Governing Child Sexual Abuse

Ashenden brings a number of contemporary debates in social and political theory to bear upon the governance of child sexual abuse. In particular, drawing on the work of Foucault and Habermas.

The turn of the 1990s saw a number of high profile public inquiries into the handling of child sexual abuse cases in Great Britain. In examines the implications of these inquiries on the regulation of relationships between families and the state, author Samantha Ashenden brings a number of contemporary debates in social and political theory to bear upon the governance of child sexual abuse. In particular, drawing on the work of Foucault and Habermas, Ashenden looks at: * how to analyze the boundary between public and private spheres * the legal and scientific determination of legitimate intervention * the relationship between democracy and expertise in the governance of social life. Timely and topical, this book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of social and political theory, political sociology, the sociology of law, and social policy.

Successfully navigate the minefield of misinformation that can prevent justice from being done in child sexual abuse cases!From the Foreword, by Robert Geffner, PhD, editor of the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: “Too often, the public and some professionals have been misled by media publicity and articles . . . that appear scientific, but in reality, are biased opinions or over-generalized research. Forensic cases are being decided in many courts based upon the recommendations of so-called 'expert witnesses’who do not actually know the clinical research or understand the dynamics of such abusive relationships.”This much-needed book points out and corrects misinformation that everyone who works with victims, offenders, or families in which sexual abuse has occurred needs to understand clearly. Especially vital in today's political climate, Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors gives you state-of-the-science information on such myths as “false memory syndrome,” “recovered memory therapy,” and the “lack of harm” to some sexually abused boys.Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Survivors examines: forensic issues, including the “false memory” defense and how the long-term impact of childhood sexual abuse is often misrepresented in court three separate expert examinations of Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman's well-known--and often misrepresented--review of long-term child sexual abuse outcomes treatment recommendations and guidelines for addressing the memory controversy in clinical practice the fascinating case history/cautionary tale of the child molester Robert Halsey, who was convicted and sentenced to two life sentences in 1993, and how public and academic resources were misused to claim he was wrongly convicted

This important volume explores children s needs in the context ofthe policy, practice, legal and organisational responses to childsexual abuse. The chapters, written by distinguished experts in thefield, provide a critical appraisal of recent developments and keydebates concerning how to respond to child sexual abuse. Theemphasis is on keeping the child central in responding to childsexual abuse, particularly in the context of refocusing children sservices . The book is organised around a series of themesidentified by survivors of sexual abuse from the NationalCommission into the Prevention of Child Abuse. These themes includejustice mediation advocacy confidentiality communication treatmenthealing & surviving family support community perpetratorsinstitutional abuse. All of these areas provide major challenges toprofessionals and health, welfare and legal agencies. The authorsprovide practitioners with suggestions on how to meet children sneeds whilst satisfying policy and procedures. This timelyvolume * provides a child-focused exploration of children s needs * tackles key sources of conflict in practice * makes recommendations to practitioners for practice and policydevelopment The book includes discussion on how far the legislative frameworkmeets the criteria for child victims/survivors of sexual abuse andsurvival and healing strategies from the survivor as expert pointof view. It also addresses issues concerned with interviewingchildren arising from the Memorandum of Good Practice. Child SexualAbuse: Responding to the Experiences of Children is an essentialresource for social work practitioners, managers and trainers,health visitors,solicitors and lawyers involved in legal work withchildren, police officers, teachers and all those on relatedcourses.

This document provides a review of recent, state-of-the-art literature concerning the nature, extent, dynamics, and effects of child sexual abuse and examines America's preventive intervention and treatment efforts for child sexual abuse. After an extensive presentation of the problems of defining terms in sexual abuse, these topics are discussed: (1) scope of the problem, including incidence of abuse; (2) dynamics of sexual abuse, focusing on perpetrators, intrafamilial child sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation; (3) effects of sexual abuse on children and families; (4) prevention education for parents, efforts for professionals, efforts targeted at children, and an evaluation of prevention efforts; (5) intervention; (6) the legal response to child sexual abuse, including statutes and legal intervention; and (7) treatment for victims and offenders. A 226-item reference list and a 30-item selected bibliography are included. (ABL)

In Cleveland in 1987 a medical diagnosis of child sexual abuse was made in 127 children, resulting in their removal from home. The consequent intense scrutiny and public criticism around the case, together with the subsequent Butler-Sloss inquiry, resulted in the medical evidence being discredited, giving rise to a system which relies on children to speak out about their abuse. This book argues that this 1987 crisis continues to shape child protection today, resulting in opportunities to protect children being missed. Now re-issued with a substantial new introduction and concluding reflections, this book provides the only account by key professionals directly involved in the Cleveland cases, allowing readers to understand what really took place in Cleveland and why it continues to matter today. It analyses the many failures to address the plight of sexually abused children and makes constructive suggestions for the way forward to provide more effective interventions for children at risk.

Whilst the value of human integrity within the laws of individual states and the documents of international human rights is being increasingly consolidated and will become, sooner or later, the primary concern of the law, severe breaches of this value are indeed still widespread. In particular the sexual exploitation of children constitutes one of the most serious questions of national, regional, transnational and international law. According to international records, every fifteen seconds a child is raped in Africa alone. Almost half of the cases heard by the ICTY concern the sexual exploitation of women and children during armed conflict. More or less similar conclusions may be reached regarding the ICTR or the SCSL. In Rwanda alone, 500,000 females were raped. Almost 200,000 females and children have been the victims of cruel forms of sexual violence during the conflicts in Congo. Sexual abuse of children by priests cannot any longer be concealed in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, France, Ireland, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States, although it is ignored in most Islamic countries. The sexual exploitation of children is also widely practised in many other countries. Regrettably, 79% of all world trafficking is for sexual exploitation. The principal subject matter of this book is the legal etymology of sexual exploitation governing minors. The aim is to identify and analyse jus cogens and obligation erga omnes in relation to the sexual exploitation of children and to evaluate the international responsibility of states in relation to the elimination or prevention of the crime, and the prosecution and punishment of offenders.

Child sexual abuse by clergy within the Roman Catholic Church has emerged as a social and political discourse over the last three decades. The analysis here specifically focuses on the establishment, conduct, and outcomes of the extensive public inquiries of Australia, although inquiries in other jurisdictions are also discussed. Unlike criminal or civil processes, although they may be inquisitory in nature, public inquiries emerge from a specifically political context and are a tool of governance embedded in a larger context of governmentality. Understanding the broader political and cultural contexts of public inquiries is important, then, in understanding their value and effectiveness as justice processes – especially for victims of CSA by clergy. What is interesting about public inquiry is that it situates victims of CSA by clergy outside of criminal and civil justice processes and recognises a different politicised relationship between victims as citizens, the state, and Catholic institutions where abuse has occurred. At the cutting edge of disciplinary and methodological understandings of the interconnections between the church, state and families, his book explores the dynamics of the emergence and politicisation of victims of CSA by clergy, their expressions of resistance and the legitimisation of their voice in public and political spheres.

This book sets out an integrated systems model which utilizes a public health approach and 'whole of society' philosophy for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. It guides those engaged in policy, practice and planning concerning gender based violence and child abuse towards a more systemic approach to tackling these problems.