The issues raised by Jonker and Jonker-Bakker and Young et al (EC 601 187-188) illustrate a major controversy dividing the child abuse community, the alleged existence of a conspiracy of satanic, ritual, sexual abuse of children. No evidence is found to support claims that large numbers of babies and children are being sacrificed or abused in…

Asserts that, in addition to reporting and responding to child abuse, counselors must initiate education programs about abuse. Lists 12 ideas for counselors and school personnel to implement. The American School Counselor Association position paper on the school counselor and child abuse/neglect prevention, child abuse or neglect form, and list of…

After brief history of development of mandatory reporting laws to protect children from maltreatment and evaluation of assumptions underlying use of these laws for case finding, analyzes costs and benefits of reporting laws for four stakeholders (state, professionals, families, and children) and concludes that costs of laws outweigh benefits.…

Defines a critical pedagogy as a moral vision of human justice and decency. Argues that a critical pedagogy of the theatre could help create an analytical discourse of entertainment to allow children a different type of cultural literacy. (NH)

This statement of the Safer Society Foundation is designed to assist states considering public notification when convicted sex offenders are released to the community. It considers the impact of public notification on the greater community, including citizens, families, victims, and offenders. (DB)

This commentary on a paper (EC 619 273) about the appearance of acute, healing, and healed anogenital injuries in children who have been sexually abused urges the development of guidelines to interpret the physical findings found in children. Limitations of current practice and clinical studies are noted. A research procedure for the development…

Examines the "Looking After Children" approach in child protective services in England. Maintains that the approach provides a method for assessing child outcomes based on well-developed theory and sound research. Concludes that it is necessary to clarify which aspects of the materials are useful in assessing outcomes for children not in…

Educators often fall into the trap of blaming--blaming parents, former schools, the central office, or even an economic system that permits poverty and violence to flourish in a society replete with resources. In this article, the author rekindles her experience in teaching a special education student named Deidre who, resembles the truth of most…

Coohey's paper is a valuable investigation of the substantiation of mothers for failure to protect their children from child sexual abuse (CSA). Drawing on concerns regarding the possible inconsistency of decisions to substantiate, Coohey sought to determine the factors relied on by CPS investigators in the decision-making process. Multivariate…

The recent rise in terrorism around the world has caused families, educators, and indeed everyone to consider again how to help young children grow up tolerant, accepting, and, above all, non-violent. Policies that support a tolerant, inclusive curriculum are essential if children are to survive in the years ahead. Curriculum policies must be…

Sexual abuse of children has been recognized as a major problem. Attempts have been made to elicit descriptions of the abuse of children. A variety of interview methods for obtaining descriptions have been used. Methods of interviewing depend on the age of the child, the purpose of the interview, and the training and philosophy of the interviewer.…

Various personal observations and experiences of a former director of the Office of Child Development and chief of the Children's Bureau are recounted in an informal discussion of punishment and child abuse. Several brief arguments focusing on the negative effects of punishment are offered, and contributions of the Children's Bureau to action…

This paper discusses problems encountered by researchers in applying the guidelines of Finkelhor (1986) for the selection of research instruments for gathering data on the effects of child sexual abuse. Discussion focuses on measures of effects of the abuse experience, measures of post-abuse experiences, and of mediating variables. The data…

Child sexual abuse continues to be a problem despite efforts towards prevention. The burden of protecting children still falls mainly on women, yet society's general attitudes take away from women the tools they need to do this job. Mothers of sexually abused children have been blamed for their daughters' abuse because of their emotional…

This article addresses the disabled child's particular vulnerability to child abuse and exploitation. Roles for schools and parents are described in detail along with specific signs of abuse. Stressed is the need to provide disabled children with accurate information on sexual abuse and with the necessary skills to protect themselves. (Author/VW)