Turkish School Counselors’ Experiences of Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: A Brief Report

This article reports results from a qualitative study conducted with a purposive sample of 25 Turkish school counselors who reported child sexual abuse. Participants were asked to identify resources they consulted, describe how they felt, and identify sources of support and barriers in the reporting process. The laws (68%) were the most consulted resource, while negative feelings (84%) were cited the most. The most cited sources of support were colleagues, lawyers, and school principals (20% each), while school principals also ranked first as barriers (44%), followed by incest victims’ families (32%). Participants predominantly desired safety and security of the reporter ensured (48%). Implications for a more functional child protection system and a reporter-friendly legal system in Turkey are discussed.     

The Place of Culture and Religion in Patterns of Disclosure and Reporting Sexual Abuse of Males: A Case Study of Ultra Orthodox Male Victims

ABSTRACT

This article deals with reporting patterns of sexual abuse in males in a religious-cultural context through a case study of ultra-Orthodox Jewish (Haredi) men who were young victims of sexual abuse. The study is based on in-depth interviews with 40 Haredi men. The results indicate that sexual abuse involving ultra-Orthodox boys was and is underreported. Moreover, the results indicate that even when such incidents were reported, the avenues for disclosure were parents, educational-religious figures, and friends. It was also found that silencing in matters related to sexuality, viewing sexual abuse in boys as a serious sin and taboo, and encouraging blind obedience—all of which characterize Haredi society—were factors in the underreporting. The results also show a strong tendency to cover up incidents of sexual abuse on an individual level, on a family level, and at the community level. The findings indicate a linkage between the religious and cultural background of male victims of sexual abuse and their reporting patterns.     

Proxy reporting in education surveys: factors influencing accurate reporting in the 2012 Qatar Education Study

Abstract

Proxy reporting is a common practice during survey data collection to increase response rates while reducing fieldwork costs, and agreement between proxies and self-reports is critical to make reliable and valid inferences. This study is the first to unpack what influences proxy accuracy in a non-Western setting using data from the 2012 Qatar Education Study. We find that agreement is a function of a student’s grade in school, grades, a parent’s level of education, and the interaction between immigration status and parent education. These findings suggest in multicultural contexts, agreement may vary based on factors beyond what is typically accounted when examining the components of reporting error as a result of using proxies over self-reports.     

Disclosure of sexual assault experiences among undergraduate women at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs)

ABSTRACT

Objective: To document the sexual assault disclosure experiences of historically black college or university (HBCU) students. Participants: A total of 3,951 female, undergraduate students at 4 HBCUs. Methods: All women at the participating schools were recruited in November 2008 to participate in a Web-based survey including both closed- and open-ended questions. Survey data were weighted for nonresponse bias. Results: The majority of sexual assault survivors disclosed their experience to someone close to them, but disclosure to formal supports, particularly law enforcement agencies, was extremely rare. Nonreporters had concerns about the seriousness of the incident and their privacy. On the basis of qualitative data, strategies identified by students to increase reporting included more education and awareness about sexual assault, more survivor services and alternative mechanisms for reporting, and better strategies for protecting the confidentiality of survivors. Conclusions: Official sexual assault victimization data are of limited utility in conveying the extent of sexual assault among HBCU students, and efforts to increase reporting, such as peer education and enhanced confidentiality procedures, are needed.     

Public Opinion on Mandatory Reporting of Abuse and/or Neglect of Older Adults in Manitoba,Canada

This article discusses the results of a survey administered as part of a study titled, “Legislation and Service Provision Regarding Abuse and/or Neglect of Older Adults in Manitoba.” Public views of mandatory reporting and knowledge of legislation were investigated in the case where an older adult is living at risk of abuse and/or neglect in Manitoba, Canada. The survey data demonstrate that older respondents stated that mandatory reporting was not always preferable, except when an older adult was clearly diagnosed as incompetent and, even with no evidence, thought to be at risk. With less awareness of the topic in general, and with less contact with older adults, younger adults had much stronger views in support of mandatory reporting in all cases. Little knowledge and awareness of legislation existed in all age groups, although older adults knew more about such abuse and/or neglect than younger adults. Given the projected increase of older adults in Canada in the next 20 years, it is critical that the prevention of abuse and/or neglect and protection of older adults be addressed.     

Cultural and Ethical Issues in Korea's Recent Elder Abuse Reporting System

The primary purpose of this article is to examine the relevance of cultural values, such as familism and individualism, that influence public policy implementation processes for protecting older adults in Korea and the United States. The secondary purpose is to identify ethical dilemmas and policy implications for effectively implementing the recently developed public law designed to protect vulnerable older adults in Korea. This article discusses both similarities and differences found in the two countries' elder abuse reporting systems and the service delivery systems for protecting older adults at risk of abuse and neglect.     

Commentary: Perverse Incentives or Rotten Apples?

Around 2% of the investigators admit to have falsified or fabricated data at least once. Also, 34% report to have been guilty to one or more questionable research practices, such as doing many statistical analyses and to publish only what fits their theoretical framework. Prevention of questionable research practices is very important. Universities should ensure that the training is in order and the research culture is adequate, and they should critically look at perverse incentives, such as a too high publication pressure, but also by ensuring proper guidelines, and by having a fair and transparent procedure for suspected violations of scientific integrity.     

The political mobilities of reporting: tethering,slickness and asylum control

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on the coerced mobilities associated with reporting, meaning the mandatory requirement to regularly check-in with authorities for the purpose of control. Drawing on recent calls for a politics of mobility and advances in carceral geographies, we attend to the forces, movements, speeds and affective materialities of reporting with a focus on deportable migrants and the UK Home Office. In doing so we develop two conceptual lenses through which to further understand the politics of mobility. First, we develop the concept of ‘slickness’ in the context of the process of becoming detained at a reporting event. We understand slickness as a property of bodies and objects that makes them easier to move. Second, we argue that reporting functions to ‘tether’ deportable migrants; thereby not only fixing them in place, but also forcing the expenditure of energy and the experience of punishment. The result is that reporting blurs the distinction between detention and ‘freedom’ by enacting the carceral in everyday spaces.     

如何建构同性恋报道的“真实”与“意义”——基于新闻叙事视角与聚焦的分析

同性恋是一种独特的社会存在与文化现象,目前虽然在法理、医学等方面已被认可,但在新闻报道中仍然存在简单化、污名化等刻板印象,且具体表现在新闻叙事视角与聚焦的选择及由此建构的“真实”与“意义”中。新闻叙事的视角和聚焦选择体现的是对叙述对象的态度,严谨合适的选择不仅能创造新闻报道的文本价值,就同性恋报道而言,同样对社会知识和经验的构建有着进步的意义。