Child Victims Research Articles

Positive and negative effects of child’s agency on trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties in war-like conditions. The mediating role of hope and life satisfaction

Background Children affected by war and political violence deploy agentic competencies to cope with trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties. However, it does not always act as a protective factor to help them adjust to potentially traumatic events. Aims We expected to explore the association between agency, trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties and the mediating role of hope and life satisfaction in a group of child victims of military violence in Palestine. Methods 965 children aged 8 to 14 were assessed with self-reported measures, War Child Agency Assessment Scale, Children Revised Impact of events scale, Strengths and difficulties scale, Child Hope Scale and Brief Multidimensional Students Life Satisfaction Scale. Structural Equation Modelling was performed having Agency as a predictor, trauma symptoms, psychological difficulties as an outcome variable and life satisfaction and hope as a mediator. Results We found a direct and positive effect of agency on trauma symptoms, psychological difficulties, and life satisfaction and hope on the two dependent variables. Life satisfaction and hope mediated the association between agency and the outcome variables. Conclusion Agency can help defend children from trauma and psychological maladaptation when it acts on life satisfaction and hope. At the same time, it might worsen psychological dysfunctions when working directly on trauma symptoms and difficulties. Clinical interventions must help children to foster agentic resources in activating hope and life satisfaction.

Juridical Study of the Role of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit for the Protection of Women and Children in Ensuring Legal Protection for Child Victims of Sexual Violence After the Birth of Law Number 12 of 2022

Law Number 12 of 2022 concerning Crimes of Sexual Violence exists as the main and first special rule in dealing with Crimes of Sexual Violence and as a complement to Indonesian criminal law instruments used in law enforcement against various Crimes of Sexual Violence. One of the efforts to implement the Crimes of Sexual Violence Law is the establishment of Integrated Service Delivery in the regions through the Regional Technical Implementation Unit for the Protection of Women and Children. This study uses a normative juridical research type with a conceptual approach, which aims to find out the role of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit for the Protection of Women and Children in accommodating every aspect of handling criminal acts of sexual violence, starting from efforts to prevent, handle, to recovery efforts for Crimes of Sexual Violence victims. The results of this study are: First, the Crimes of Sexual Violence Law is the main special regulation and a complement to Indonesian criminal law instruments for tackling sexual violence crimes. Second, the Crimes of Sexual Violence Law provides legal protection for victims of sexual violence by involving the Regional Technical Implementation Units for the Protection of Women and Children in provinces and districts/cities who have duties and responsibilities in terms of reporting, victim protection, investigations, and in terms of handling, protecting and victim recovery.

Sexual Grooming Behavior and Processes of Women Who Commit Sexual Offenses Against Children.

Individuals who sexually offend often engage in manipulative and coercive behavior to begin, conceal, and continue the sexual abuse of children over time, referred to as grooming behavior. The large majority of research regarding grooming behavior derives exclusively from male sex offending samples, which is problematic because male and female sex offenders vary widely in their offending patterns, motivations, and behaviors. For the present study, we examined the nature of sexual grooming and processes exhibited by a sample of 50 women convicted of sexual offenses against a child. We were guided by Craven et al. model of sexual grooming, which focuses on self, environmental, and child grooming. To date, this is the only proposed model of sexual grooming that includes self-grooming as a step in the grooming process. Data included narrative interviews with women who were arrested, convicted, and assessed for risk and community notification purposes between 2014 and 2019. We also examined interviews with victims, witnesses, and other guardians. The findings from the current study indicated that women who sexually offend utilize a variety of self, environmental, and child grooming behaviors. Self-grooming was an intricate, complex, and layered process that continued throughout the duration of the offense. Details provided by the women in our sample suggested that environmental and child grooming occurred simultaneously rather than two distinct steps. A better understanding of grooming behaviors can assist in the detection of grooming behavior, development of appropriate responses to child victims, and inform future legislation and its implementation. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

Program Evaluation of the radKIDS® Youth Personal Empowerment Safety Education Program

Developing sound evidence of program effectiveness can be difficult for many programs initiated by schools and communities, and impedes many beneficial programs from broader dissemination. This paper shares results of an evaluation approach used with a bullying and victimization prevention program with elementary school children called the radKIDS® Personal Empowerment and Safety Education Program. The purpose of this study was to examine indicators of initial effectiveness of the radKIDS® program for elementary school child safety skill development and instructor training to reduce child victimization and associated trauma and empower healthy psychosocial child development. The study involved 330 active radKIDS® instructors surveyed during two separate two-week periods, resulting in 148 completed questionnaires (45%). Instructors rated their perceptions of what children effectively learned in radKIDS®, the effectiveness of instructor training, and on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies addressed in the program. Evaluation findings confirmed the theoretical model of the program, and that the developmental safety domains impacting children in radKIDS® differs from those in other bullying prevention interventions focused on SEL and other competencies. Recommended areas of improvement for the program included making training less time consuming and more flexible in delivery, provide more practice opportunities and time on skill acquisition during training, and increase supervision and guidance during program implementation.

Child Victims and the Punishment of UN Peacekeepers for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Abstracts A growing subset of peacekeeping literature focuses on explaining peacekeeper sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of civilians within postconflict protection. However, what happens after the abuse has received limited attention. Most of the time, peacekeepers do not receive any type of punishment following abuse allegations. What explains why peacekeepers are punished for abuse allegations? I argue that the presence of child victims increases the chances that peacekeepers are punished. Two mechanisms are highlighted through which the presence of child victims increases the chance of punishment: (i) the increased moral and legal obligation of UN member states to protect children and (ii) the increased shaming and media focus on child victims, which heightens public focus. The empirical analyses of UN and Troop-Contributing Country punishment actions between 2007 and 2017 provide robust support for the argument that the presence of child victims increases peacekeeper punishment. This research builds on studies of SEA, peacekeeping dynamics, and victimhood.

Unique and shared risk factors for early childhood victimisation and polyvictimisation in a Brazilian population-based birth cohort

Identifying modifiable risk factors for child victimisation and polyvictimisation (exposure to multiple types of victimisation) is critical for informing prevention efforts, yet little evidence is available in low- and middle-income countries. The authors aimed to estimate the prevalence of child victimisation and polyvictimisation, and examine unique and shared risk factors in a population-based cohort in Southern Brazil. Lifetime child victimisation was based on maternal report when children were aged 4 years old (N∼3900) and included five types of victimisation (conventional crime, child maltreatment, peer/sibling victimisation, sexual victimisation, and witnessing/indirect victimisation) and polyvictimisation. Based on a socioecological model, possible risk factors were examined in four levels: community, maternal and family, parent, and child. Conventional crime and peer/sibling victimisation were the most common types of victimisation (46.0 and 46.5%, respectively), followed by witnessing/indirect victimisation (27.0%), and child maltreatment (11.3%). Sexual victimisation had the lowest prevalence (1.4%). One in 10 (10.1%) children experienced polyvictimisation. In general, boys had higher victimisation rates than girls. There were few risk factors related only to specific types of victimisation (e.g., child disability was uniquely associated with child maltreatment and peer/sibling victimisation). Instead, most risk factors were shared across nearly all victimisation types and also associated with polyvictimisation. These shared risk factors were: violent neighbourhood and low social cohesion, maternal adverse childhood experiences, younger maternal age, parental antisocial behaviour, intimate partner violence against mothers, and maternal depression. These findings reveal a general pattern of accumulative risk effects for different types of victimisation and polyvictimisation, rather than unique risk profiles in children aged four year Prevention efforts should target risk factors at multiple levels (e.g.,: community, maternal and family and parent) during early childhood. Wellcome Trust grant 10735_Z_18_Z.

National Bureau of Investigation: Towards Mitigating Women and Children Trafficking and Exploitation

The Philippines is one of the most trafficked countries. The Philippines is considered to be one of the most prominent online platforms for child sexual exploitation. This study will only focus on the aftercare services during the rescue and early recovery phase of the woman and child victims in violation of RA 9208- Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, as amended RA 10364-Expanded Anti-Trafficking Act in Persons Act of 2012. It will not discuss the reintegration phase for it is the scope of social work and development (DSWD). Currently, there is no figure for the actual number of trafficking for there are unreported cases and it is borderless. There are also limitations in terms of women NBI agents. Rescue operations are beyond the scope of this paper for it is classified information and it varies from one operation to another. Mitigating the trafficking of women and children begins with addressing the root causes, raising public awareness, and strengthening the task forces that deal with these cases. According to the United Nations and the U.S. State Government, there are 3Ps to mitigate trafficking in persons. The researcher found 4Ps and these are: Prevent, Protect, Prosecute, and Partnership. The fight against trafficking in human beings in the Philippines remains an urgent and multifaceted challenge that requires a holistic and multi-pronged approach. Government, law enforcement, civil society, and international allies have played a key role in increasing awareness, enacting more stringent legislation, and supporting victims. Keywords: trafficking, exploitation, aftercare services, recue and early recovery phase, multi-pronged approach, women and children

Le Malheur de Sophie et des autres: violences contre les petites filles dans l’œuvre romanesque de la comtesse de Ségur

In her novels, the comtesse de Ségur (1799–1874) often decried the harmful effects of punitive violence against little girls, although she also advocated its merits. As a pedagogical principle and an instrument of oppression, the use of force against female characters affects all social relations in the economy of her novels, from routine educational violence to physical assault. A sequential analysis of these phenomena will show how violence evolves in time and space through two corpuses of texts: the first three novels, or ‘Fleurville trilogy’ and the pair formed by the last two novels, Diloy le chemineau and Après la pluie le beau temps. We will also see how, in these narratives, the family as an institution, through its custodians, parents and surrogates, imposes on little girls a subtext of epistemic violence, embedded in the practice of ‘silencing’ the child victim.

Reflections on medicine’s recognition and response to pandemic of sexual victimization of children; challenges and progress

Reflections on medicine’s recognition and response to pandemic of sexual victimization of children; challenges and progress

A cross-sectional study of the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on domestic violence-related oral and maxillofacial injuries.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, more domestic violence-related traumas were reported. In this study, we investigated and compared the incidence of domestic violence-related injuries-in particular oral and maxillofacial injuries-in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. We conducted a cross-sectional study based on 3974 domestic violence cases registered at the Public Health Department, National Traumatology and Orthopedics Research Center of Mongolia between 2018 and 2022. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. The victims were categorized according to their age (child, adult, and elderly). The mean age of the victims was children 9.7 ± 5.4 years, adults 34.8 ± 8.3 years, and elderly 64.3 ± 8.7 years. Binary logistic regression analysis (no/yes) showed that oral and maxillofacial injuries during the lockdown increased 1.3 times (OR = 1.3; CI 95% = 1.0-1.6; p = .003) in adults and 2.5 times in children (OR = 2.5; CI 95% = 1.7-3.9; p = .001). Additionally, injuries to upper limbs increased 4.6 times (OR = 4.6; CI 95% = 3.5-6.1; p = .001) in adults and 5.2 times in elderly patients (OR = 5.2; CI 95% = 1.8-16.2; p = .01). Additionally, thorax injury in children increased 3.1 times (OR = 3.1; CI 95% = 1.7-5.7; p = .001). During the lockdown, injury to oral and maxillofacial regions increased in adult and child victims of domestic violence.

Pelaksanaan Pendampingan terhadap Anak Korban Kekerasan Seksual Oleh Lembaga Burangir di Kota Padangsidimpuan

Case of sexual violence against children can be likened to an iceberg, of which only a small number are reported while most are not reported. The stigma in society that views sexual violence as shameful makes victims afraid to report. Integrated handling of cases of sexual violence against children to ensure the fulfillment of children's rights is very important. This research aims to describe the implementation of assistance to child victims of sexual violence carried out by the Burangir Institute. The type of research used in this study is descriptive qualitative research. The data collection technique used observation, documentation and interviews. Data validity is seen by using data triangulation techniques, while data analysis goes through three processes, namely data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawing. The results showed that the implementation of assistance to child victims of sexual violence by the Burangir Institute began with the establishment of a relationship of trust, followed by data collection and diagnosis of the child's mental health condition. Plans and interventions included emotional support, provision of information and legal education, monitoring the legal process, and access to support resources. Evaluation is used to assess the effectiveness of the assistance. Finally, the termination stage is conducted. Then, in the implementation of mentoring at the Burangir Institute, there are supporting factors and obstacles that affect the mentoring process.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy: A narrative review and update for the dentist and other healthcare professionals.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP) is a form of abuse in which a caregiver with Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA) fabricates or induces signs or symptoms in a person under their care to satisfy a self-serving psychological need. Unnecessary clinical evaluations, procedures, and treatments that are initiated based on falsification by the abuser inadvertently add to the trauma experienced by the victim. It is a form of abuse and the impact on victims can be severe, sometimes fatal, and far-reaching such as prolonged neglect and extension to affected siblings. The long-term exposure to MSbP may predispose the victim to eventually developing factitious disorder imposed on self (FDIS). While MSbP often involves child victims, elderly, adults, and pets have also been reported as victims. MSbP can be a diagnostic challenge, and the important keys to timely identification of MSbP include the ability to detect deception by caregivers through awareness, clinical suspicion, and careful review of available health records; it also involves collecting collaborative information from other relevant healthcare providers including dentists, schoolteachers, and social workers. To date, there are limited published cases of MSbP with oral findings. This paper provides a narrative review of the current understanding of MSbP with a section on cases with oral findings. This paper aims to increase awareness about the clinical presentations and management considerations for MSbP among dentists and other healthcare professionals.

Harmonizing Law Enforcement Officials Against Child Victims of Narcotics Abuse

Law No. 35/2009 on Narcotics explains that drug abuse is considered a crime without victims. In handling children who are involved in drug cases, the main principle that must be considered is the best interest of the child. This principle is contained in the Juvenile Justice System Law, which emphasizes that every decision must consider the welfare of the child's life and development. The legal protection of children caught up in drug abuse causes the boundaries between perpetrators and victims to become blurred, because according to the law, drug abuse is considered a criminal offense. Therefore, the legal establishment of both the Police, the Prosecutor's Office and the Judiciary needs harmonization so that the application to children who abuse drugs can be put forward, so that children can be given legal certainty in terms of justice. This study is to analyze the harmony of legal confirmation on children as victims of drug abuse. The method used is normative juridical research with a focus on literature study which uses secondary data. The conclusion of the research is that children as victims of narcotics abusers must be given sanctions in the form of rehabilitation, not imposed criminal sanctions because what children do is a crime but without causing victims (crime without victim), harmonization of law enforcement agencies (APH) in cases of children becoming victims of drug abusers must be aligned for the welfare of children. Keywords: Law Enforcement Officers, Child Victims, Narcotics Abusers.

Children in Street Situations, Their Determinants, Survival and Strategies. Case of the City of Bujumbura

The aim of this article is to establish the link between the determinants of street life and the violence experienced by children and their survival in the city of Bujumbura. To gather the experiences of our interviewees, we used a life history with semi-structured interviews, and direct and indirect observation. To identify emerging themes, we carried out a thematic analysis of the interview content. Analysis of the empirical corpus of 43 street children reveals nine determinants at the root of the street child phenomenon, grouped into two categories, namely environmental and personal and interpersonal determinants centered on parent-child relationships. There are also determinants linked to educational styles that interact with the child's behavior. The stepmother is often perceived by children and their in-laws as a "ferocious animal’’, even in the absence of a negative upbringing. When family life fails, the street becomes an alternative. Exposed to all forms of violence, child victims become violent, and the cycle of violence is fueled. Stories of life on the streets show that every child has his/ her problems. Previous results show that the determinants of street life are multifactorial and have causal links that are part of a cyclical context of violence. Our results go further, proving that in addition to environmental determinants, there are also personal and interpersonal ones. Combating this phenomenon requires preventive action at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels: preventing the development of the problem, intervening early and, finally, treating the consequences and reintegrating the children.

How Peer Victimization in Childhood Affects Social Networking Addiction in Adulthood: An Examination of the Mediating Roles of Social Anxiety and Perceived Loneliness

ABSTRACT Research to date has rarely addressed the association between peer victimization in childhood and social networking addiction in adulthood, much less the internal mechanism underlying that association. By integrating the relational self-system processes model and the cognitive–behavioral model of pathological internet use, our study marked an initial effort to explore whether social anxiety and perceived loneliness independently and/or sequentially mediate the impact of peer victimization on social networking addiction. Using school-based random cluster sampling, we recruited 1,136 students at various colleges in eastern, central, and western China (mean age = 21.98 years, 56.2% women) to complete an online survey. The results confirmed social anxiety’s single mediation effect, perceived loneliness’s single mediation effect, and the serial mediation effect of social anxiety and perceived loneliness between peer victimization and social networking addiction. The findings suggest that certain psychopathological and cognitive factors mediate the effect of peer victimization in childhood on individuals’ symptoms of social networking addiction in adulthood both independently and sequentially. Our research contributes to clarifying how interpersonal stressors lead to psychopathological symptoms, maladaptive cognitions, and, in turn, addictive behavior, which has important implications for theory, interventions, and future research.

Rights of Restitution to Child Victims Under Law No. 35 of 2014 Concerning Child Protection

Restitution is the compensation paid by a perpetrator, as determined by a court with a final legal decision, to cover the material and/or immaterial losses suffered by the victim or their heirs. In cases involving child victims, restitution becomes obligatory for the perpetrator to compensate the victim for their losses. This demonstrates the perpetrator's responsibility for actions that have harmed the victim, their family, or heirs, in accordance with Article 71 D Paragraph (2) of Law Number 35 of 2014, which amends Law number 23 of 2002 concerning Child Protection. Restitution, as a form of compensation for victims of crimes, aligns with the Principle of Restoration to its Original Condition (restitutio in integrum), aiming to restore victims to their state before the crime, although complete restoration may not be possible. It emphasizes a holistic recovery approach, addressing various aspects resulting from the crime's consequences. Through restitution, victims can recover their freedom, legal rights, social status, family life, citizenship, residence, employment, and assets. The research will be conducted at the Belawan Police, Medan LPSK, and Bagan Deli Belawan Village.

The reciprocal relationship between child maltreatment and children's bullying victimization in China.

Children who experience physical and psychological maltreatment within their family are more likely to become victims of abuse outside the family. In Chinese culture, children's victimization may also be a precursor to parenting behaviors. Nevertheless, the reciprocal relationship between child maltreatment and children's bullying victimization remains unclear, particularly in Chinese culture. This study aimed to evaluate the reciprocal association between child maltreatment and children's bullying victimization in China, as well as its gender differences. A total of 891 children aged 8-11 years in China participated in the study at four time points. The potential reciprocal link was examined using a cross-lagged model. The results indicated that physical abuse predicted children's bullying victimization across four time points, while physical neglect predicted children's bullying victimization during the first three time points. The effects of emotional abuse and neglect were negligible. Conversely, children's bullying victimization consistently predicted various types of parental maltreatment over time. Some gender differences in the relationship were found. The findings emphasized a reciprocal relationship between child maltreatment within the family and children's bullying victimization at school. Understanding the cyclical patterns between child maltreatment and bullying victimization may help improve family education approaches and reduce children's bullying victimization.

Empirical Examination of Factors that Influence Official Decisions in Criminal Cases Against Police Officers

In the current paper, we examine departmental and court decision-making in criminal cases against police officers. The study has two objectives: 1) to examine variables that impact departmental decisions in criminal cases against police officers, and 2) to examine factors that affect case disposition/conviction decisions by the courts. To achieve these objectives, we analyzed nationally representative arrest data using multiple statistical approaches. The results obtained revealed important patterns that are critical to our understanding of how the courts and police departments decide matters relating to police criminality. For instance, victim characteristics significantly influenced decision-making by both the police agency and the court. Also, officer characteristics and crime types were important indicators of how offending officers were punished by both the courts and the agencies that employed them. Specifically, officers whose cases involved child victims and officers who were not familiar with their victims had greater odds of being convicted. The implications of our findings for policy and research in policing, especially research on police misconduct, are discussed.

Parental migration and cyberbullying victimization among Chinese left-behind children: understanding the association and mediating factors.

Parental absence is greatly associated with school bullying victimization of left-behind children (LBC) in migrant families. With the increasing popularity of the Internet, little is known about the association between parental migration and cyberbullying victimization, and potential mediators. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Anhui and Zhejiang Province, China, in 2020. With a sample of 792 currently left-behind children (CLBC), 541 previously left-behind children (PLBC), and 628 never left-behind children (NLBC), path analysis was used to explore the association between parental migration and cyberbullying victimization among children, while considering the independent and sequential mediating roles of parent-child communication, and time spent online. The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization was 29.3% among CLBC, 29.2% among PLBC, and 23.4% among NLBC. Path analysis showed that current left-behind status was positively associated with cyberbullying victimization among children (p = 0.024). Furthermore, current left-behind status was associated with worse parent-child communication, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.007, 0.036)]. Similarly, the previous left-behind experience was associated with worse parent-child communication, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.013, 0.043)]. Current left-behind status was associated with increased time spent online, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.013, 0.038)]. Additionally, the current left-behind status positively predicted cyberbullying victimization among children through the serial mediating roles of parent-child communication and time spent online [95% CI = (0.001, 0.006)]. Similarly, previous left-behind experience positively predicted cyberbullying victimization among children through the serial mediating roles of parent-child communication and time spent online [95% CI = (0.002, 0.007)]. We propose that to protect CLBC and PLBC from cyberbullying victimization, it is of great importance for migrant parents to regulate children's time spent online and promote daily parent-child communication.

Character Values of The Independent Learning Curriculum on The Profile of Pancasila Students in The Burlian Novel

In reality the profile of the Pancasila youth is still not maximally achieved. Based on data from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission, in 2020 the number of children victims of violence in schools (bullying) increased to 76 students from 46 students in the previous year. One of the legendary novels that holds a lot of values is the novel entitled Burlian by Tere Liye. This novel contains educational aspects that are relevant to everyday life. This study is to identify the character values in independent learning curriculum of profile of Pancasila students that can be implemented to build students’ character in the novel “Burlian”. The research method is qualitative research with intertext approach. The role of the researcher is a compulsory because the researcher is the key instrument in this study. The "Pancasila Student Profile" consists of six elements: (1) Faith, Fear of God, and Noble Manners, (2) Global Diversity, (3) Mutual Assistance, (4) Independence, (5) Critical Reasoning, (6) Creativity. The six characteristics included the Pancasila Student Profile. The instrument was used to assess the character in the Burlian Novel. The results revealed that the character values in the Burlian Novel matched Pancasila Student Profile.