Analyses of Child Sex Abuse Cases in Turkey: A Provincial Case

Sexual abuse is a significant problem, especially for children, but only a limited number of sexual abuse cases involving children are reported to the relevant authorities. One hundred and fifty files recorded in the National Judiciary Information System between 2006–2012 relating to cases of child sexual abuse and considered to be within the scope of Offences Against Sexual Integrity pertaining to Turkish Penal Code were analyzed for this research. Statements of the victims, defendants, and witnesses, together with the minutes issued by law enforcement officers, hospital or forensic reports, and arrest warrants were used to collect data. The average values and percentage test analysis were used to assess data. A large portion of the sexually abused children were determined to be between 14 and 17 years of age, female, and had been abused before, while a majority of the abusers were between 19 and 25 years of age, and all of the abusers identified as male. Most of the cases of abuse were planned and carried out under threat, and a certain number of such crimes resulted in pregnancy, were repeated systematically, and became evident when the mothers of the abused children found out or when a pregnant child was referred to a hospital for childbirth. The sexual abuse of children is a significant problem for Turkish society, just as it is for other societies, and it is recommended that further research be conducted with a broader scope in order to present this issue more clearly and to develop solutions.     

Utilizing Online Training for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: Benefits and Limitations

The prevalence of child sexual abuse demands innovative approaches to prevent further victimization. The online environment provides new opportunities to expand existing child sexual abuse prevention trainings that target adult gatekeepers and allow for large scale interventions that are fiscally viable. This article discusses the benefits and limitations of conducting online organizational trainings from the perspective of participants, including what participants found effective, what challenges were most commonly encountered, and trainee perspectives of the program's overall impact. The final section provides recommendations and lessons learned for practitioners and researchers who hope to utilize and assess online prevention trainings in the future.     

Use of the One-Way Mirror in Child Custody Reunification Cases

Abstract

This paper describes a desensitization protocol that uses the one-way mirror as a tool to reintroduce children to an alienated or estranged parent. The one-way mirror provides a physical and psychological barrier from direct contact with a parent whom the child fears and allows the clinician to more easily control the pace of the reunification process. Allowing a child to view the estranged parent from behind the one-way mirror can significantly reduce a child's anxiety and provides a shield of safety that can make the reunification process tolerable, if not fun. A well equipped viewing room that uses electronic communications technology can permit the child and parent to talk to one another by speaker, thus further alleviating anxiety as the child can hear the estranged parent's voice and ask questions from behind the mirror. A protocol is described that can be adapted to clinics without access to a one-way mirror, and a case example is provided.     

Do Child Abuse and Interparental Violence Lead to Adulthood Family Violence?

The cycle of violence posits that victimized children grow up to victimize others. Three forms of the cycle have never been tested: whether exposure to physical victimization and interparental violence additively or interactively increase risk for adulthood (a) child abuse perpetration; (b) partner abuse perpetration; or (c) partner abuse victimization. These hypotheses were tested in a nationally representative data set (1985 National Family Violence Survey) comprising 6,002 participants. Dually exposed, compared to singly exposed, women had significantly increased risk for adulthood family violence. Frequency of family‐of‐origin violence predicted adulthood child and partner abuse through both main and interactive effects.     

Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Body Safety Training for Young Children in Turkey

The “Body Safety Training Program” is an education program aimed at ensuring children are informed about their body and acquire self-protection skills. In this study, a total of 83 preschoolers were divided into experimental and control groups; based on a power analysis, 40 children comprised the experimental group, while 43 children comprised the control group. The “Body Safety Training Programme” was translated into Turkish and content validity was determined regarding the language and cultural appropriateness. The “What If Situations Test” (WIST) was administered to both groups before and after the training. Mann–Whitney U Test, Kruskal–Wallis Variance Analysis, and the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test were used to compare between the groups and the Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine the strength of the relationship between the dependent and independent variable. The differences between the pretest and posttest scores for the subscales (appropriate recognition, inappropriate recognition, say, do, tell, and reporting skills), and the personal safety questionnaire (PSQ) score means for the children in the experimental group were found to be statistically significant (p < .001). The posttest–pretest difference score means of the experimental group children for WIST saying, doing, telling and reporting, total skills, and PSQ were found to be statistically significant as compared to that of the control group (p < .05). The “Body Safety Training programme” is effective in increasing the child sexual abuse prevention and self-protection skills in Turkish young children.     

Psychologists' Practices Compared to the Expectations of Family Law Judges and Attorneys in Child Custody Cases

Abstract

Three recent studies have explored the practices of psychologists (Ackerman & Ackerman, 1997), family law judges' expectations (Ackerman & Steffen, 2001), and family law attorneys' expectations (Ackerman & Kelley-Poulos, 2001) in child custody cases. This study compares psychologists' practices with judges' and attorneys' expectations as previously reported in the above studies. Similarities and differences among the groups are analyzed and discussed. Psychologists, judges, and attorneys are more alike than different in their practices, with notable exceptions reported. Implications for interpretation and recommendations in child custody cases are discussed.     

The Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Other Trauma on Drug Court Participants

Within the context of a larger study of drug court participants, this study examined the impact of traumatic experiences on psychiatric distress and on court outcomes. In the analyses, the participants (n = 229) were separated into 3 groups: childhood sexual abuse (CSA; n = 18), other trauma (n = 134), and no trauma (n = 77). The CSA group had higher mean scores on depression, anxiety, panic disorder, social phobia, somatization, and posttraumatic stress disorder than the other trauma group. Path analyses suggest that a history of trauma is a positive predictor of psychiatric distress and negative court events (positive urine screens, sanctions, etc.), with indirect effects on substance abuse severity, and failure in the drug court. These results suggest a need for the initial assessment procedure in drug courts to include a screening for trauma history, including CSA. They also suggest a need for trauma-informed care within drug courts.     

Boundaries and Family Practices: Implications for Assessing Child Abuse

SUMMARY

Family practices related to hygiene, affection behavior, and privacy were studied using a sample of mental health and child welfare professionals. The professionals were asked to use their own experience to state up to what age it was acceptable for parents and children of the same gender and mixed gender to engage in certain family practices. For virtually all family practices, respondents reported lower appropriate ages for mixed gender pairs. Family practices were acceptable for mothers with their daughters up to older ages than fathers with their sons. Results indicate high variability in the responses regarding appropriate ages, as well as whether the behavior was ever acceptable. The implications of these substantial differences among professionals who often assess these practices as “soft signs” related to abuse are discussed.     

Etiological Patterns of Child Abuse and Neglect

A review of the various etiological possibilities for child abuse and neglect, designed to offer an additional and different possibility. Consideration is first given to problems, namely the lack of universal definition, heterogeneous effects, and retrospective research. The probability of multifactor models is noted, and sexual abuse is given separate consideration, followed by an exploration of the existing models termed ecological, transactional, transitional, and attachment. An interactive aggression model is then offered as the new possibility. Empirical evidence for cultural and/or ethnic predispositions suggests that society can be a supporting or inhibiting factor in terms of promoting or opposing violence.     

Understanding Child Outcomes: An Application to Child Abuse and Neglect

Recently, there have been several empirical studies exploring the effects of abortion on child outcome by correlating the availability of abortion to a mother at the time of a child's birth. This paper presents a model that helps explain the process, as well as establish that the incidence of child neglect is also reduced by access to abortion. It argues that the birth of a child reduces the desired quality of not only that particular birth but of all previous and subsequent offspring. More specifically, a family does not reduce the quality invested in a particular child, whether unwanted or not, but in all family members. Several propositions derived from the model are empirically tested. Some of the findings include that access to abortion reduces the neglect of children, yet is positively associated with sexual abuse. Furthermore, unlike the stylized facts, blacks and female-headed households are no more likely to neglect and abuse their children than other households once availability of abortion, employment status, income and other variables are taken into account. Finally, income and the poverty rate are found to be unrelated with maltreatment, while other variables such as the unemployment rate have better explanatory power.     

Child Abuse Investigation and Treatment for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

Abstract

Deaf children are more susceptible than other children to abuse in home and institutional settings. Many helping professionals are unaware of the unique vulnerabilities and needs of the deaf; this lack of awareness limits the effectiveness of their services to that population. Laws and ethical standards mandate that social workers and others use communication methods that deaf clients can understand; however, many human service agencies rely on less than adequate means of communication in child abuse investigations and other procedures. Such ineffective intervention practices fail to protect a vulnerable population of children who literally cannot speak for themselves.     

Child Abuse and Sudden Infant Death

In times past, parents were usually blamed when an infant died suddenly and unexpectedly. A more caring attitude evolved with the adoption of the term ‘cot death’ or ‘sudden infant death syndrome’ (SIDS). Recent research looking at the factors responsible for SIDS has focused on aspects of child care and parental behaviour. Epidemiological studies confirm that several risk factors associated with child maltreatment are also to be found in many families who experience a sudden infant death. Social deprivation and other well-known associated features linked to maltreatment are correlated with sudden death in infancy. It is suggested that both physical abuse (suffocation is the most usual mechanism proposed) and neglect (failure to thrive, failure to recognize and treat illness) are important mechanisms. Infanticide (filicide) has existed widely over past centuries and its continuation in modern times is reflected in the highest murder rates of all age groups in infancy. However, much fatal abuse and neglect remains hidden, as demonstrated from the results of detailed fatality reviews. The evidence linking child abuse and neglect with sudden unexpected death in infancy is reviewed.     

Perceived Needs for Support Program for Family With Child Sexual Abuse Victim in South Korea: Focus Group Interview With Therapists and Mothers

This study assessed perceived needs for psychological support program for family with victim of child sexual abuse in South Korea. We conducted two separate focus group interviews with five therapists who served child sexual abuse victims and families as well as four mothers of a child sexual abuse victim. Consensual qualitative research analysis revealed four domains: Emotional support for parents, psychoeducation, family therapy, and tailored and flexible service delivery. Core ideas of the four domains were identified. The results were consistent with the family support program contents developed in Western countries and suggested culture-specific contents and culturally sensitive service delivery. Clinical implications for developing family support program in South Korea were discussed.     

The Relationship between Knowledge and Child and Caregiver Distress during the Medical Examination for Child Sexual Abuse

When child sexual abuse is suspected, a child sexual abuse–related medical examination is recommended to ensure the child's well-being. While the extant research has sought to identify factors influencing child distress during this examination, only recently have studies began examining variables that may be directly associated with the child or with the medical setting. Knowledge of the child sexual abuse–related medical examination is one medical-related variable that has been implicated in child and caregiver distress during the examination. The current study contributes to the existing literature by investigating associations among examination knowledge in relation to caregiver and child anxiety at the time of a child sexual abuse–related medical examination, taking into account ethnicity, past child abuse, injury to child as result of abuse, and caregiver response to disclosure. Sixty-eight children and their nonoffending caregiver were assessed. Results indicated that understanding of the examination and caregiver response to disclosure were significantly associated with caregiver and child anxiety.     

Outcry Consistency and Prosecutorial Decisions in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

This study examines the correlation between the consistency in a child’s sexual abuse outcry and the prosecutorial decision to accept or reject cases of child sexual abuse. Case-specific information was obtained from one Texas Children’s Advocacy Center on all cases from 2010 to 2013. After the needed deletion, the total number of cases included in the analysis was 309. An outcry was defined as a sexual abuse disclosure. Consistency was measured at both the forensic interview and the sexual assault exam. Logistic regression was used to evaluate whether a correlation existed between disclosure and prosecutorial decisions. Disclosure was statistically significant. Partial disclosure (disclosure at one point in time and denial at another) versus full disclosure (disclosure at two points in time) had a statistically significant odds ratio of 4.801. Implications are discussed, specifically, how the different disciplines involved in child protection should take advantage of the expertise of both forensic interviewers and forensic nurses to inform their decisions.     

Pornography and the Organization of Intrafamilial and Extrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse: Developing a Conceptual Model

This paper uses a case study (the experience of having been sexually abused as a child) and a review of the relevant literature as the basis for developing a conceptual model of the relationship between intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation, and the role of adult and child pornography in it. The paper illustrates some of the characteristics and effects of pornography and child sexual abuse including: gender; intra- and intergenerational patterns of victimization; coercion and compliance; the sexualization of the child; pornography and prostitution; and the function of incest as a form of pimping for the perpetrator and as grooming for extrafamilial abuse. It also illustrates the way in which pornography is a part of all forms of intrafamilial and extrafamilial abuse and is itself a form of organized abuse. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Introduction to the Volume on Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases

ABSTRACT

Recent JCC articles on the topics of gender bias in domestic violence research and practice and parental alienations syndrome are critiqued, with a brief preview of related articles on these topics scheduled for the upcoming special issue on domestic violence. The problem of false negative and false positive errors in evaluations of abuse allegations are discussed and the social psychological factors that contribute to systems failure in family courts are examined.     

Group Treatment for Child Sexual Abuse: Treatment Referral and Therapeutic Outcomes

A quasi-experimental design was used to compare the effectiveness of group (game-based cognitive behavioral) therapy to group-plus-individual therapy for child sexual abuse. The sample consisted predominantly of children from economically disadvantaged, African-American or Latino backgrounds. Pretreatment scores were examined in order to determine which factors influence treatment referral decisions. Results suggest that children who were referred for individual therapy in addition to group therapy report higher pretreatment levels of sexualized behavior. Posttreatment differences were also compared across therapy conditions. Results suggest that individual therapy is needed to address the sexual concerns of survivors but that it may not be needed to augment the effects of group therapy for other symptoms. Implications for treatment are discussed.     

Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse within the Family System: Guidelines for an Educational Social Group Work Program

Children have the right to be brought up in safe environments. However, this right is often infringed by people who are supposed to provide love, care, and protection to children. These people can include biological fathers, step-fathers, brothers, cousins, aunts, mothers, and uncles. Violation of children takes place in a variety of ways, however, for the purpose of this paper, the focus is on child sexual abuse within the family system. A literature review is adopted as the methodology for the discussions in this paper. The purpose of this paper is firstly to demonstrate that child sexual abuse happens within the family system in South Africa, and secondly, to argue that the prevention of child sexual abuse should start within the family system and this can be achieved by conducting educational social group work sessions on child sexual abuse with the family members.