Effects of memory in the testimonies of children in alleged sexual abuse

Sameera Anuruddha Gunawardena,Thilinie Inoka Jayasekara

doi:10.4038/sljch.v48i4.8819

Sameera Anuruddha Gunawardena, Thilinie Inoka Jayasekara

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4038/sljch.v48i4.8819

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Abstract

Effects of memory in the testimonies of children in alleged sexual abuse

Highlights

In child sexual abuse (CSA) investigations, especially in the absence of physical findings, a properly conducted interview that taps the child’s memory and enables the child to narrate the event may become the most important piece of evidence to confirm or exclude an alleged sexual act[1,2]
When dealing with child sexual abuse cases, it is essential for investigators, judges and jurors to understand how children perceive, store and retrieve their experiences of an event and they must be aware of the many features of memory development, including its relationship to language development as well as how memory can be influenced and distorted with each retrieval
The influence of gist memory and suggestibility affecting the reliability of testimonies given by CSA victims have been extensively studied

Summary

Introduction

In child sexual abuse (CSA) investigations, especially in the absence of physical findings, a properly conducted interview that taps the child’s memory and enables the child to narrate the event may become the most important piece of evidence to confirm or exclude an alleged sexual act[1,2]. When dealing with child sexual abuse cases, it is essential for investigators, judges and jurors to understand how children perceive, store and retrieve their experiences of an event and they must be aware of the many features of memory development, including its relationship to language development as well as how memory can be influenced and distorted with each retrieval. These aspects are vital to ensure that the testimony obtained from a child reliably reflects the abusive event so that the ultimate decision on the case is fair to both the victim and the perpetrator[2]. Interview protocols such as the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol have been developed and follow up studies on the use of such protocols have shown that a well-trained interviewer with a knowledge of childhood memory development has a greater potential to obtain a reliable testimony from a child[31]

Conclusions

Key Points