Oct 8, 2008

Child Sexual Abuse | Introduction

The problem of child sexual abuse has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. The American media have reported numerous cases in which persons in positions of trust—including day care providers, clergymen, and scout leaders—have been accused (and in some cases convicted) of molesting children under their care. Many of these charges have been made by adults who claim to have recovered repressed memories of abuse they were subjected to as children. Other widely reported stories have involved children being abused—and sometimes murdered—by convicted child molesters newly released from prison. In addition, pedophiles have reportedly lured child victims into abusive situations via the Internet. Commentators point to such developments as evidence that the problem of child sexual abuse in the United States is alarmingly serious.

On the other hand, some researchers and social critics, while agreeing that child sexual abuse is a horrendous crime, maintain that the extent of the problem has been exaggerated due to various causes. Media critics contend that intensive reporting of a few sensational cases has created a sense of panic among the public. Others question the validity of the recovered memories that are the basis of many child abuse accusations. In addition, the victimization of children, society’s most vulnerable members, automatically provokes intense anger among parents and concerned citizens who demand action on the part of law enforcement. While such outrage is natural and understandable, some commentators argue that the public’s response to recent developments has been excessive and has created the impression that the problem is worse than it actually is.

Varying estimates
This debate remains unresolved in part because it is impossible to determine the exact extent of the problem. Experts believe that most cases of child sexual abuse are never reported to authorities. In fact, the FBI has estimated that only 1 percent to 10 percent of child sexual abuse cases are reported to the police. Children often do not report being sexually abused because they are ashamed, are afraid of repercussions, or are reluctant to betray their abusers. In addition, many reports of child sexual abuse are never substantiated, either because they are unfounded or because they cannot be proven. Child sexual abuse cases are frequently difficult to prove due to a lack of physical evidence (especially if the abuse is reported a significant period of time after it occurred) or due to unreliable testimony by the child victim. For these reasons, estimates of the prevalence of child sexual abuse vary wildly. Ann Wolbert Burgess and Christine A. Grant of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing report that in nine scientific studies they reviewed, the prevalence of sexual abuse ranged from 6 percent to 62 percent for girls and from 3 percent to 31 percent for boys.

Some researchers contend that the high estimates of child sexual abuse reported by a number of studies are exaggerated, due in part to overreporting by professionals who work with children. Current law requires those who supervise or treat children, such as teachers and doctors, to report any and all possible cases of child abuse to law enforcement authorities. These professionals are immune from prosecution if they make mistaken allegations but are liable for criminal penalties if they fail to report a case. This “mandated reporting,” according to Richard A. Gardner, a clinical professor of child psychiatry at Columbia University, has resulted in “overreporting of even the most absurd and impossible allegations.” Gardner and other critics of mandated reporting laws maintain that this overreporting by professionals has led to inflated statistics on child sexual abuse.

Critics contend that the problem of overreporting is compounded by the manner in which reports are handled by child protection agencies and investigators. Social workers are frequently accused of being too eager to believe charges of abuse, to remove children from their homes, and to subject parents to intensive scrutiny. In addition, child protection officials have received a great deal of criticism for their performance in a number of highly publicized child sexual abuse cases, such as the Mc- Martin Preschool case in Manhattan Beach, California, in which two defendants were tried and subsequently acquitted on charges of molesting dozens of children. According to K.L. Billingsly, a fellow at the Center for Popular Culture, videotaped interviews with the children in that case revealed that therapists used “coercive methods” and “manipulated the children into making false accusations.” Critics point to this and similar cases to substantiate their assertion that child protective service agencies are overly zealous in their investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse accusations, thereby exaggerating the scope of the problem.

Underreported and lightly prosecuted
Many others counter that child sexual abuse is an underreported problem. As noted previously, most experts agree that the majority of cases of abuse are never reported by the victim. Moreover, the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse disputes the contention that professionals overreport abuse. The center maintains that many of those who are mandated to report suspected abuse “do not report serious cases because they do not believe the child protection or legal systems will follow up the case effectively.” In short, according to the center, professionals are underreporting rather than overreporting the problem of child sexual abuse.

Moreover, many commentators defend child protective service agencies against claims that they are too eager to believe reports of child sexual abuse. According to the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse, “Up to 60% of child sexual abuse reports are not even believed.” The center also rejects the argument that child sexual abuse cases are investigated and prosecuted with excessive zeal. Due to the difficulty in proving such charges, according to the center, “suspects arrested for sexual offenses against children are less likely to be prosecuted than other violent offenders.” In one study of sexual abuse allegations in day care centers, 82 percent of the charges were dismissed, the center reports. The center also notes that those convicted of child sexual abuse are given relatively light sentences; only 19 percent receive sentences of more than one year.

Disagreement regarding the reporting and prosecution of child sexual abuse cases reflects deeper dissension about the extent of the problem in American society. The contributors to At Issue: Child Sexual Abuse examine the prevalence of child sexual abuse, the reliability of recovered memories of abuse, the seriousness of the problem of child abuse committed by other children, and whether priests who have molested children can be reintegrated into society. By focusing on these issues, the authors in this anthology confront one of the most disturbing and destructive crimes that society faces—the sexual violation of children. Child Sexual Abuse ALL 2/11/04 12:07 PM Page 8