Redress and civil litigation report

The Royal Commission has examined the extent to which ‘justice for victims’ of institutional child abuse has been, or can be, achieved through previous and current redress processes and civil litigation systems. This report contains recommendations in relation to the provision of effective redress for survivors through the establishment, funding and operation of a single national redress scheme and the provision of a direct personal response to survivors by institutions. This report also contains recommendations for reforms to civil litigation systems to make civil litigation a more effective means of providing justice for survivors. The Royal Commission is investigating criminal justice issues (including processes for referral for investigation and prosecution) and support services separately. It will report in relation to them in later reports

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

Alaskan school counseling: child sexual abuse curriculum for kindergarten through second grade students

Master's Project (M.Ed.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016This project reviews Erin's Law, a new law passed in Alaska, which requires all school districts to implement a prevention oriented child sexual abuse program in their schools. Existing literature on effective components of school-based child sexual abuse prevention programs is reviewed. Alaskan school counselors will benefit from information regarding child sexual abuse, a list of existing school-based child sexual abuse prevention programs that meet the requirements of Erin's Law, and a set of child sexual abuse prevention lessons relevant for students in grades K-2

Knowledge and Attitude of Mothers regarding Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse

Introduction: Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Child sexual abuse can occur in a variety of settings, including home, school, or work (in places where child labor is common). The present study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of mothers regarding prevention of child sexual abuse in a selected community of New Delhi, and to prepare and disseminate an information booklet on the prevention of child sexual abuse. The objectives of the study were: to assess the knowledge of mothers regarding prevention of child sexual abuse; to assess the attitude of mothers regarding prevention of child sexual abuse; and to prepare and disseminate an information booklet on the prevention of child sexual abuse. Method: A quantitative approach with a descriptive survey design was adopted for the study to collect data from 50 mothers selected by purposive sampling technique. The study was conducted in an urban community of New Delhi. The tools used for data collection was structured knowledge questionnaire to assess knowledge and attitude scale to assess attitude of mothers regarding prevention of child sexual abuse. Result: The analysis revealed that 90% of subjects had inadequate knowledge regarding child sexual abuse. However, 90% subjects had positive attitude regarding prevention of child sexual abuse. Conclusion: Through this study, we conclude that majority of mothers had inadequate knowledge. Therefore, a public education program is needed for parents, with the ultimate aim of protecting children from preventable harm and trauma of sexual abuse. In order to create awareness, an information booklet was disseminated to mothers regarding prevention of child sexual abuse

Resilience in Child Sexual Abuse: Role of Protective Factors

Child sexual abuse is a major public health problem with significant psychosocial consequences (Afifi & Macmillan, 2011). All child sexual abuse victims do not depict adverse consequences in later life. The variability of impact in a potentially traumatic experience like child sexual abuse is explained by the construct of resilience and it being the outcome of the influence of certain protective factors (Henley, 2010). The present article conceptualizes resilience in the area of child sexual abuse where individual, familial and community level factors are identified as predictors to fostering resilience. Formulation and development of effective interventions to reduce the impairment following child sexual abuse and to foster resilience in children, adolescents and survivors are recommended

Child Sexual Abuse, Links to Later Sexual Exploitation/High-Risk Sexual Behavior, and Prevention/Treatment Programs

This paper reviews the literature on the nature and incidence of child sexual abuse, explores the link between child sexual abuse and later sexual exploitation, and reviews the literature on prevention strategies and effective interventions in child sexual abuse services. Our understanding of the international epidemiology of child sexual abuse is considerably greater than it was just 10 years ago, and studies from around the world are examined. Childhood sexual abuse can involve a wide number of psychological sequelae, including low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Numerous studies have noted that child sexual abuse victims are vulnerable to later sexual revictimization, as well as the link between child sexual abuse and later engagement in high-risk sexual behaviour. Survivors of child sexual abuse are more likely to have multiple sex partners, become pregnant as teenagers, and experience sexual assault as adults. Various models which attempt to account for this inter-relationship are presented; most invoke mediating variables such as low self-esteem, drug/alcohol use, PTSD and distorted sexual development. Prevention strategies for child sexual abuse are examined including media campaigns, schoolbased prevention programmes, and therapy with abusers. The results of a number of meta-analyses are examined. However, researchers have identified significant methodological limitations in the extant research literature that impede the making of recommendations for implementing existing therapeutic programmes unreservedly

Is family environment a mediator of bulimia and child sexual abuse?

Reports concerning the high rate of child sexual abuse in bulimic populations have not generally been supported by empirical investigations. The current study addressed methodological problems that may have accounted for insignificant results, and investigated family environment as a possible mediator of the relationship. Results indicate a significant correlation between bulimia and child sexual abuse within a sample of college women (n = 786). Furthermore, both women with bulimia and victims of child sexual abuse reported families that were low in cohesion and independence, and higher in conflict and control. Family environment did not significantly mediate or moderate the relationship between bulimia and child sexual abuse. However, child sexual abuse mediated the relationship between bulimia and a restrictive/unexpressive family environment