Allegations Of Abuse Research Articles

The Child Sex Scandal and Modern Irish Literature: Writing the Unspeakable by Joseph Valente and Margot Gayle Backus

Reviewed by: The Child Sex Scandal and Modern Irish Literature: Writing the Unspeakable by Joseph Valente and Margot Gayle Backus Ellen Scheible The Child Sex Scandal and Modern Irish Literature: Writing the Unspeakable, by Joseph Valente and Margot Gayle Backus (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2020, 300 p., paperback, $28) Joseph Valente and Margot Gayle Backus’s The Child Sex Scandal and Modern Irish Literature: Writing the Unspeakable performs at least two essential, timely, and intimately dependent acts for literary criticism by testifying to literature’s ability to confront sexual trauma and offering such conclusions as the results of communal and collaborative work. Through intricate and rigorous close readings of literature, ranging from James Joyce to Anne Enright, and nuanced applications of psychoanalytic theory, Valente and Backus outline the way that Irish literature engages modern social and cultural discourse, as well as silence and abstraction, to identify sexual trauma in Ireland since the late nineteenth century. Just as they consistently suggest that intracommunity recognition of child sex scandal in Ireland is essential to recovering the social repression of trauma, they also offer academics a reminder of how we might save the Humanities from dissolution and despair: write, think, and witness together. Reinforcing their urgent call to face the consequences of years of sex scandal in Ireland and their clear commitment to collaborative writing, Valente and Backus join forces with another important voice critical of the Irish State’s approach to years of national violence, Fintan O’Toole. In giving O’Toole the opening pages for a thought-provoking foreword, Valente and Backus connect their work to current political writing outside the literary canon and underscore the social urgency of their project. After summarizing a brief history of scandal in Ireland following Irish independence, O’Toole points out a paradox underlying the state’s attention to sexual violence from the 1990s on: “the exposure of child abuse was at once profoundly political and largely depoliticized” (xii). O’Toole’s foreword is a cross-disciplinary call to arms, asking that critics and thinkers address the heart of scandal that lies in the isolated nationalism that developed in Ireland from “the tight intertwining of the Catholic Church with both the institutions of government after Irish independence in 1922 and the [End Page 143] moral and ideological underpinnings of independence itself” (xi). This is perhaps one reason why Valente and Backus’s text resonates in many ways outside of the disciplines of literature and literary criticism: the application of their work is internationally significant as we face another climax of global capitalism with a pandemic wreaking havoc on the most destitute and vulnerable members of our communities and immigration reform driving the platforms of most conservative politicians. Our ability to emerge from the trauma of loss and disenfranchisement caused by COVID-19, and experienced by refugees decades prior during mass migrations, will depend on our willingness to accept that its effects are wide ranging and prolific, not marginal or misrepresented. For Valente and Backus, this is how we must approach trauma stemming from institutional abuse and the rhetoric of citizenship, through recognition that it is a substantial component of modern life for many and not an anomalous state of existence for only a handful of survivors. In the United States in the 1980s, diagnoses of misremembered childhood trauma, or False Memory Syndrome, dangerously affected the way we understood the cultural and sociological representations of trauma that we used in our daily lives. One of the most dramatic and harmful effects of those discussions emerged in the way we understood trauma to be rare or inconsistent and, therefore, uniquely positioned to “other” those who underwent traumatic experiences, often marginalizing them as outsiders to normative culture. When discussing the impetus of the book, Backus occasionally tells the story of Jennifer Freyd, who began remembering sexual abuse by her father as an adult, and Freyd’s parents, who denied her claims by forming an organization called the False Memory Syndrome Foundation. Through the nonprofit’s work, they popularized a term—false memory—that became one of the most effective tools to instill doubt not only about allegations of child sex abuse but in all forms of sexual violence...

Meeting the need for independent medico-legal opinions in child abuse cases: Public or private paediatric practice?

Aim: To (i) identify how many child protection paediatricians provide review opinions for alleged child abuse cases outside their own jurisdiction; (ii) identify practices and perspectives about how this work is done.

Gender Bias in Cross-Allegation Domestic Violence-Parental Alienation Custody Cases: Can States Legislate the Fix?


 
 
 “Parental Alienation Syndrome” (PAS), developed by Dr. Richard Gardner in 1985, posits that a frequent dynamic in child custody disputes involves vengeful mothers falsely convincing their children that they have been sexually abused by their fathers. Although PAS is widely discredited and courts have ruled it inadmissible, new formulations of the theory, such as Parental Alienation (PA), continue to play a dominant role in custody proceedings. Proponents of PA assign the label to a broad range of custody cases in which children favor one parent and reject the other. However, despite the seemingly more gender-neutral framing of PA, empirical research shows that courts use PA to discredit mothers’ allegations of domestic violence and abuse and justify custody switches away from the mother. This Note analyzes the gender bias in family courts’ handling of custody cases involving cross-allegations of domestic violence and PA, and then proposes four legislative provisions aimed at reducing the effects of such bias in custody proceedings.
 
 

Reproductive Abuse in the Context of Clergy Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

In a significant number of cases, clerical sex offenders impregnate their victims and force them into hiding, abortion, or adoption. This phenomenon is referred to in this paper as reproductive abuse. Clearly, most victims of reproductive abuse are adults, but even among minor victims of clerical child abuse, between 1 and 10 percent may have experienced reproductive abuse. On the basis of pertinent studies, this paper explores archival material on several dozen allegations of reproductive abuse in the context of clergy sexual abuse of minors in the US Catholic Church. Besides some tentative estimates of the general frequency of the phenomenon, this paper offers a distinction of three different types of reproductive abuse and an analysis of the interplay of clericalist and secular misogyny, which appears to be largely responsible for the silencing of victims as well as for the impunity of perpetrators and leads to the invisibility of this phenomenon, despite the high importance attributed to reproductive issues in the Catholic context.

Adult memory for instances of emotionally stressful and non-stressful repeated events

ABSTRACT Repeated offences, such as domestic violence, are often distressing for victims. When victims of such offences make an allegation of abuse, they are usually required to report details about specific incidents. Therefore, this pre-registered study examined whether memory for an emotionally stressful versus non-stressful repeated event would differ depending on the instance being recalled. Eighty female participants (Mage = 22.3, SD = 7.4) imagined being involved in four abusive (emotionally stressful repeated event) or non-abusive relationship instances (non-stressful repeated event) over a four-week period. One-week after the last instance, participants completed recall and source memory questions about each instance. We found no evidence that memory for stressful versus non-stressful repeated events differed depending on the instance being recalled. Instead, we found that memory was more accurate for the last instance relative to the other instances (i.e., recency effect), regardless of event stressfulness. We also found that memory accuracy was better across all instances in the stressful than the non-stressful group. The findings suggest that victim-survivors of abuse might find the last instance of abuse particularly memorable when the delay between the offence and report is one-week or less, and the stressfulness of the instance might help them recall more details.

‘I was punished for telling the truth’: how allegations of parental alienation are used to silence, sideline and disempower survivors of domestic abuse in family law proceedings

This article presents empirical findings from a research study conducted by Women’s Aid Federation England and Queen Mary University of London looking at domestic abuse and the family courts. The study found that allegations of parental alienation were frequently being used during child arrangements proceedings to obscure and undermine allegations of domestic abuse. These findings are presented against a backdrop of a recent revival of ideas around alienation in the family court in England and Wales. The article highlights a growing body of evidence demonstrating the gendered assumptions underlying parental alienation as a concept, and argues that the concept should not be accepted without analysis and understanding of the harmful impact it has on survivors of domestic abuse and their children.

Recurrence of Substantiated Maltreatment Reports between Low-Income Parents With Disabilities and Their Propensity-Score Matched Sample Without Disabilities.

Using the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect dataset, 127 low-income parents with disabilities and a propensity score matched sample of 254 parents without disabilities were compared for the rates of repeated substantiated child maltreatment allegations and potentially distinct risks for substantiated child maltreatment recurrence. The number of substantiated child maltreatment allegations was not significantly higher for low-income parents with disabilities (M = 1.17, SD = 1.83) than their matched sample (M = .93, SD = 1.44) (t = -1.29, p = .197). Findings from the negative binomial regression indicated that parental disability was also not a significant predictor for repeated substantiated child maltreatment allegations among low-income parents after controlling other risk factors (Exp(B) = 1.16, p < .353). In both groups, black parents were more likely to have repeated substantiated maltreatments than white parents. For parents with disabilities, being an older parent, receiving SNAP benefits, having a daughter, and having a child in continued out-of-home care significantly increased the risk for repeated substantiations while having a GED or higher education degree and living with a larger number of family decreased the risk. For parents without disabilities, family instability was the only additional risk factor for repeated maltreatment substantiations.

5 - Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and the management of Equatoguinean Refugees from 1960 to 1979

From the colonial period to the end of the dictatorial regime of Macías Nguema in Equatorial Guinea, many Equatoguineans were forced into exile by the authorities of that state. Anti-colonial struggles and the repression by Macías Nguema caused a massive influx of refugees into Cameroon. Some of these refugees worked in Cameroonian plantations. The Spanish colonial authorities in Equatorial Guinea accused the government of Cameroon of exploiting their citizens in their various industrial plantations in Bandjock and Akonolinga. The Cameroonian government, in response, denied having used the refugees in contravention of international laws. This article analyzes the presence of Equatoguinean refugees in Cameroon as well as the controversy and tensions surrounding their use in industrial plantations in Cameroon between 1960 and 1979. It concludes that while allegations of abuse of Equatoguineans in Cameroonian industrial plantations are difficult to substantiate, there is evidence that Cameroon did provide support for anti-colonial and dissident Equatoguinean exiles, which negatively affected the relations of the governments of President Ahidjo and Macías Nguema.

Family Court Responses to Claims of Parental Alienation in Quebec

Abstract An increasing number of cases of parental separation involve high conflict and claims that a parent is alienating a child. This study analyzes reported family law cases involving claims of parental alienation in Quebec between 2017 and 2020 (n = 164). Bivariate analyzes were undertaken to establish correlations between family characteristics (child's age, safety issues concerning the children and parents, severity of the parental conflict, child's age, allegations of domestic violence and child abuse) and court decisions. Judges made a finding of parental alienation in a minority of cases where a claim of alienation was made, and in more than a quarter of cases did not resolve the claim. Issues of family violence were raised in about a quarter of the cases where alienation was an issue. The courts rarely dismissed a claim of violence and made a finding of alienation. The most common outcome of all cases was a continuation of the status quo, with a custody reversal in only a few cases (n = 7). Mothers were more often alleged to be engaging in alienating behaviour, but there is a lower rate of judicial substantiation of alienation against mothers, and the study did not find evidence of gender bias. Judicial findings of alienation were associated with substantiation by a child custody evaluator or the child protection service. Only a small portion of cases resulted in orders psychosocial interventions. The authors argue that courts, agencies professionals need to better address issues of parental alienation and family violence.

“The Fans of Michael Jackson v Wade Robson and James Safechuck”: Forensic Fandom and the Staging of a Media Tribunal

This essay analyses fan reactions to the sexual abuse allegations brought forward against Michael Jackson in Leaving Neverland ( Dan Reed, 2019 ). In particular, it focuses on fans’ production of nonfiction media produced in defense of Jackson, trying to restore the artist’s reputation by discrediting his accusers. Based on textual and content analysis of videos by The Michael Jackson Innocent Project (MJIP) and its wider network, this essay positions these videos within the context of documentaries and nonfiction programs produced on the singer. Arguing that the videos represent a form of “forensic fandom,” the essay maintains that fans stage a “media tribunal” against Jackson’s accusers to defend the singer. Because of their biased argumentation, however, fans reinforce myths about disingenuous allegations of sexual violence.

Black Church Rumor

AbstractIn 1992, Jet published “James Cleveland Infected L.A. Youth with HIV, $9 Mil. Lawsuit Claims,” which detailed how the Chicago-born gospel musician had not only allegedly sexually abused his foster son, Christopher B. Harris, but had also “[given] him the AIDS virus.” This article takes this incident of rumor or accusation as a critical opportunity to think about the archival reality of Black queer sexuality, on one hand, and sexual violence in Black gospel music history on the other. Using the legal documents from Christopher B. Harris v. Irwin Goldring as Special Administrator of the Estate of James Cleveland and commentary from Cleveland's contemporaries, it exhumes Cleveland from dusty church closets for consideration in the history of HIV and AIDS in African American Protestant church and gospel communities and in Black queer studies, ethnomusicology, and gender and sexuality studies. Further, it theorizes “Black church rumor” as a lens for Black queer religious studies and argues that Cleveland's perceived queer sexuality distracted from Harris's allegations of sexual abuse. Thus, it situates Cleveland—the person, the preacher, and the gospel legend—in the literature on “down low” sexuality and explicates the implications of Cleveland's legacy and role in Black gospel music production.

Спортивна дипломатія Королівства Саудівська Аравія

The paper is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of sports diplomacy as part of the soft power of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in the context of the implementation of Vision 2030. The research analyzes the factors of interdependence between current domestic, regional, and global policies of Saudi Arabia. The paper highlights the reasons and motives of the representatives of the House of Saud for the modernization of the country, which is based on economic and social principles and requires positive information coverage at the global and regional levels. The study provides a detailed description of sport-washing. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the KSA sports diplomacy as one of the areas of Vision 2030 implementation. The methodology of the system approach is used in the study, i. e., system-structural analysis and system-functional analysis, as well as event-analysis, method of decision-making analysis, and prognostic method. The research deals with the information, communication, and organizational levels of sports diplomacy. Strategic negotiations with leading international associations, information support, and development of the domestic and international network of the sports industry can help reduce the conflict setting and establish mutual understanding with the domestic and foreign publicity. The launch of large-scale government programs not only promotes sports in the KSA but also aims to raise national sports standards and the educational setting and attract domestic and foreign investments (King Abdullah Sports City, NEOM, the Kingdom’s Capital of Entertainment, Qiddiya Sports and Arts, etc.). The monarchy’s global image is apt to be improved by holding international competitions in many sports and the participation of Saudi athletes in international sporting events, including the Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The Kingdom is alleged to face a number of obstacles to implementing its Vision 2030 foreign policy strategy and conducting sports diplomacy, including allegations of human rights abuses, interference in the Yemen conflict, and strained relations in the region.Thus, the development of sports diplomacy does not play a minor role in implementing the new foreign policy doctrine of the KSA and requires an analysis of methods and tools to predict the further development of the study area and the country in general.

False Memories in Minors as Alleged Victims of Sexual Abuse

When referring to the issue of child sexual abuse, we are facing a situation of vulnerability for minors, who immediately require an interdisciplinary intervention that guarantees their emotional, physical, and social stability. However, it turns out to be a challenge for professionals in psychology, to be able to discern between a real argument of the alleged victim and a false memory established by external factors in the minor. It should be clarified that this article never tries to question, revictimize or not consider as real the minimum manifestation of sexual abuse by any person. This article highlights the importance of professional expertise when assessing a minor who has revealed alleged abuse. Multiple studies and publications have been carried out that refer to the implantation of false memories or recollections in people. Therefore, a conceptual, methodological, technical, and ethical review of the discrimination of memories by professionals in psychology is necessary.

Evaluating Allegations of Misconduct at Ford from an Internal Control Perspective

The creation of large companies by bringing together the capital made it compulsory to form the executive staff. While the financial reports inform the stakeholders about the company's activities, the quality of financial information disclosed in these reports is ensured through independent and public audits. These audit activities give the stakeholders confidence in the usefulness of the financial statements in their decisions. Company managers create internal control systems to ensure their self-control and evaluate whether internal audit activities and business activities are carried out as they have determined. In addition, corporate governance practices that developed after many company scandals in the 2000s aimed to create a fair, transparent, accountable, and responsible management approach and structure in the management processes of companies. In addition to all these, companies apply the ethical principles they have determined to their employees and the parties they are in contact with. The development of information technologies enables companies to reduce the complexity of corporate management and auditing practices and allows these activities to be carried out faster. When there is a disruption in audit activities, there may be misleading financial statements, fraud, or misconduct. This study was prepared on allegations of corruption or abuse in an automotive company in the first quarter of 2021. The study examines the allegations as they are reflected in the press and evaluates them in terms of internal audit activities in line with the information disclosed.

Neglect subtypes in relation to rereport and foster care entry outcomes

BackgroundThere have been mixed findings on whether neglect increases the risk of re-report and foster care entry compared with other child maltreatment types. Studies suggest that child neglect can be broken into subtypes which, in turn, may lead to different child welfare outcomes. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine whether the re-report and foster care entry outcomes varied by child maltreatment type, specifically the subtypes of neglect. Participants and settingData were derived from a regional longitudinal study with linked CPS and state-level administrative data. Participants (n = 4867) included children with reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and six neglect subtypes. Cox regression models were used to assess the probability of recurrence and foster care entry outcomes. ResultsMost neglect subtypes were more likely to be re-reported than physical abuse and sexual abuse, and physical neglect was more likely to be re-reported than lack of supervision (HR = 1.20). Children reported for physical neglect was more likely to be placed in foster care than children with reports of physical abuse and other subtypes of neglect. ConclusionsThis study provides new insight on whether families with child neglect allegations are at increased risk of re-report or foster care entry outcomes compared with other child maltreatment allegations. Given the significant individual, system, and societal costs of neglect, we hope this study facilitates rigorous investigation of child neglect and the potentially modifiable factors or targets for intervening to prevent the re-report of child maltreatment and foster care entry.

Sexual abuse of people with intellectual disabilities in residential settings: a 3-year analysis of incidents reported to the Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate

ObjectivesTo explore characteristics of sexual abuse within residential settings for people with an intellectual disability and to map out measures undertaken and improvement plans made by healthcare organisations after sexual...

20 FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS: AN EXPLORATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE NEED FOR ADULT SAFEGUARDING LEGISLATION

Abstract Background The investigation of, and interventions on, the alleged abuse of vulnerable adults, including older people,has become an important feature of social work.Policy and practice in adult safeguarding is characterised by competing debates about how regulators define core concepts and reporting systems. It has been argued that the introduction of specialist legislation could enhance responses to adult safeguarding (Montgomery et al.2016). This study sets out to shed light on how social work practitioners are navigating cases in the absence of primary legislation and to explore what benefits or challenges there might be should adult safeguarding legislation be fully enacted in the Irish context. Methods Focus Groups (N = 2) and face to face interviews (N = 14) were held with social work practitioners using a critical incident technique.An online survey questionnaire was also administered with N = 116 responses. Results Social workers reported that adults at risk were ‘falling through the cracks’ due to the absence of adult safeguarding legislation. In relation to older people, the issue of coercive control by another family member was repeatedly highlighted as a significant issue for which there was no legislative intervention available. Legislative powers such as a duty to cooperate, duty to share information and a duty to involve the adult at risk in the safeguarding process were deemed critically important but absent. In addition, social workers reported that the lack of access to support services for the adult at risk was significantly impacting on their ability to safeguard. Conclusion Whilst the current policy measures in place offer some protection, it is evident that social work practitioners believe that safeguarding procedures should be placed on a statutory basis to ensure the safeguarding process is applied in a consistent and effective way. Reference Montgomery, L., Anand, J., McKay, K., Taylor, B., Pearson, K. C., &amp; Harper, C. M. (2016). Implications of divergences in Adult Protection legislation. Journal of Adult Protection, 18(3).

COVID-19 and International Law: The Continuing Importance of International Law Obligations during Public Emergencies

The current COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a number of growing global concerns, apart from its more apparent impact on human lives, economies and health systems across the world. Particularly concerning is an increase in military response to the pandemic, employed by countries as a means of enforcing lockdown regulations and curbing the spread of the virus. This increase in state power, through countries’ armed forces, has seen alarming reports of alleged state abuses during both declared and de facto public emergencies, with alleged abuses ranging from more palpable assaults on human rights to the less obvious. In light of this complexity, this comment reflects on the importance of local responses to COVID-19 in upholding global human rights and humanitarian standards, as a guide to state responses to the pandemic. It does so by highlighting prominent examples from current global affairs, with at least two from South Africa, and extrapolating critical lessons using an international law perspective. The comment aims to serve as a reminder of the importance of human rights in times of crisis, both for South Africa and the world at large.

\u201cIt was with my consent since he was providing me with money\u201d: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo

BackgroundThe United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has been marred by widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of women and girls by UN peacekeepers. There is minimal research conducted on the perceptions of communities most affected by the SEA themselves, and even less about those below the age of 18.MethodsUsing mixed-methods data, we examined the perceptions of adolescents aged 13–17 on how the lives of women and girls have been affected by the presence of UN peacekeepers within the DRC. SenseMaker, a mixed-methods narrative capture tool, was used to survey participants around six United Nations bases across eastern DRC. Each participant shared a story about the experiences of Congolese women and girls in relation to MONUSCO personnel and interpreted their own stories by answering a series of questions. Patterns of adolescent perspectives (aged 13–17) were analyzed in comparison to all other age groups and emerging qualitative themes were mapped onto quantitative variables.ResultsQuantitative data showed that adolescents were more likely, in comparison to all other age groups, to perceive interactions between peacekeepers and women/girls as being initiated by the woman/girl, that the MONUSCO personnel was perceived to be able to offer protection, and that the interactions between local women/girls and peacekeepers were sexual in nature. Three qualitative themes emerged: poverty bringing peacekeepers and women/girls together, material/financial gain through transactional sex and sex work, and support-seeking actions of affected women/girls.ConclusionsOur mixed methods data illustrate the problematic finding that adolescents facing poverty may perceive SEA as protective through the monetary and material support gained. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on peacekeeping economies and have implications for the prevention of, and response to, peacekeeper-perpetrated SEA.

‘MINUSTAH is doing positive things just as they do negative things’: nuanced perceptions of a UN peacekeeping operation amidst peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in Haiti

ABSTRACT Haiti’s instability at the turn of the millennium demanded unprecedented changes towards community-based peacekeeping strategies. While deemed successful by some in reducing actualised violence, the UN Peace Support Operation, MINUSTAH, was wrought with allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and mired by the inadvertent introduction of cholera. To understand the host community’s experiences with MINUSTAH, data was collected around seven UN bases from 10 locations in Haiti between June and August 2017. We find that Haitian perceptions on reporting, justice and responsibility for SEA are in juxtaposition with MINUSTAH’s efforts towards stabilisation and security. While participants identified positive perceptions of MINUSTAH that aligned with the novel community violence reduction strategy employed in Haiti, outstanding concerns around SEA remain. We recommend the UN addresses its environment of impunity, alters its practices and policies to be victim/survivor-centred and improve transparency and communication with host communities. The UN must make the systemic changes necessary to address impunity or provide reparations for peacekeeper-perpetrated SEA.