those handled by Resource Centres, namely Child line and the SOS Children Village. While it is true that it is sometimes difficult to determine the extent of childhood sexual abuse for a number of reasons, such as the consequences of blame, shame or guilt to mention a few, nevertheless, its monitoring in any community is helpful to ascertain its prevalence so that appropriate measures and interventions could be taken. The forms of childhood sexual abuse investigated in this paper were, incest, defilement and rape. It is observed that the incidence of sexual abuse were in this order: rape, followed by defilement and incest. More cases of defilement and incest were reported to Resource Centres compared to the Law of Enforcement Agency. The factors reported as being responsible for child sexual abuse in Botswana were socio-economic factors exposing the victims to abuse such as drinking depots in the villages where young girls easily fall victims

Celibacy and the child sexual abuse crisis

Celibacy has received a great deal of media attention recently due to the well-publicized sexual abuse crisis in the U.S. Roman Catholic Church. The Boston Globe reported in January 2002 that a Roman Catholic priest had sexually abused 138 children over 30 years as a parish priest and that religious superiors including Cardinal Bernard Law knew about the sexual abuse allegations and did nothing to stop them. After national and international media began to investigate these and other allegations of child sexual abuse committed by priests, within just a few months approximately 255 American priests including several bishops were accused of child sexual abuse and volunteered, or were forced, to resign. The Church has paid almost a billion dollars in legal settlements regarding child abuse allegations during the past 20 years

The Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases.

Of all crimes against children, sexual abuse has arguably captured the greatest share of attention from child advocates, professionals, policymakers, and the general public. During the 1980’s, increasing numbers of victims were identified each year (American Association for the Protection of Children, 1988) and concerns about this crime intensified. However, a dramatic shift in child sexual abuse trends has occurred. Data from child protective services (CPS) agencies across the country indicate that the increases of the 1980’s were followed by an extensive period of marked declines in the 1990’s. Unfortunately, little effort has been expended to uncover the reasons why fewer cases of child sexual abuse have been identified each year. The decline in child sexual abuse cases is being highlighted as a part of OJJDP’s Crimes Against Children Series to illustrate the importance of tracking and investigating trends in child victimization. This Bulletin uses data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and the Annual Fifty State Survey conducted by Prevent Child Abuse America to present evidence about the decline in reported and substantiated child sexual abuse cases since the early 1990’s. Several explanations for the decline are considered, and corresponding policy implications are discussed

Testimony, Responsibility and Recognition: A Ricoeurian Response to Crises of Sexual Abuse

How can we, as individuals and as members of religious, educational, and/ or social institutions, more adequately respond to the crises of sexual abuse that have come to light in recent years? This paper will address this question through the philosophical lens of Paul Ricoeur. The argument proposed here is that through Ricoeur’s hermeneutics of testimony, responsibility, and recognition, we can begin to approach, address, and evaluate the crises of sexual abuse we face by grounding our ethical reflections, and actions, within a more robust philosophical framework. Therefore, this paper will proceed as follows. The first three sections will investigate Ricoeur’s writings in order to glean from them three distinct hermeneutical approaches to three different sets of criteria at play in contemporary crises of sexual abuse: first, a hermeneutics of testimony, related to memory and history; second, a hermeneutics of responsibility, related to authority and justice; and, finally, a hermeneutics of recognition, related to forgiveness and forgetting. Insofar as each of these hermeneutical approaches offers us some insight into the problematics underlying crises of sexual abuse, the fourth section will offer an evaluation of these approaches by focusing on the specific case of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. The final section will consider possible avenues for resolution of these crises through Ricoeur’s notion of exceptional “states of peace,” at the heart of which lies mutual recognition. My hope is that this contribution provides new avenues for conversation and deliberation, as well as new resources and frameworks for articulating and implementing responsible action in the face of sexual abuse

Descriptive Analysis of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Incidents Closed by the Alaska State Troopers: 2008–2011 — Final Report

This report presents a descriptive analysis of sexual assault and domestic violence incidents closed by the Alaska State Troopers for the period January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2011, as part of an effort to systematically document the formal processing of sexual assault (SA), sexual abuse of a minor (SAM), and domestic violence incidents reported to law enforcement agencies in Alaska.Report prepared under Grant #2013-BJ-CX-K031 from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice.Acknowledgements / Key Findings / Introduction / PART I: Sexual Assault and Sexual Abuse of a Minor Case Records / Case Record Characteristics / Suspect Characteristics / Victim Characteristics / Suspect and Victim Alcohol/Drug Use / Characteristics of Sexual Assault/Sexual Abuse of a Minor Incidents / Legal Resolutions of Sexual Assault/Sexual Abuse of a Minor Cases / PART II: Domestic Violence Case Records / Defining Domestic Violence / Sample Assessment: Domestic Violence Cases / Case Record Characteristics / Suspect Characteristics / Victim Characteristics / Suspect and Victim Alcohol/Drug Use / Characteristics of Domestic Violence Incidents / Legal Resolutions of Domestic Violence Case