Racommendation

Specialized diagnostic centers and specialized units in existing agencies should be available in every community, so that suspected victims of child sexual abuse can receive thorough, sensitive assessments by experienced professionals.

Wherever possible, medical, psychosocial, and law enforcement evaluations should be coordinated and jointly conducted in one place in order to prevent duplication and minimize investigatory trauma to children.

Professionals, regardless of their discipline, who conduct diagnostic assessments of alleged victims should be trained in the legal aspects of cases and in how to conduct a legally supportable interview, and should be properly prepared to write reports and testify in court.

Research is needed that compares sexually abused children to non-abused children, utilizing standardized interview protocols that address such issues as susceptibility to suggestion; reinforcement and leading questions; degree of sexual knowledge by age group; reactions to anatomically correct dolls; and normative developmental understanding of sexuality, touch, and so forth.

Continued use and research on new medical tools of identification, such as the colposcope, is important in order to further our ability to corroborate the statements of young children, whose testimony frequently does not hold up in court. Forensic research, such as documented autopsy findings of sexual abuse victims, also is necessary to increase medical knowledge of this problem.

Increased legal research is needed to further explore ways in which videotaped interviews, depositions, and out of court statements by children can be utilized to minimize their involvement in the adversary legal process.

All children who have had a sexually abusive experience should have the opportunity to obtain treatment, even if the abuse was short lived or has been denied by a child. The many issues that need to be resolved for a child include feelings of shame, concerns about trust and betrayal, fear, sexualized behavior, and protection from further abuse, as well as others that are specific to the particular child and situation. Many incestuous families will not voluntarily enter treatment, and the leverage of a court order is often necessary to ensure that the child and family receive needed therapy. It is also likely that young children will need to return for therapy at later stages of development as they begin to process their experiences and to express them in different ways.

About The Author
David Crawford is the CEO and owner of a Male Enhancement Herbal Pills company known as Male Enhancement Group which is dedicated to researching and comparing male enhancement products in order to determine which male enhancement product is safer and more effective than other products on the market. Copyright 2011 David Crawford of Natural Male Enhancement Last Longer This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.