Along with technical advances have come a series of common realizations or themes that now reverberate throughout the field and within most communities struggling to respond to this problem. The most significant of these includes the recognition that (1) no single agency or discipline can or should be totally responsible for management of child sexual abuse cases; (2) cooperation between local agencies (particularly between law enforcement and clinical services) not only serves the best interests of children, but enhances cases outcomes as well; and (3) as with most difficult medical, legal, and social problems, those affected are best seed by specialists in that field. An additional theme is our newfound awareness that sexual abuse is some thing that must be openly d' cussed with young children and their families both before it occurs, in the forms of sensitive prevention programs, and afterward, in the form of therapy.

However, the good news on how far we have come in our awareness in this area is still overshadowed by the bad news concerning how far we have to go. Although we are getting better at detecting child sexual abuse, we still fall short in terms of what we do with it once we have found it. Most communities still count themselves as fortunate if they have one or two professionals in each discipline who are experienced and qualified to handle these cases. Few physicians in either pediatrics or gynecology are experienced in what to look for when examining an alleged child victim. Few police officers and attorneys have any specialized training on how to communicate with young, traumatized children, just as few mental health professionals have been trained about the legal aspects of these cases. There are virtually no graduate or professional schools in any discipline that offer specific tracks or programs leading to a specialty in this area, and even specialized courses in the subject are rare. Most experts in this field have not gained their expertise through traditional avenues or formal education.

Similarly, specialized treatment programs that coordinate legal and clinical aspects of cases still number only in the hundreds nationwide, and most struggle continually to remain financially viable without the benefit of sustained public funding. Federal and state funding for child sexual abuse has been focused primarily on demonstration projects, which are time limited and frequently shorter in duration than the time required to treat an individual child or family.

Given the fact that child sexual abuse may affect more than one third of our population, our current resources and expertise are sorely inadequate to address the problem, especially among very young children. We are at a crossroads in this field. Public awareness and improved clinical techniques have done much to bring this issue to the forefront, but already there is a public backlash of disbelief, including accusations of hysteria and witch hunting. As in the days when Freud first uncovered and then discounted the existence of the problem, many professionals and society as a whole may be inclined to quickly push this problem back into its closet. Whether we prevent that from happening, and whether we improve our ability to respond to its presence, may largely be determined over the next few years.

Some improvements will come with increased education and training; some may come with increased funding and specialized programs; and some will only come with an increased willingness to r think traditional approaches and try new methods of intervention and treatment. Our legal systems have a large role to play in determining the outcomes of cases in the upcoming years. There is increasing interest at this time in legal reforms on behalf of child victims. How ever, the question of whether our cumbersome and tradition bound legal system can stretch and conform itself to the developmental and psychological needs of children remains to be seen. If not, then surely the youngest victims of this problem will continue to be either unprotected as a result of our disregard or re-traumatized as a result of our attention.

The crossroads we face is one of trust, as well as one of choice. We are asking children to trust us with their secrets and with their futures. All over the country, new programs are being instituted that encourage children to tell us if they are or have been sexually abused. Will their disclosures be met with sensitivity, support, and competent intervention that feels like help, or will they learn that it is not only individual adults they can't trust, but our protective, therapeutic, and legal systems as well?

About The Author
David Crawford is the CEO and owner of a company known as Natural Penis Enlargement which is dedicated to researching and comparing penis enlargement products in order to determine which penis enlargement product is safer and more effective than other products on the market. Copyright 2011 David Crawford of http://www.maleenhancementgroup.com/penis-enlargement-pills/ This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.