Chapter Eight Child Victims

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 2 Types of Child Abuse Physical child abuse – any act which results in a nonaccidental physical injury by a person who has care, custody, or control of a child Child neglect – the negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child by a parent or a caretaker under circumstances indicating harm or threatened harm to the child’s health or welfare Child sexual abuse – sexual exploitation or sexual activities with children under circumstances which indicate that the child’s health or welfare is harmed or threatened

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 3 Extent of the Problem Physical Child Abuse Estimated 1,553,800 children were abused or neglected in 1993 Estimated 1,400 child fatalities in 2002 Child Neglect Estimated 515,800 cases of child neglect in 2000 Child Sexual Abuse Estimated 150,000 substantiated cases in 1992 Dropped to estimated 89,500 substantiated cases in 2000

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 4 Child Fatality Review Teams Composed of a variety of professionals from different backgrounds who review child fatalities Normally include the Medical Examiner, a pediatrician, a representative from the District Attorneys Office, law enforcement and child protective services members, and other necessary agencies as appropriate

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 5 Cycle of Violence Theory Asserts that violent behavior is learned within the family and bequeathed from one generation to the next. Cycle of Violence and Family Violence Cycle of Violence and Aggression

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 6 Theories of Physical Child Abuse Psychopathological Model Stresses the characteristics of the abuser as the primary cause of abuse. The abuser’s personality predisposes the abuser to injure the child Interactional Model Views child abuse as a result of a dysfunctional system Environmental-Sociological-Cultural Model Views child abuse as a result of stresses in society that are the primary causes of abuse

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 7 Theories of Child Neglect Economic Theory Suggests that neglect is caused by stress as a result of living in poverty Ecological Theory Views the family behavior and neglect as a result of social causes Personalistic Theory Attributes child neglect to individual personality characteristics of the caretakers

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 8 The Four Preconditions Model of Sexual Abuse Establishes preconditions that create a personal and social context for expressing sexually abusive behavior Precondition I: Motivation to Abuse Sexually Precondition II: Overcoming Internal Inhibitors Precondition III: Factors Predisposing to Overcome External Inhibitors Precondition IV: Factors Predisposing to Overcome the Child’s Resistance

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 9 Special Types of Child Abuse Sibling Abuse Any form of physical, mental, or sexual abuse inflicted by one child in a family unit upon another Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy A psychiatric disorder whereby individuals intentionally produce physical symptoms of illness in their children

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 10 Ritual Abuse A brutal form of abuse of children consisting of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, and involving the use of rituals. Ritual does not necessarily mean satanic. However, most survivors state that they were ritually abused as part of satanic worship for the purpose of indoctrinating them into satanic beliefs and practices. Ritual abuse rarely consists of a single episode. It usually involves repeated abuse over an extended period of time.