How Dutch legal professionals assess statement credibility: evidence from a survey and an analysis of 518 court rulings on sexual abuse

Child abuse is prevalent worldwide, although it is often underreported. we describe the pattern of child abuse and neglect presenting to the emergency room of our hospital, the sociocultural changes which brought this about, and suggest ways to deal with this emotionally sensitive issue. Thirteen cases of child abuse and neglect were seen in the emergency room of King Khalid University Hospital over a period of one year from July 1996 to June 1997. There were four cases of non-accidental injury, three of which had serious injury. There were three cases of sexual abuse, four cases of neglect, resulting in the death of one child and severe emaciation in another. There was one suspected case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and one case of child labor with neglect. Public awareness of the problem of child abuse has increased, and recent media reports reflect the significance accorded to the issue. As more information is obtained on this subject and policies and guidelines are set in place, efforts at reporting and preventing physical and psychological trauma will gather momentum.

A large national sample of 4,775 reports of child physical and sexual abuse made in Israel in 2014 was analyzed in order to examine whether assessments of credibility would vary according to abuse type, physical or sexual, and whether child and event characteristics contributing to the probability that reports of abuse would be determined as credible would be similar or different in child physical abuse (CPA) and child sexual abuse (CSA) cases. Results revealed that CPA reports were less likely to be viewed as credible (41.9%) compared to CSA reports (56.7%). Multigroup path analysis, however, indicated equivalence in predicting factors. In a unified model for both types of abuse, salient predictors of a credible judgment were older age, lack of a cognitive delay, and the alleged abusive event being a onetime less severe act. Over and beyond the effects of these factors, abuse type significantly contributed to the prediction of credibility judgments.

Introduction: Achieving just outcomes in sexual assault cases is one of the most serious and complex problems facing the health care and justice systems. The objectives of this analysis were to determine the prevalence and correlates of Sexual Assault Evidence Kit (SAEK) completion and release to police among sexual assault cases presenting at the hospital emergency department. Methods: Data for this cross-sectional study come from the Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Care Program (SAPACP) case registry (Jan1-Dec31, 2015) at The Ottawa Hospital, a unique medical-forensic access point and the only facility offering SAEK collection in Ottawa. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were conducted using odds ratios (OR), adjusted ORs, and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: In 2015 406 patients were seen by the SAPACP and 202 (77.10%) were eligible for a SAEK. Among eligible cases, 129 (63.86%) completed a SAEK and only 60 (29.70%) released the SAEK to police for investigation. Youth cases below 24 years of age (AOR:2.23, 95% CI: 1.18-4.23) and presenting within 24h (AOR:0.93-3.40) were the strongest independent factors contributing to SAEK completion. Cases who were uncertain of the assailant (AOR:3.62, 95% CI:1.23-10.67) and assaults that occurred outdoors (AOR:3.14, 95% CI:1.08-9.09) were the cases most likely to release the SAEK to police. Conclusion: Our study has shown high attrition levels along the continuum of care and justice for sexual assault case. Even with access to specialized forensic evidence collection, many do not complete a SAEK and even fewer release the evidence to police for legal investigation.

Immunohistochemical Staining of Semenogelin I and GPx4 Reactivities in Vaginal Swab and Biopsy Series in Rats

Purpose: Cases of child sexual abuse are becoming a serious social problem in Indonesia. The rising number of child sexual abuse cases from year to years are reported in various related institutions. It makes worried to the all of community because they can not keep an eye on their children for 24 hours.
 Methodology: The design of this study is qualitative research with literature review and theoretical review in which will looking for the right strategies for preventing child sexual abuse base on child developmental stage theory.
 Results: The results of research show that the place of child sexual abuse occurs not only in quiet places, even at home, as well as in the school where the child is studying .The gap between the child’s knowledge of how to protect themself from the threat of sexual abuse has led to the need to establish a program of preventing child sexual abuse and needs the right strategy for preventing child sexual abuse based on their developmental stages, so the cases of sexual abuse in children can be minimized.
 Implication: One effective strategy to minimize cases of child sexual abuse is self-protection training program. This program lead to equip children with knowledge to identify patterns of sexual abuse and how to deal with them. This program also primarily aimed at every child who is vulnerable to becoming a victim of sexual abuse. That is why a special appropriate strategy for the prevention of child sexual abuse is required for children. In the future, every child will get information on the prevention of sexual abuse more accurately based on the their stage of development.

BackgroundAchieving just outcomes in sexual assault cases is one of the most serious and complex problems facing the healthcare and justice systems. This study was designed to determine the prevalence...

Marital rape is a concept that many find difficult to comprehend. Until the Oregon trial of John Rideout, who was accused of rape by his wife Greta, there was little discussion of marital rape by the general public or by researchers and counselors skilled in dealing with other types of rape cases. However, the extensive media coverage given the Rideout case has raised a number of questions about this subject. For example, what actions should be defined as rape when the acts involve husband and wife? When women are forced to have sexual relations with their husbands, do they accept this as part of their marital duties or does the use of force have long-term negative consequences for the marriage? And finally, in what types of marriages does forced sex or marital rape occur? This paper attempts to answer some of these questions based upon interview data gathered from nearly 300 women.

BackgroundChildren are vulnerable to abuse and violence because their level of development makes them unable to protect themselves. Such adversities during early childhood may have a negative impact on the future lives of the victims.This study was done to determine the delay to hospital presentation, clinical manifestations and immediate health effects of child sexual abuse in two tertiary care hospitals in Ethiopia.MethodsWe reviewed records of all cases of child sexual and physical abuse between January 2011 and December 2012. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to test the presence and strength of association between time to reporting to hospital and, age and sex of the victim, place of residence and relation of the victim to the perpetrator. Odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were generated. Significance was taken as p-value < 0.05.ResultsDuring the study period, we identified records of 275 children who were seen for alleged physical and sexual abuse; they accounted for 0.6% of the outpatient department (OPD) visits. The majority of the victims were cases of sexual abuse (97.3%) and most of them were female (75.7%). The mean age of the victims was 9.5 years (standard deviation (SD) = 4.2 years). The majority of the abusers were known to the victim (73.0%) and male (98.8%). Neighbors (38.95%), teachers (7.9%) and relatives (13.4%) were the most commonly reported perpetrators. The median length of time taken to present to hospital after the abuse incident was 4 days (range = 2 hours to 3 years). Male victims were 2.4 times more likely to have a delay of greater than one week to present to hospital (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR), 2.40; 95% Confidence interval (CI), 1.34-4.31; P-value = 0.002). Sexual abuse was associated with various immediate health effects, for example, hymenal tear, urinary tract infection and, perineal laceration or tear.ConclusionPresentation for care was often delayed. Male sex was independently associated with a delayed presentation to care. We recommend that further studies are carried out to identify the reasons for delay to reporting and design mechanisms to address them.

Background and aimsChildren's initial reports often play a key role in the identification of maltreatment, and a sizeable amount of scientific research has examined how children disclose sexual and physical abuse. Although neglect constitutes a large proportion of maltreatment experiences, relatively little attention has been directed toward understanding whether and how children disclose neglect. The overarching aim of the present study was to document this process by comparing disclosure patterns in cases of neglect to those in cases of sexual abuse. MethodRedacted jurisdiction reports (N = 136) of substantiated dependency cases of neglect (n = 71) and sexual abuse (n = 65) in 4- to 17-year-olds were coded for why maltreatment was suspected, and for children's perceived awareness and disclosure of the maltreatment. ResultsNeglect was most often initially suspected via contact with emergency services (e.g., police, emergency medical services), whereas sexual abuse was most often initially suspected as a result of children's statements. Children evidenced greater perceived awareness of sexual abuse than neglect and were more likely to disclose the former in their first investigative interview. Perceived awareness was further associated with a higher likelihood of children's statements initiating discovery of maltreatment and disclosing in the first investigative interview. ConclusionsChildren may benefit from greater knowledge about their needs for safety, supervision, and provision in the home, which could increase the likelihood they would disclose neglect. Such, in turn, could lead to earlier interventions for children and families.

Removing the child—Prosecuting the offender in cases of sexual abuse: Evidence from the national reporting system for child abuse and neglect

Research on the etiology of dissociation in adults has focused primarily on childhood sexual abuse. The role of co-occurring childhood stressors and of more chronic adverse conditions such as neglect is less clear. This study examined the level of dissociation in relation to childhood trauma (sexual/physical abuse, witnessing interparental violence), early separation from a parent, and perceived parental dysfunction. One hundred sixty inpatients consecutively admitted to a general psychiatric hospital were administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the Structured Trauma Interview. The mean Dissociative Experiences Scale score was 17.4; 18.0% of the patients scored beyond 30. Early separation was reported by 26.4% of the patients; 30.1% had witnessed interparental violence; 23.6% reported physical abuse; 34.6% reported sexual abuse; 11.7% reported rape before age 16; and 42.1% reported sexual and/or physical abuse. The level of dissociation was primarily related to reported overwhelming childhood experiences (sexual and physical abuse). When sexual abuse was severe (involving penetration, several perpetrators, lasting more than 1 year), dissociative symptoms were even more prominent. Highest dissociation levels were found in patients reporting cumulative sexual trauma (intrafamilial and extrafamilial) or both sexual and physical abuse. In particular, maternal dysfunction was related to the level of dissociation. With control for gender and age, stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that the severity of dissociative symptoms was best predicted by reported sexual abuse, physical abuse, and maternal dysfunction. These findings indicate that dissociation, although trauma-related, is neglect-related as well. This implies the importance of object relations and attachment in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with dissociative disorders.

Sexual assault is one of the most traumatic crimes which leaves a deep mental and emotional scar in the victim's life. Mostly girls are the victims of sexual assault whereas boys are also victimized but are few in number. This heinous incidence hampers the normal growth and development of a growing child making them vulnerable to psychiatric disorder, drug abuse disorder and anti-social conducts in adult. This study aims at identifying the incidence of child sexual abuse in different municipal areas of Kavrepalanchok district of Nepal Methods:This is a retrospective study in which data of sexual assault victim less than 18 years presented at emergency department of Dhulikhel Hospital, KUSMS through One-stop Crisis Management Center (OCMC) by the investigating authority was studied. The data from 2076/09/01 B.S. to 2080/12/30 B.S. was included in the study. Total of 127 cases were studied. Mandandeupur rural municipality reported highest number of child victims of sexual assault i.e., 14.17%. Out of 127 victims, 4 of them were male and rests were female. Most of the victims (74.01%) were of 12-18 years age. Most of the perpetrators (51.18%) were strangers to the victim. The cases of sexual assault with children occurred mostly in the places other than house (45.66%). More than one fourth of the victims (26.77%) sustained some type of bodily injuries. Sexual assault among children is predominant among females and mostly between the teenager age group with perpetrators being stranger to the victim Psychological screening of the potential pedophiles could lead to minimizing the incidence of child sexual assault and abuse. Psychosocial counseling to the victim is must to prevent the devastating psychological effects of sexual abuse.

ABSTRACT: Sexual abuse is one of the most common traumatic events that occurs throughout the history of mankind all over the world, in all societies and cultures. purpose of the article is focus on and understand the role of improvisational music therapy in working with clients who experienced sexual abuse in their childhood. Special attention is given the role of improvisation in exposing, dealing with and healing the trauma. nature of the trauma, the function of the therapeutic process, the role of the therapist and the role of improvisation in working with traumatized clients are being described and discussed. This is followed by a case example that presents two years of work with a 32 year-old woman, who came music therapy due an inability make meaningful connections in her adult life and other problems as well. therapeutic process is divided and examined in four developmental stages that include description of the process and therapist's reflections. examination of the process indicates the powerful role that improvising music might have in bringing up, dealing with and integrating memories of sexual abuse into the client's conscious existence. Introduction Sexual abuse is one of the most common traumatic events that occurs throughout the history of mankind all over the world, in all societies and cultures (Forward, 2002; Sorensen & Snow, 1991). Reported cases of child sexual abuse reached epidemic proportions, with a 322 percent increase in the United States alone from 1980 1990 (Sorensen & Snow, 1991). It is estimated that there are 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America today (Forward, 2002). is a kind of wound. When we call an event traumatic, we are borrowing the word from the Greek where it refers a piercing of the skin, a breaking of the bodily envelope (Garland, 1998, p. 9). mind can also be pierced and wounded by events (Freud, 1920). Trauma can be a wound that stays inside a person for a long time. Sutton (2002) explains that there is a complexity of influences that reaches far beyond the place and time when the trauma actually happened. Traumatic events are often not shared with others. Most of the time, they are totally suppressed. The inability rehearse, through thinking, talking or writing about our traumatic experiences is instrumental in the genesis of traumatic forgetting, says Whitfield (1995, p. 20). In the case of sexual abuse in childhood, dissociation is often employed by children who cannot escape from the threat of abuse, as a means of mentally withdrawing from a horrific situation by separating it from conscious awareness. secret is being created and its power allows the victim feel detached from the body or self, as if what is happening is not happening (Widom, 1995). Music therapy can play an important role in exposing, dealing with, and healing the trauma. Musical improvisations are musical acts that can bring out hidden, unconscious material and make it conscious and available the client. By using analytic-musical techniques the trauma of the past can be discovered and dealt with. Nature of the Trauma Sexual abuse that originated in childhood can be such a traumatic experience that one typically cannot really deal with it and it is therefore pushed away from the conscious awareness and denied. However, it continues be active in a different form, such as a disturbance in the function of the ego or a neurosis. denial of abuse is described by Summit (1983) as a getting used to syndrome of a child who was sexually abused. It means that the child tries turn a threatening situation, person or environment into a less threatening one. This is done as a way survive, and a secret is being created. Children and adults keep the secret a long time after the abuse stopped. On one hand, the unconsciously internalized figure of the terrifying and punishing abuser makes sure that the anxiety and the emotions that have do with the abuse exist in a very alive form in the unconscious, while on the other hand keeping the secret in the unconscious allows the continuation of accepting love from the abuser on a conscious level. …

Sexual assault kits (SAKs, i.e., “rape kits”) are a forensic tool that can assist criminal justice personnel in their response to sexual assault. However, important questions emerge as SAKs are tested: What is the best way to notify victims of the forensic lab results? Because many of these SAKs were never submitted for testing, the question of how to notify victims, given the non-optimal time lapse between SAK collection and testing, becomes even more pertinent. Moreover, victims play a key role in the criminal justice response to sexual assault, as many jurisdictions rarely prosecute sexual assault cases without victim participation. Therefore, a second question is of interest: How do we accomplish notification in a victim-centered, trauma-informed way that promotes healing and encourages victim re-engagement with the criminal justice system? To address these questions, this chapter explores current advancements in the understanding of victim notification (VN) in these “cold” sexual assault cases. Topics covered include a discussion of the purpose of VN and its implications, potential issues in notification, and types of notifications. We include a discussion of best practices for victim-centered, trauma-informed VNs and how the criminal justice system can begin to make amends for past wrongs. This chapter also includes a brief summary of findings on VN from two different Sexual Assault Kit Initiative sites. While the focus will be on notifications related to “cold” sexual assault cases with previously unsubmitted SAKs, the goal is to provide direction on how to apply lessons learned to current notification practices.

Physicians, Patients, Sex and Chaperones: Rethinking Medical Regulation