Attributions of Blame in Child Sexual Abuse Victims

Attributions of self-blame, molester-blame, and blame for consequences to the victim's family were assessed in male and female child sexual abuse victims across three age groups: children (8-12), adolescents (13-17); and adult who were molested as children (18 and older). The majority of child victims rated themselves as not at all to blame for their victimizations, and totally blaming of their perpetrator. Contrasts in lower levels of blame in the child than older victim's groups are discussed with regard to developmental, clinical, and sampling issues. Gender differences were found in correlations between the three attributional variables and between attributional variables and victimization characteristics. Males, unlike females, showed evidence of blurring victim-perpetrator boundaries and a sensitivity to issues related to control. Theoretical implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Reintegration as an Emerging Vision of Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking

This article examines the discoursal shift to “reintegration” within trafficking protection programmes and policy, with emphasis upon Cambodia. The evidence indicates that non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) are progressively making “reintegration” their primary protective objective. Yet a lack of conceptual clarity prevails and is being exacerbated by models and forms of guidance which position NGOs as directly undertaking or providing for the achievement of reintegration. This article argues that NGOs and their practitioners cannot “reintegrate” anyone – at least not in any substantive sense. Drawing upon the discourse within the field of protection practice, a dualist conception of reintegration is proposed as comprised of “procedural” and “substantive” elements. Accordingly, the procedural delivery of assistance may or may not support the substantive attainment of reintegration. It is argued that the emerging focus upon reintegration reflects a broadened vision of justice which warrants further research into the social and cultural foundations necessary for its achievement.     

Child Labour Migration and Trafficking in Rural Burkina Faso

These labourers are frequently youths of 14 or 15 with no previous experience of work or conditions in the south, who leave their homes without the knowledge or consent of their parents. In some cases written agreements are made but in most cases it is only verbal. Labourers go of their own free will but in many cases they are deceived as to their destination and nature of the work. The system is open to grave abuse and there is already evidence of an undesirable type of recruiter in some of the larger towns. There is little doubt that the terms of whatever contract are frequently not observed by the employers who take advantage of the ingenuousness of the labourers (VanHear, 1982: 502) - 1930s, Ghana, extract from a colonial report on child labour on cocoa farms.     

Identifying and Working with Older Male Victims of Abuse in England

SUMMARY

The abuse of men is still very much a taboo subject, so identifying older men who have been abused in childhood or adulthood can be very difficult. This paper discusses the problems in identifying older male victims by drawing on the findings of two research projects. Statistical evidence is presented regarding the victims and the abuse they have experienced. It is argued that in general resources are not readily available to facilitate disclosure or to help men through the healing process. An example of good practice is presented by discussing the work undertaken with an older man through group work.     

Child Sexual Abuse and Psychological Impairment in Victims: Results of an Online Study Initiated by Victims

Sexual abuse of children has been a topic of scientific investigation for the past few decades. Research in this area, however, is rarely initiated, conceptualized, and conducted by victims themselves. Apart from possibly having painted a one-sided picture of sexual abuse, this presumed dominance of nonvictims might also have marginalized victims in a research area central to their lives. This study was conducted by a victims interest group as an effort to meet the need to add victims' perspectives to our current understanding of this topic. The online survey focused on investigating victims' psychosocial impairment, which was found to be extensive. Results indicated that an intact social support system facilitates better health, especially when offered early on.     

A Comparison of Sexual Assault Cases with Child and Adult Victims

Researchers have suggested that sexual assault cases involving children are treated differently than cases involving adults; they have suggested that cases with child victims are more likely to be dismissed and are less likely to result in conviction or incarceration of the offender. The present study used data from Detroit Recorder's Court to compare the outcome of sexual assault cases involving children and adults. The results indicated that cases with child victims differed in important ways from cases with adult victims, and that these differences affected case outcomes. Cases with child victims were less likely than cases with adult victims to be aggravated sexual assaults. When these differences were taken into account, offenders convicted of assaulting children faced a higher risk of incarceration than did offenders convicted of assaulting adults.     

Risk Management in Treating Child Sexual Abuse Victims and Adult Survivors

ABSTRACT

Before the 1990s, mental health professionals were rarely sued for “talking cures.” Today, hundreds and hundreds of cases have been brought against therapists working with child sexual abuse issues. Risk management needs to accommodate the current wave of lawsuits so that mental health professionals can avoid litigation. This commentary presents some of the issues involved in these cases, and suggests techniques for therapists to utilize for risk management.     

Recantation of Sexual Abuse Disclosure Among Child Victims: Accommodation Syndrome

Background: Disclosing the sexual abuse may be related on many individual and/or environmental factors in all age groups. The sociocultural context is the most influential factor of the disclosing process especially for those living in patriarchal cultural values. This study compares the impacts of sexual abuse and other sociodemographic variables between recanting and non-recanting victimized groups in Adana city from Turkey.

Methods: The samples attending our department were divided into two groups: group 1 comprised victims who recanted their first abuse disclosure, and group 2 comprised victims who insisted on the veracity of their first report at further evaluations. The characteristics of the child, family, and abuser were compared between recanting victims and non-recanting victims by retrospective data.

Results: Each group included 27 children, for a total of 54 subjects. All adverse social reactions after the sexual abuse, including keeping secrets and a repressive family attitude, were higher among group 1 victims than group 2 victims (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Although they are victimized by protecting family integrity, victims may show a tendency to keep secrets and to not immediately disclose an abuse event.     

The Voices of Victims: Surviving Child Sexual Abuse

This exploratory project had two goals: (1) to ask child and adolescent sexual abuse victims/survivors what they believed counseling and/or therapy designed to help them should entail; and (2) to learn from survivors how others (e.g., parents, social service workers, law enforcement, siblings, etc.) may have helped them deal with the negative impact of child sexual abuse victimization. A focus group methodology, using thematic analysis, was used to learn about how child and adolescent sexual abuse survivors saw these matters and to evaluate the usefulness of focus groups with this population.     

Child Protection Professionals Identifying Domestic Violence Indicators

This article presents findings from a study of 3 professional groups most frequently involved in child maltreatment cases: child protection social workers, district attorney social workers, and police detectives. The survey instrument examined the identification and concordance level of domestic violence indicators. Analysis of the research findings suggest varying differences across the 3 groups surveyed. The author discusses the importance of social work education in training professionals on domestic violence theories and assessment tools, and developing systems to assess for and address domestic violence issues, multidisciplinary approaches, and ethical practices for sharing client information.     

Relationship Therapy with Child Victims of Sexual Abuse Placed in Residential Care

Child sexual abuse victims placed in residential care present a dilemma for residential staff. Behaviors exhibited by these youth are difficult to understand and treat. Despite efforts made by staff, acting out behavior continues. This article focuses on understanding these behaviors from a relationship perspective. The combination of abuser-victim dichotomy, identification with the aggressor, self-blame, and perverse object contact are seen in the child's relationships. Staff should recognize that a child's relationship problems are not the result of their interventions, but residue of the child's past abuse. Understanding the relationship problems experienced by these youth provides means for reframing these behaviors and directing interventions.     

Research With Adolescent Victims of Child Sexual Abuse: Evaluation of Emotional Impact on Participants

The aim of this study was to evaluate the emotional impact on adolescent victims of sexual abuse from participating in a study addressing the consequences of their abuse. A total of 114 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old participated (54 sexually abused adolescents and 60 nonabused students). Both groups responded to a battery of scales to determine their coping strategies and some psychological consequences linked to stressful experiences and two questions about the emotional impact of participating in the study. Sexually abused adolescents reported fewer unpleasant emotions after participating than did nonvictim students (mean difference = .45, t[109] = ?2.934; p < .01). Adolescents who had more symptoms reported more discomfort (r_S scores between .35 and .49; p < .01). These results suggest that when ethical guidelines are followed, it is possible to survey adolescent victims of sexual abuse on aspects related to their experience without causing them significant distress.     

Infant Trafficking and Baby Factories: A New Tale of Child Abuse in Nigeria

Baby factories are new systematic abuse structures that are promoting infant trafficking, neo‐slavery and the exploitation of young women with unwanted pregnancies in Nigeria. Since this practice was first described in 2006, it has been growing rather than abating. This paper reviews the scientific literature, along with media reports, and critiques this phenomenon from a children's rights' perspective. Children born into baby factories are denied various civil rights. They also suffer abuse in the baby factories and as a consequence of being born in such places. This abuse can be classified into immediate and long term. Immediate abuse includes inadequate care and its repercussions, denial of birth registration, illegal adoption and murder. Long‐term or delayed abuse that they may be exposed to includes health‐related consequences, neglect, death, child labour, prostitution and other sexual abuse, organ trafficking and recruitment as child soldiers. Various factors are thought to drive the baby factory phenomenon which include poverty, high infertility rates and the profitability of local and inter‐country adoptions. Programmes directed at addressing the root cause of the problem are needed in order to eliminate infant trafficking. Also, clear laws that delineate inter‐country adoption and infant trafficking need to be enacted. Most importantly, baby factories need to be recognised as child trafficking routes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

‘New systematic abuse structures that are promoting infant trafficking, neo‐slavery and the exploitation of young women’

Key Practitioner Messages:

• A new type of child abuse and human trafficking that targets infants has emerged in Nigeria in what are described as ‘baby factories’.
• Baby factories are criminal entities that exploit young girls with unwanted pregnancies and the practice is growing.
• Children born in baby factories suffer a range of immediate abuses and are exposed to long-term abuses.
• Baby factories violate several articles in the Convention on the Rights of a Child.

‘Criminal entities that exploit young girls with unwanted pregnancies’

Citing Literature

Number of times cited: 5

• Olga B. A. van den Akker , Cross-Border Surrogacy , Surrogate Motherhood Families , 10.1007/978-3-319-60453-4_8 , (199-230) , (2017) . Crossref
• Olusesan Ayodeji Makinde, Clifford Obby Odimegwu and Stella O. Babalola , Reasons for Infertile Couples Not to Patronize Baby Factories , Health & Social Work , 42 , 1 , (57) , (2017) . Crossref
• Peter Sidebotham , Kneeling on Mung Beans , Child Abuse Review , 25 , 6 , (405-409) , (2017) . Wiley Online Library
• Olusesan Ayodeji Makinde, Olufunmbi Olukemi Makinde, Olalekan Olaleye, Brandon Brown and Clifford O. Odimegwu , Baby factories taint surrogacy in Nigeria , Reproductive BioMedicine Online , 32 , 1 , (6) , (2016) . Crossref
• Olusesan Makinde, Bolanle Olapeju, Osondu Ogbuoji and Stella Babalola , Trends in the completeness of birth registration in Nigeria: 2002-2010 , Demographic Research , 35 , (315) , (2016) . Crossref

Volume 25 , Issue 6 November/December 2016

Pages 433-443