Journal of Child Sexual Abuse最新文献

Forensic interviewers face a variety of complex and challenging situations in their role. To help them respond effectively, prioritizing professional identity formation is important. This process involves internalizing the core values, characteristics, and behaviors of the profession. The first step in facilitating this formation is identifying and delineating the core attributes of the profession, which was the focus of the current study. Twenty-one practitioners, recognized for their expertise in interviewing children, were asked about their approach to conducting interviews, and their responses were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis to identify how they conceived their professional identity. The findings indicated that the practitioners perceived their professional identity in consistent ways, most notably in the role of a temporary holder of information, a protector of the evidence, and professionals who prioritize the child. These core values, characteristics, and behaviors align with both best-practice interviewing principles and victims' reported needs. Future development of the framework delineated in this study holds promise for assisting interviewers in flexibly navigating the complexities and challenges of their role.

This study analyzed caregiver feedback regarding referrals, service use, and wanting additional services using a standardized survey completed by 1,585 caregivers at 260 Children's Advocacy Centers. Most caregivers were referred to counseling or support services for their child (84%). Caregivers who completed the survey in Spanish were significantly more likely to receive referral information for themselves, have children use the services, use the services themselves, report being on waiting lists, want additional services for their child, and believe staff could have done something additional compared to caregivers who completed it in English. African American children were significantly less likely to receive referrals, use services and have caregivers want additional services. Spanish-speaking caregivers and African American children warrant more attention to ensure all families' needs are being addressed.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant threat to the health and well-being of children in the United States (US). Public policies are a key public health strategy for the primary prevention of violence, including CSA. In 2021, the Enough Abuse Campaign and Prevent Child Abuse America published a comprehensive report entitled A Call to Action for Policymakers and Advocates: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Legislation in the States to encourage state leaders to create a comprehensive strategy to prevent CSA in the US. Findings from the report show that the nation has made some effort to address CSA, but more focus needs to be given to primary prevention strategies that stop it from occurring in the first place. The report also illustrates the variability of CSA prevention policies across the US and highlights critical gaps in current approaches that must be addressed. In the spirit of the special issue, the authors reflect on key policy issues in the field, including the lack of a federal policy framework for CSA prevention, dedicated funding for the prevention of CSA, and research on the effectiveness of policies intended to prevent CSA. Suggestions for future directions in relation to policy development provided in this commentary will be useful to a variety of stakeholders interested in the topic of CSA prevention policy.

A substantial proportion of all reported child sexual abuse is perpetrated by other young people, though it is challenging to accurately depict its prevalence. Even less is known about the help-seeking behaviors of young people. Understanding how they seek help for their own problematic sexualized behavior is crucial to better inform therapeutic interventions and early intervention opportunities. This study used an administrative dataset of contacts (N = 901) received by Kids Helpline over nine years. Given the paucity of research on this topic, our approach to draw upon the contacts made to Kids Helpline by young people concerned about their own sexualized interests or behaviors is innovative and exploratory. Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine the characteristics of each contact as well as the demographics of the young people making contact. The present study examined the characteristics of 695 males and 206 females (aged 10 to 25) seeking help for their own problematic sexualized behaviors. Young people who contacted Kids Helpline for problematic sexualized behavior reported the following specific concerns: sexual behaviors (40.50%) and pornography use (38.20%). A quarter of contacts (25.86%) raised multiple concerns. Results suggest that intervention should be provided early and in an age-graded way. Several implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Interventions implemented in the digital space play an important role in the response to global concerns about the prevalence of online child sexual abuse. Digital detection software (e.g. Sweetie) utilized to combat this behavior is a well-known example. Far fewer examples of digital interventions focused on its prevention exist. This review sought to identify digital interventions currently being implemented that aim to prevent online child sexual abuse, or intervene early, through deterrence and redirection. Guided by the PRISMA scoping review framework, a search was conducted across four databases, with snowballing from reference lists of selected sources. After exclusion criteria were applied, six sources were selected for review. Findings suggest that digital interventions (e.g. warning messages and chatbots) can be used to deter and redirect individuals at-risk of, or in the early stages of engaging in online child sexual abuse, with greater deterrent effects observed when messaging aligns with situational crime prevention principles. However, limited application and evaluation of these interventions to date constrains inferences regarding the impact of these prevention efforts. To supplement findings, several other emerging examples of digital interventions and conceptual/theoretical works (that did not meet the original inclusion criteria) are cited. Findings of this review should be considered alongside these other examples to inform the ongoing design and scaling up of digital interventions aimed at preventing online child sexual abuse.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of technology-facilitated crimes against children worldwide has increased substantially and become one of the most serious crime problems. Due to these considerations, there is a lack of large-scale systematic reviews investigating Cybercrime in and of itself could be challenging to investigate in comparison to traditional ones due to the elusiveness of the cyber realm. Specifically, investigating internet crimes against children comes with specific challenges. These offenses target vulnerable children who are less likely to realize their victimization, lowering the probability of reporting to the proper authorities. With these obstacles in mind, this research study utilizes data information regarding the characteristics of online CSAM users and their practices to inform law enforcement, parents, and the public for preventative and strategic purposes. Furthermore, this study diagnoses the significant challenges of investigating technology-facilitated crimes against children by examining how the current criminal justice system responds to these incidents. The policy recommendations discussed offer a holistic lens for highlighting this critical issue and implementing practical and proactive training solutions for law enforcement and the public.