Determining whether a child was sexually abused is a tremendous clinical and legal challenge. In litigation, abuse is established--proven--with evidence. Evidence includes testimony from witnesses, hearsay statements, documents, and physical evidence such as semen, genital injury, and fingerprints. There are two types of witnesses: lay witnesses…

This commentary on an article (EC 619 279) about research issues at the interface of medicine and law concerning medical evaluation for child sexual abuse focuses on empirically testable questions: (1) the medical history--its accuracy, interviewing issues, and elicitation and preservation of verbal evidence of abuse; and, (2) expert testimony.…

This chapter discusses the legal issues of schools' responsibilities concerning child abuse and neglect. Most state statutes make reporting mandatory for professionals, including school personnel, who have contact with children and who possess the requisite knowledge that raises a reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect. Reporting must be done…